U.S. Probes Claims Chinese Firms Restricted Container Production Before COVID, CBS Says

Federal investigators are probing whether Chinese container manufacturing giants deliberately throttled global shipping container production just before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a CBS News report that could reignite concerns over China’s dominance of critical maritime supply chains.

Sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News that U.S. authorities are examining whether several Chinese firms — which collectively control most of the world’s dry shipping container production — conspired in late 2019 to restrict output by cutting worker hours and slowing factory operations. 

Investigators reportedly believe the production slowdown may have artificially tightened global supply and helped drive container prices sharply higher as the pandemic-era supply chain crisis unfolded. 

The Department of Justice is expected to unseal indictments tied to the probe, according to CBS. Several Chinese executives have reportedly been indicted, while another was detained in France pending extradition to the United States.

The allegations strike at the center of a maritime supply chain vulnerability that became painfully visible during the pandemic, when shortages of containers contributed to historic port congestion, soaring freight rates, and massive disruptions to global trade.

China dominates the global container manufacturing industry, accounting for more than 90% of world supply. During the pandemic-era shipping boom, container prices more than doubled as carriers and shippers scrambled for equipment. Bloomberg reported in 2021 that manufacturers were caught off guard by a sudden rebound in demand after expecting global trade to collapse during the early months of COVID-19. 

The probe also lands amid growing scrutiny in Washington over China’s broader control of maritime infrastructure.

In January 2025, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative concluded that China’s maritime and shipbuilding practices were “unreasonable” under Section 301 of the Trade Act, citing Beijing’s state-backed dominance across shipbuilding, logistics, port equipment, intermodal chassis, and shipping containers. 

The USTR later warned that China controls roughly 95% of global shipping container production and said the dominance poses risks to U.S. economic and national security. 

The timing of the investigation is notable. CBS reported the Trump administration sought to keep the case from becoming public until after President Trump’s recent summit in Beijing.

The case could further fuel bipartisan calls in Washington to rebuild domestic maritime manufacturing capacity and reduce reliance on Chinese-controlled shipping infrastructure as geopolitical competition intensifies.

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