U.S. Shipbuilding Industry: A Call to Action Against China's Predatory Trade Practices

On February 19, 2025, IAM Union International President Brian Bryant, along with three other petitioners, sent a letter to President Trump urging his Administration to enforce strong penalties against China and implement policies that will restore U.S. maritime power and promote national economic and security interests. The letter highlighted the dire state of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which has been hobbled by China's predatory trade practices and the harm they have caused to U.S. shipyard workers.

The previous administration released a comprehensive report finding that over the past several decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has advanced a systematic array of unfair trade practices and economic policies designed to dominate and control the maritime, shipbuilding, and logistics sectors. These actions have severely undermined these domestic industries and U.S. economic and national security along with it. The report made clear that responsive action is necessary and urgent to right this wrong and rebuild the domestic shipbuilding industry.

IAM Union International President Brian Bryant, a shipyard worker himself, emphasized the need for the Trump Administration to act swiftly and decisively, using every tool in the toolbox to implement policy to jumpstart the domestic shipbuilding industry and create a level playing field on which it can thrive. The IAM stands willing to work with the Trump Administration and all parties to rebuild and reinvigorate this vitally important industry on behalf of its members and for the nation's economic and national security.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of North America's largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.

The U.S. shipbuilding industry faces significant challenges due to China's predatory trade practices, including subsidies, preferential sourcing policies, and unfair labor practices. These practices have led to the closure of U.S. shipyards, job losses, and a decline in the nation's maritime power. To address these issues, the Trump Administration should consider the following policies and measures:

• Strengthen U.S. shipbuilding capacity through targeted investments and incentives for domestic shipyards.



• Expand and improve training programs for civilian mariners to address the critical personnel gap in the U.S. Merchant Marine.



• Work with allies to build support for solutions to the many problems China has created for the global trading system.



• Explore how best to update existing, and develop new, domestic trade tools to address China's predatory strategies.



• Consider targeted actions on export controls and outbound investment to protect national security.

The Trump Administration must act swiftly and decisively to address China's predatory trade practices and restore U.S. maritime power. By implementing these policies and measures, the Administration can protect American workers, promote national economic and security interests, and ensure the long-term prosperity of the U.S. shipbuilding industry.