China ‘s sanctions on U.S.-affiliated divisions of shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean could disrupt the supply of Chinese equipment and materials, potentially jeopardising South Korea –U.S. shipbuilding cooperation, officials in Seoul said on Friday.

Beijing announced the sanctions on Tuesday as the U.S. and China began charging additional port fees on each other’s vessels, in the latest exchange in a protracted trade war ahead of a planned meeting of the two countries’ leaders.

South Korea has vowed to “Make America Shipbuilding Great Again” with a pledge of $150 billion of investment in the sector to help U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to revitalise American shipbuilding to catch up with China’s.

The decline of the U.S. shipbuilding sector and the industries needed to support it made it

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