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

China’s shipbuilding industry has seen a rapid rebound in new orders. In 2025, due to the Trump administration in the United States introducing regulatory measures targeting Chinese vessels, the industry once found itself struggling, but after the measures were announced to be delayed, order volumes rebounded by the end of 2025. In high value-added vessel segments such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport ships, China’s growing influence in shipbuilding has continued to increase, highlighting the powerful strength behind its leading global market share.

In Dalian, a port city in Northeast China, in mid-March, looking from near the production base of CSSC—the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the world’s largest shipbuilding group—several tankers under construction can be seen, along with scenes of 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 an abrupt turn for the worse. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that when ships built in China dock at U.S. ports, port call fees will be imposed. The measure was originally scheduled to take effect in the autumn of 2025.

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