Washington Probe Criticizes China's Shipbuilding Practices The United States has concluded a thorough investigation into what it describes as China's "unfair" practices in the shipbuilding industry. This inquiry, completed by the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, accuses China of using practices such as artificially suppressed labor costs, forced technology transfers, and intellectual property theft to dominate the global shipbuilding market. According to the findings, China now commands nearly two-thirds of the world's shipbuilding orders, a staggering increase from less than 10% in 2000. This dominance has led American unions to call for tariffs or increased port fees on Chinese-built vessels, citing a need to counteract what they view as China's unfair advantages fostered by government support and strategic investments. The probe comes at the end of President Joe Biden's term, with President-elect Donald Trump signaling an interest in collaborating with Japanese and Korean shipyards to establish non-Chinese alternatives. Meanwhile, China has dismissed these allegations, with a spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry arguing that the investigation lacks factual basis and blaming the US for its own industrial challenges.