China has extended its suspension of special port fees on US-linked ships until 10 January 2027, the transport ministry said on Monday, in a further easing of trade tensions between the world's two largest economies.

The ministry said the decision, approved by the State Council, implements the outcomes of the eighth round of China-US economic and trade consultations. The suspension also covers a Chinese investigation into the impact of US maritime measures on China's shipping, shipbuilding and related supply chains. Reuters reported the extension on 9 November, and Business Today confirmed the 10 January date.

Part of a wider two-month truce

The port-fee extension came on the same day Beijing extended its suspension of an additional 24% tariff on US imports for two months, while keeping a 10% levy in place. The original one-year suspension of the port fees and the shipping investigation was announced on 10 November 2025, after trade talks in Kuala Lumpur, so the new extension keeps the measures on hold into the new year rather than letting them resume this week.

What the fees would have hit

The special port fees applied to US-linked vessels calling at Chinese ports, mirroring American Section 301 port fees on China-linked vessels calling at US ports. The US trade representative has proposed extending its own suspension of those fees to 9 January 2027. For shippers, the two-month extension removes the immediate risk of fresh charges on US-China routes, but the underlying measures remain in place, so the pause is temporary rather than a permanent withdrawal.