President Donald Trump wants more ships made in America. He’s going to need foreign help.
Key to this effort, which the administration sees as a national security and economic imperative, is South Korean shipbuilding giant Hanwha Ocean, which acquired the Philly Shipyard in Pennsylvania last year.
It’s the linchpin of a broader strategy to counter China’s dominance in the field, which gives the People’s Republic a significant military and economic advantage over the U.S., whose shipbuilding capabilities are anemic in comparison. And shipbuilding could play a critical role in trade negotiations between the Republic of Korea and the United States.
“Everybody knows that U.S. shipbuilding has diminished significantly over the last couple of decades,” said a senior administration official granted anonymity to discuss the administration’s thinking. “We welcome their know-how, their capital and the general collaboration.”
