Washington, May 19 – Seven Chinese executives and four of the world’s largest shipping container manufacturing companies were indicted for conspiring to restrict the output of — and fix the prices of — nearly all of the world’s standard unrefrigerated shipping containers for over four years, spanning as early as November 2019 to at least January 2024, in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The multi-year conspiracy roughly doubled the prices of standard shipping containers between 2019 and 2021, increasing the container manufacturers’ profits approximately one hundredfold during the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply chain crisis. One executive, Vick Nam Hing Ma, was arrested and his extradition to the United States is pending. Six executive co-defendants remain at large.
Defendant Vick Nam Hing Ma, also known as “Vick Ma”, “馬南慶” and “马南庆” in Chinese, 54, of the People’s Republic of China, was employed by Singamas Container Holdings Ltd. as Marketing Director. He was arrested on April 14, 2026, in France and his extradition to the United States is pending. Following Ma’s arrest, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California unsealed today a superseding indictment charging Ma and 10 of his co-conspirators for conspiring to restrict the output of—and fix the price of — nearly all the world’s standard unrefrigerated shipping containers (also known as standard dry containers), the intermodal containers which carry billions of dollars of goods across the oceans to American households each year. In total, the superseding indictment charges 11 defendants, including 10 of Ma’s co-conspirators:
Singamas Container Holdings Ltd. (Singamas) also known as “胜狮货柜企业有限公司” in Chinese, was a publicly traded company, organized and existing under the laws of Hong Kong in the People’s Republic of China. Singamas was engaged in the business of manufacturing dry shipping containers and selling them to customers in the United States and elsewhere.
China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd. (CIMC), also known as “中国国际海运集装箱（集团）股份有限公司” in Chinese, was a publicly traded company, organized and existing under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. CIMC was engaged in the business of manufacturing dry shipping containers and selling them to customers in the United States and elsewhere.
Shanghai Universal Logistics Equipment Co., Ltd., also known as “上海寰宇物流装备有限公司” in Chinese, was a company organized and existing under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Shanghai Universal Logistics Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Dong Fang”) owned, managed, and did business as a brand of shipping containers called Dong Fang International Containers, also known as “DF”, “DFIC”, or Dong Fang. Dong Fang was engaged in the business of manufacturing dry shipping containers and selling them to customers in the United States and elsewhere.
CXIC Group Containers Co. Ltd. (CXIC) also known as “新华昌集团有限公司” in Chinese, was a company organized and existing under the laws of the People’s Republic of China. CXIC was engaged in the business of manufacturing dry shipping containers and selling them to customers in the United States and elsewhere.
Siong Seng Teo, 71, also known as “張松聲” and “张松声” in Chinese, and “S. Teo,” was employed by Singamas as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. Teo is believed to be a resident of the Republic of Singapore.
Boliang Mai, 67, also known as “麦伯良” in Chinese, was employed by CIMC in various senior roles. From August 2015 through July 2020, Mai served as President and Chief Executive Officer of CIMC. From August 2020 through the rest of the period covered by the Superseding Indictment, he served as Chairman and CEO of CIMC. Mai is believed to be a resident of the People’s Republic of China.
Tianhua Huang, 62, also known as “黄田化” in Chinese and “T.H. Huang,” was employed by CIMC as Vice President. Huang is believed to be a resident of the People’s Republic of China.
Yongbo Wan, 47, also known as “万永波” in Chinese, was employed by CIMC as General Manager of CIMC’s Operation Management Center. Wan is believed to be a resident of the People’s Republic of China.
Qianmin Li, 62, also known as “李前敏” in Chinese, was employed by Dong Fang as General Manager. Li is believed to be a resident of the People’s Republic of China.
Yuqiang Zhang, 49, also known as “张钰强” in Chinese and “James Zhang,” was employed by CXIC as CEO. Zhang is believed to be a resident of the People’s Republic of China.
“Cheaters never prosper,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “This Department of Justice is ensuring that when American pocketbooks are pilfered, accountability will follow. And yet the last administration saw fit to prioritize the weaponization of the Department through novel criminal prosecution theories rather than focus on criminal actors most responsible for manipulating markets to profit from a global pandemic. Thankfully, this Department has righted that wrong, eliminating the weaponization of Government and prioritizing ensuring affordability for all Americans.”
“Global price-fixing cartels strike at the heart of our economic liberty. The defendants held hostage the world’s supply of ocean shipping containers during the Covid pandemic when our supply chains needed it the most. They stole from everyday Americans who paid more and waited longer for vital goods as a result,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division is committed to protecting consumers and holding accountable anyone — anywhere in the world — who exploits Americans for ill-gotten gains.”
“The charges we announced today are possible only because of the dedicated men and women of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office and our partners in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel W. Glad for Criminal Enforcement of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Working together, these law enforcement professionals conducted a thorough, speedy investigation and stand ready to prove the allegations in the indictment.”
