China's shipbuilding industry sees a rapid rebound in new orders

China’s shipbuilding industry has seen new orders recover rapidly. In 2025, due to the Trump administration’s introduction of regulatory measures targeting Chinese vessels, the industry was once battling hard, but after the measures were announced to be postponed, order volumes rebounded by the end of 2025. In high value-added vessel segments such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport ships, China’s shipbuilding industry’s influence has also been steadily increasing, demonstrating its strong实力—its dominance as the No. 1 player in global market share.

In Dalian, a port city in Northeast China, in mid-March, looking from near the production base of China Shipbuilding Group (CSSC)—the world’s largest shipbuilding group—one can see that multiple tankers are under construction, with large cranes at work.

China’s shipbuilding industry has experienced ups and downs in recent years. As of 2024, demand for ships and other vessels meeting new environmental regulations continued to grow, but in 2025 the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that when ships built in China berth at U.S. ports, a port call fee would be charged. The measure was originally scheduled to take effect in autumn 2025.

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