On the verge of the Biden administration, and on the eve of the of Monday's Inauguration Day which will inaugurate Donald Trump again as president of the United States, the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the body that supports the president in the field of international trade, has presented yesterday the conclusions of the investigation pursuant to the Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to adopt measures to counter any action that is deemed to harm the U.S. trade. The conclusions highlight that the The People's Republic of China is paying particular attention to the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors in order to gain dominance in these markets, a dominance that - in the opinion of the USTR - "is unreasonable and burdens or limits the U.S. trade, and is therefore "actionable" pursuant to Section 301.'

According to the USTR, 'the objective of the dominance of the People's Republic of China is unreasonable because displaces foreign companies, deprives market-oriented companies and workers of business opportunities and reduces the and creates dependencies on the People's Republic of China, increasing risks and reducing supply chain resilience. The goal of dominance of the People's Republic of China - for the USTR - is also unreasonable because of the overtime Beijing's control over its economic actors and these sectors."

Among the other findings contained in the report, it is highlighted, as reported by the American trade unions, that "the consolidation of the dominance of the People's Republic of China means that the U.S. foreign trade is "carried out" on ships built in China, financed by Chinese institutions of state-owned, owned by companies navigation and is dependent on an infrastructure maritime and global logistics increasingly dominated by the China".

"Today, the United States," Katherine Tai stressed, who leads the USTR and is therefore a representative of the trade of the Biden administration - are ranked 19th in the world in the commercial shipbuilding industry and build less than five ships per year, while the People's Republic of China builds more than 1,700. In 1975, the United States was at the first place and we built more than 70 ships a year. The domain targeted by Beijing on these sectors undermines fair and market-oriented environment, increases risks to economic security and represents the biggest obstacle to revitalization of U.S. industries, as well as communities that depend on them. These conclusions under Section 301 set the stage for urgent action to invest in America and to strengthen our supply chains."

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce replied that the investigation "is characterized by evident unilateralism and protectionism. Previously, the World Trade Organization - recalled the spokesman of the ministry - had established that the imposition by the United States of Section 301 duties on China violated WTO rules and had met the opposition of many WTO members. The US investigation on the 301 - according to Beijing - is conducted for needs domestic policies and to curb China's development. It is a serious violation of the multilateral trading system and rules of international trade".

In addition, the Chinese Ministry denounced that "the report US 301 Survey on the Maritime, Logistics and China's shipbuilding industry is full of false accusations against China. Historically - highlighted the spokesman of the DICASTERY - The decline of the U.S. shipbuilding industry has not it has nothing to do with China. Even before the rise of the Chinese shipbuilding industry, the global market share of the U.S. shipbuilding industry was negligible. From a realistic perspective, the development of the shipbuilding industry is certainly not based on the so-called "non-toxic practices" but on a complete industrial system, on well-trained engineers and industrial workers and on a open entrepreneurial approach. China's maritime transport market is has always been open to the global market and has never adopted discriminatory policies against foreign ships or companies. China's industrial policy is predominantly more than binding, and treats Chinese companies and foreigners in the same way. On the other hand, the Biden administration has provided substantial subsidies to national industries through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips and Science Act, many of the which are discriminatory aids. Policies and practices in seriously undermine the effectiveness and authority of the of WTO rules and are really non- market".

"China - concluded the spokesman - urges the Biden administration to respect the facts and the rules multilateral principles, to adhere to the principles of the market economy and fair competition, to address reasonable concerns and the legitimate requests of companies from both countries and to stop shifting the blame for development problems to China U.S. domestic industrial. China will monitor U.S. actions and will take steps necessary to defend their legitimate rights and interests".

The China Association of the National Shipping Industry (CANSI) expressed "strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition" compared to the American initiative implemented through a survey that The Chinese Shipbuilding Association believes that it draws "conclusions based on a poorly done investigation, full of falsehoods and distortions". According to CANSI, "the USTR, based on false accusations by the United States, ignored the opposition of stakeholders in the global maritime industry, has ignored the facts, insisted on launching a unilateral investigation and drew wrong, irresponsible and unprofessional conclusions that will seriously disrupt the global maritime logistics system and international trade order, seriously hampering the Moving forward with the green transformation of the maritime industry global".