The United States has unveiled plans to impose new port fees on Chinese ships, saying it aims to revive American shipbuilding against China’s dominance in the industry.

The US Trade Representative's (USTR) announcement is less severe than a plan floated in February to hit vessels produced by China with fees of up to $1.5m for each American port they visited. It said the fees would start to be charged in 180 days time and would rise in the coming years.

President Donald Trump escalating his trade war with Beijing after announcing a 245-percent tariff on all goods imported from China.