[Text/Observer Network Wang Shipin] The US hopes to open a loophole to allow Japan to help build dual-use ships. According to exclusive reports by the Nikkei Shimbun on April 27, John Phelan, the new US Secretary of the Navy, told the Nikkei Shimbun that regarding shipbuilding, the US government will seek cooperation with Japan from both national security and economic perspectives. In addition to seeking to build commercial ships according to specifications that can be used for military purposes in collaboration with Japan, the US side also hopes that Japanese companies will invest in shipbuilding on the US West Coast.

This proposal was made during Phelan's visit to Japan. Phelan conveyed the relevant suggestions of the US side when he met with Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and others on April 28. He is also scheduled to meet with representatives of Japanese enterprises and visit shipyards.

Launch of the "Most Upper" escort ship at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki Shipyard on social media.

Phelan is the founder of an investment company in the US. During his campaign, he had close ties with President Trump and assumed office as the new US Secretary of the Navy in March. Shortly before his visit to Japan, he accepted an interview with the Nikkei Shimbun near Washington D.C.

In 1920, the US enacted the Jones Act, which stipulated that civilian ships traveling between coastal ports could only be built in the US. In 1965 and 1968, it twice passed the Burns-Toliver Amendment, which stipulated that US warships could only be built in domestic shipyards to protect its domestic shipbuilding industry.

However, since 2023, American think tanks have continued to hype up the "Chinese shipbuilding threat theory." A report released in March 2025 by the prominent US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) stated that China has more than 50% of global shipbuilding capacity, exceeding that of the US by over 200 times. In China, whether military or commercial, shipbuilding businesses are promoted under state leadership, and the size of the navy is also widening its lead distance relative to the US military.

Facing the huge gap between China and the US, Americans decided to revise their "ancestral laws" to involve Japan and South Korea in construction. In February this year, Republican Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis submitted the "Naval Readiness Assurance Act" and other proposals, requiring that "the engineering of US Navy warship construction can be handed over to allies such as South Korea." The key clause states that "the US can entrust the construction of US Navy warships to countries that have signed mutual defense treaties or NATO member states."

In addition, the proposal specifically stipulates that the construction costs of foreign shipyards must be lower than those of US shipyards, and "foreign shipyards building US warships shall not be owned or receive investment from China," etc. The proposal was put forward by Republicans who hold a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and it is "expected to pass Congress without problems."

Besides finding partners, Americans also attempted to suppress our shipbuilding industry. In February, the Office of the US Trade Representative proposed a plan advocating the imposition of high "berthing fees" on Chinese-made ships entering US ports. Maritime experts quoted by Reuters said that if a ship was built in China, operated by a Chinese shipping company, and the company also ordered ships from Chinese shipyards, the cumulative cost per berthing could reach up to $3.5 million.

On April 8, Reuters reported that after facing joint opposition from multiple industries in the US, the Trump administration considered relaxing the proposed "berthing fee" on Chinese ships.

Nevertheless, many scholars and think tanks expressed that South Korean or Japanese shipyards would find it difficult to significantly increase their capacity in the short term. Additionally, due to uncertainty about how long the US will maintain restrictions on Chinese-built ships, Japanese and South Korean shipyards may be reluctant to make long-term investments.

Regarding the ability of Japanese and South Korean shipyards to increase production to replace China in shipbuilding, Takaaki Koga, president of Japan's largest shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha, also expressed pessimism.

According to Reuters, Koga Takaaki said in Singapore during the Maritime Week in late March that Japanese shipyards are already operating at full capacity and have little room for expansion until 2028. Over the past twenty years, South Korean shipyards have faced "very poor" financial conditions, and their expansion plans will not be realized soon.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498218092992971274/

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