The United States and China agreed on Thursday to pause tit-for-tat fees on each others ships that became a major irritant in the broader trade war between the worlds two largest economies and pushed up ocean freight costs. The agreement was reported by Reuters.

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The move provides a 12-month reprieve on an estimated $3.2 billion annually in fees for large Chinese-built vessels sailing to U.S. ports and was among the trade deals reached in South Korea by President of the United States Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Early this year, the Trump administration announced plans to levy fees on China-linked ships to loosen the countrys grip on the global maritime industry and bolster U.S. shipbuilding. The so-called Section 301 penalties followed a U.S. probe that concluded Chinas domination of the global maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors was driven by unfair practices.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox Business Network on Thursday that the Section 301 action had been put on hold.

The U.S. Trade Representatives office did not immediately comment whether the pause covered other U.S. penalties, including those on non-U.S. auto carriers built outside of China.

The Section 301 penalties also included 100% tariffs on port cranes made in China. Chinas Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that the suspension applied to Section 301 penalties “concerning Chinas maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors.” It added that China also will suspend its on countermeasures and fees on U.S.-linked ships.

The fees reportedly have cost ship operators including China-owned COSCO and U.S.-based Matson millions of dollars and disrupted vessel schedules, driving up shipping expenses that eventually will land on consumers, maritime experts warned.

Singapore-based ocean transportation provider High-Trend International Group said in a statement that the suspension offered immediate, material benefits to the company. “The suspension removes a long-standing cost and policy overhang that had affected HTCOs maritime logistics and carbon-neutral initiatives,” the High-Trend said. “This development is expected to significantly reduce cross-border shipping costs, improve cash-flow stability, and strengthen investor confidence in HTCOs growth strategy.”

While maritime executives welcomed suspension of penalties, they expressed frustration over continued uncertainty.

“I sincerely hope this agreement has some permanency, something sorely lacking thus far, that will allow the shipping industry to get on with its core purpose – facilitating global commerce,” Simon Heaney, senior manager of container research at maritime research consultancy Drewry, said on LinkedIn.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform