US charges Chinese executives in shipping container cartel

The United States charged seven Chinese executives and four global shipping firms for conspiring to fix container prices during the pandemic. The Department of Justice alleges they restricted supply to inflate costs when global logistics were most vulnerable. The indictment targets the core of global trade infrastructure.

### Supply Manipulation During Global Crisis Department of Justice officials said the executives and firms coordinated to limit container availability. This artificial scarcity drove shipping rates higher while global demand surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.