US senators warned President Donald Trump against easing pressure on China’s shipbuilding industry ahead of talks with Xi Jinping, citing unfair trade practices, declining American shipyards, national security risks, and growing Chinese maritime dominance threatening US economic and military interests worldwide.
A bipartisan group of United States senators has urged President Donald Trump to maintain a firm stance against China’s shipbuilding sector during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, warning that Beijing’s aggressive industrial policies are undermining American manufacturing strength and threatening long-term national security interests.
In a strongly worded letter released on Monday, Senators Tammy Baldwin, Mark Kelly, Todd Young and Tim Scott called on President Donald Trump not to make concessions to China on maritime trade and shipbuilding during discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The lawmakers argued that China has spent decades building its global shipbuilding dominance through what they described as unfair and discriminatory economic tactics. According to the senators, Beijing relied heavily on state subsidies, government-backed financing and non-market industrial strategies that weakened American shipyards and helped China become the world’s leading commercial shipbuilder.
“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. They further warned that China’s efforts to dominate global shipbuilding should not be rewarded through compromises in future trade or economic negotiations.
The senators highlighted the widening gap between the United States and China in global commercial shipbuilding. They noted that China reportedly accounted for more than 60 percent of worldwide commercial shipbuilding orders in 2025, while the United States fell behind several major maritime economies, including South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Italy and Germany.
Lawmakers said the decline of American shipyards has consequences extending beyond economics. They argued that a weakened domestic shipbuilding industry directly affects national security because US shipyards also support military readiness, naval logistics and strategic transportation capabilities.
The letter stressed that American shipyards and related suppliers provide thousands of high-paying jobs while preserving critical industrial skills necessary for military vessel production and commercial shipping operations. Senators warned that continued erosion of domestic shipbuilding capacity could leave the United States increasingly dependent on foreign-built vessels at a time of growing geopolitical tensions.
The bipartisan group praised recent actions already taken by the Trump administration to confront China’s maritime industry practices. These measures include announced fees on Chinese-built ships entering American ports as well as additional costs imposed on companies operating Chinese-made vessels.
According to the senators, early signs indicate that these policies may already be affecting China’s shipbuilding market. They cited reports showing a 25 percent decline in Chinese shipyard orders between March and May 2025 following a determination by the US Trade Representative that China used non-market practices to dominate the industry.
“The sudden decrease in Chinese shipping orders shows that when your Administration acts on this issue, the global maritime industry pays attention,” the senators stated.
The lawmakers also urged Trump to support the bipartisan Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security Act, commonly known as the SHIPS for America Act. The proposed legislation is designed to revitalise the American maritime sector through investments in shipbuilding infrastructure, workforce development and domestic industrial capacity.
Senator Baldwin, who has advocated for expanding shipbuilding operations in the Great Lakes region, said rebuilding America’s maritime industry would strengthen domestic manufacturing and create long-term employment opportunities for skilled workers.
The warning from the senators comes amid broader strategic competition between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology, military influence and industrial policy. Shipbuilding has increasingly emerged as a major area of concern for American defence planners, who believe China’s rapidly expanding naval and commercial fleet could provide Beijing with a long-term strategic advantage in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Analysts say the issue is expected to feature prominently in future US-China economic and security discussions as both nations continue competing for influence across global trade routes and maritime infrastructure networks.
