China has extended its suspension of port fees on US ships through January, following a Friday notice from the US Trade Representative that postponed fees on China-built or China-controlled vessels calling at US ports for two months starting Monday.
For shippers moving cargo on transpacific lanes, the immediate effect is that no additional port surcharge will appear in rates in the near term. But the deferral is not a cancellation. The US rule is now set to take effect in early January, when licensed customs brokers will be required to verify that overseas clients qualify as US importers of record before filing entries on their behalf.
That adds a documentation check at the customs stage, and cargo with incomplete paperwork could face delays. The stakes are high: US ports handled 2.37 million TEUs in September, the busiest month of 2026 and the third-busiest on record for the National Retail Federation's Global Port Tracker.
Shippers using third-party importers of record should review their documentation now rather than wait for the January effective date.