Explainer: China’s shipyards invert escalation asymmetry

A record has turned Beijing's shipbuilding dominance from a forecast into a fact and left USA's main lever of pressure looking obsolete.

A record first half has turned Beijing’s shipbuilding dominance from a forecast into a fact and left Washington’s main lever of pressure looking obsolete.

Shipowners ordered 121.06m deadweight tonnes from Chinese yards in the first half of 2026 up 173.1% year on year, and 82.3% of all tonnage ordered worldwide.

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