Shipyard diplomacy is to the fore this week as Donald Trump tours Asia, with news of a significant Korean-US tie-up and more to follow from Tokyo where the US president is due to hold talks with new prime minister Sanae Takaichi.
HD Hyundai, South Korea’s largest shipbuilder, has announced a tie-up with American peer Huntington Ingalls Industries covering joint design and construction of the US Navy’s next-generation fleet auxiliary ships, with plans to expand cooperation across all naval and commercial ship types. The two companies plan to jointly invest in American shipbuilding facilities.
In addition, HD Hyundai will supply block modules and key components to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ two major shipyards — Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding — as part of their expanded cooperation.
HD Hyundai chairman Chung Kisun, speaking today at a shipbuilding summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering scheduled to be held this week in South Korea, said: “We are fully ready to be a facilitating partner in the American naval renaissance, working closely with leading innovators in this transformative endeavour.”
Trump is being tipped to visit one of the major Korean yards during his visit to the Asian country later this week.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo today Japan and the US are expected to sign a memorandum to cooperate in strengthening shipbuilding capabilities in both countries as part of economic security measures. Japanese and US companies are expected to invest in shipbuilding yards in both countries as part of Trump’s ongoing strategy to counter China’s maritime dominance.
The APEC summit later this week could also make headlines if Trump meets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to discuss trade matters, with issues such as port fees and tariffs expected to be discussed.
