Bipartisan US senators on Monday urged President Trump to stand firm on US government-proposed trade remedies aimed at revitalizing the US shipbuilding industry during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and not to make concessions.
Wisconsin Democratic Senator Baldwin, Arizona Democratic Senator Kelly, South Carolina Republican Senator Scott, and Indiana Republican Senator Todd Young sent a letter to Trump, stating that China has been attempting for decades to "destroy the US shipbuilding industry," and that the US must fully utilize trade measures to respond.
In the letter, the senators wrote: "The United States is at a critical turning point and can no longer make further concessions to the People's Republic of China."
In the $150 billion (about 589.7 billion ringgit) global shipbuilding industry, China’s share has jumped from about 5% in 2000 to over 50% in 2023, largely driven by government subsidies. In contrast, the once-dominant US shipbuilding industry now has a market share of less than 1%. South Korea and Japan are the other two major shipbuilding countries.