Shipping recovery collides with tariffs and China’s shipbuilding dominance

Freight and tanker markets are showing signs of a strong rebound, spurring fresh vessel orders in Chinese yards even as logistics giant Kuehne+Nagel cuts 2,000 jobs and leans on AI to cope with uneven demand. China’s dominance in commercial fleets and shipbuilding is sharpening geopolitical concerns in the U.S., where legal and political battles over presidential tariff powers are intensifying. Recent tariff rulings and shifting trade measures are already reshaping Asia–U.S. freight flows and container rates, highlighting how policy decisions now rival cargo volumes in determining winners in global shipping.