Trump Urged by US Senators to Remain Steady During Chinese Shipbuilding Talks Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. May 12, 2026 © Adobe Stock/Photo Gallery A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Monday urged President Donald Trump to hold fast to trade remedies proposed by his administration to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding and not offer concessions when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Mark Kelly of Arizona, as well as Republicans Tim Scott of South Carolina and Todd Young of Indiana, told Trump in a letter sent on Monday that China's decades-long effort to "decimate American shipbuilding" demanded the use of U.S. trade measures to their fullest extent. When they met in South Korea in October, Trump and Xi agreed to pause tit-for-tat fees on each other's ships for a year, staving off an estimated $3.2 billion annually in fees for large Chinese-built vessels sailing to U.S. ports. The U.S. fees will resume on November 10, unless a further pause is agreed. The U.S. first announced its port fees in April 2025 to help loosen China's grip on the global  maritime  industry after a U.S. probe concluded that China's domination of the  maritime , logistics and shipbuilding sectors was driven by unfair practices. Trump will meet Xi in China on Thursday and Friday for a summit dominated by the Iran war, which has further strained U.S.-Chinese ties. China remains the biggest buyer of Iranian oil despite pressure from the Trump administration. "The United States is at an inflection point and cannot cede additional ground to the People’s Republic of China," the senators wrote in the letter, first reported by Reuters. "We urge you to stand strong during these negotiations as we work together to enact trade remedies and advance the SHIPS for America Act to level the playing field." White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump remained committed to strengthening U.S. shipbuilding, including through a $43 billio