US taps South Korea and Japan shipbuilding to counter China
WASHINGTON
American lawmakers are using a trip to South Korea and Japan to explore how the United States can tap those allies’ shipbuilding expertise and capacity to help boost its own capabilities, which are dwarfed by those of China.
Senators Tammy Duckworth and Andy Kim plan to meet top shipbuilders from the world’s second- and third-largest shipbuilding countries. They want to examine joint ventures to construct and repair noncombatant vessels for the U.S. Navy and bring investments to American shipyards.
“We already have fewer capacity now than we did during Operation Iraqi Freedom," Duckworth said.
Their trip comes as President Donald Trump demands a plan to revive U.S. shipyards and engage foreign partners. The Pentagon is seeking $47 billion for shipbuilding.
Washington lags behind China in naval shipbuilding, raising alarms among policymakers. China is now the world's No. 1 shipbuilder.
Duckworth hopes for joint ventures to build auxiliary vessels and small boats. Another possibility is repairing U.S. ships in the Indo-Pacific.
“If we have to bring ships all the way back ... to wait two years to be fixed, that doesn’t help,” Duckworth said.
The Navy's auxiliary fleet is aging and insufficient.
U.S. commercial shipbuilding accounted for 0.1 percent of global capacity in 2024, while China produced 53 percent.
A Navy review from April 2024 found many major programs were one to three years behind schedule.
In March, Hanwha Ocean completed maintenance for a 41,000-ton U.S. Navy ship in South Korea—its first project after a July 2024 agreement.
Hanwha Group also acquired Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia.
Earlier this month, South Korea proposed to invest $150 billion in U.S. shipbuilding to support Trump’s “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” initiative.
This month, China merged two state-owned shipbuilders to form the world’s biggest shipbuilding company. China State Shipbuilding Corporation commands 21.5 percent of global market.
