(Yicai) April 11 -- The United States' plan to levy tariffs on China's maritime industry is expected to raise international shipping costs, disrupt global supply chains, and harm the interests of various countries, according to the spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The U.S. unilateralism and protectionist domineering practices will not revitalize the US shipbuilding industry, Lin Jian said yesterday.

On April 9, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to revitalize US maritime industries, directing the US Trade Representative to make recommendations about China's anti-competitive shipbuilding policies and consider imposing port docking fees on fleets with Chinese-built or flagged vessels and levying tariffs on China-made port cranes.

China's shipbuilding industry is a result of corporate technological innovation and active participation in market competition, contributing to the development of global trade and the stable and secure operation of global supply chains, Lin noted.

Several US research reports indicated that the US shipbuilding industry lost its competitive edge many years ago due to excessive protectionism, but the US blames its own issues on China, which lacks factual basis and contradicts basic economic principles, Lin added.

The main issues of the US shipbuilding industry are outdated technologies, an incomplete supply chain, and a shortage of skilled workers and experienced managers, Global Times reported, citing Li Haidong, professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University.

Trump's approach involved re-adjusting and reshaping the process of globalization through intense political pressure, which is unlikely to achieve significant results in the short term, Li explained.

China's shipbuilding completion volume, new orders, and order backlog accounted for 56 percent, 74 percent, and 63 percent, respectively, of the global total last year, according to data from the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Editor: Futura Costaglione