“These defendants, as alleged, sought to exploit a global pandemic to increase their own profits. Their illegal agreement to fix prices and limit supply of these shipping containers resulted in the American consumer paying more and waiting longer for critical goods,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “We will not tolerate any attempt to manipulate the free markets and will continue to work with our partners at the Antitrust Division to protect the public from these defendants and others like them.”
“The FBI remains committed to protecting the American people from global entities illegally conspiring to engage in price fixing,” said Operations Director Joe Perez of the FBI’s Criminal and Cyber Branch. “We are proud to work with our partners to ensure that criminals seeking to enrich themselves at the expense of consumers are brought to justice.”
“These charges represent the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and our law enforcement partners to prosecute individuals and companies who restrict trade for personal benefit,” said Executive Special Agent in Charge Kevin Cloninger of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those that conspire to engage in anticompetitive practices and harm U.S. citizens.”
“We will continue working with law enforcement partners to protect our supply chain and aggressively investigate all allegations of price fixing,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Jason Suffredini of the U.S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General.
As alleged in the superseding indictment, as early as March 2019, several of the conspirators began discussing a scheme to restrict the output and fix the prices of standard dry shipping containers. On or about Nov. 14, 2019, Yongbo Wan and Tianhua Huang of CIMC, Qianmin Li of Dong Fang, Yuqiang Zhang of CXIC, and a co-conspiring executive of Co-Conspirator Company A met at CIMC’s headquarters in the city of Shenzhen. The goal of the agreement was to raise the price of standard dry shipping containers. To do so, they agreed to restrict CIMC’s, Dong Fang’s, CXIC’s, and Co-Conspirator Company A’s output of standard dry shipping containers by various means, including:
Limiting the number of shifts and hours that each production line for standard dry containers could run per day; Installing 87 video surveillance cameras on all 49 dry container production lines to ensure that the companies did not exceed the agreed-upon limitations; Not building any new container manufacturing factories; and Establishing a fund that included a mechanism to penalize financially any cheating on the output-restriction agreement.
The participants contemplated that Singamas and Co-Conspirator Company B would join the output-restriction agreement later. Those companies did so by at least as early as March 2020.
Throughout their conspiracy, the conspirators refined the operation of the output-restriction agreement. By September 2020, the conspirators agreed to restrict how many standard dry shipping containers the company conspirators would manufacture for particular customers. These customers included major U.S.-based container lessors, shipping lines, and logistics companies, in addition to container lessors, shipping lines, and logistics companies based in Europe, the People’s Republic of China, and elsewhere. And from at least as early as September 2022 until at least as late as November 2023, the conspirators agreed to cap the total cargo volume of containers that the company conspirators produced. On or about November 20, 2023, for example, Vick Ma of Singamas co-presented to his CEO, co-defendant Siong Seng Teo, the conspiracy’s “Total Allowable capacity” and “allowable quota” for production — organized by each company conspirator and its factory lines.
As further alleged in the indictment, the profits of CIMC’s container manufacturing business segment increased nearly one hundredfold from about $19.8 million USD in 2019, to about $288 million USD in 2020, to about $1.75 billion USD in 2021. Singamas’s net income increased from a loss of about $110 million USD in 2019, to profits of about $4.6 million in 2020 and about $186.8 million in 2021.
The superseding indictment charges the defendants with a conspiracy in restraint of trade in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act (15 U.S.C. § 1). A violation of the Sherman Act carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine for individuals, and a maximum penalty of a $100 million fine for corporations. The fines may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Matthew Chou, Daniel Twomey, Albert Sambat, and Christopher J. Carlberg of the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco Office are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and the Antitrust Division’s International Section. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and U.S. General Services Administration Office of Inspector General investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and French authorities provided significant assistance in securing the arrest of Vick Ma.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation, or other antitrust and competition crimes, should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center by visiting www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Whistleblower awards can range from 15 to 30 percent of the money collected. For more information on the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, including a link to submit reports, visit www.justice.gov/atr/whistleblower-rewards.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
8月24日华盛顿讯，美国今天正式将叙利亚从支持恐怖主义国家名单中移除。美国国务卿马可·卢比奥（Marco Rubio）表示，此举消除了该国投资和经济复苏的最后主要障碍。目前，古巴、伊朗和朝鲜仍然是美国认定的三个支持恐怖主义的国家。 卢比奥在一份声明中表示，在45天的美国国会强制通知期结束后，他已授权正式撤销对叙利亚的制裁。 此前，特朗普总统于7月向美国国会确认叙利亚政府已停止支持国际恐怖主义行为，并启动了制裁倒计时。 卢比奥今天表示：“我还将‘沙姆解放组织’（HTS）从‘特别指定全球恐怖组织’（SDGT）名单中移除。” 卢比奥说，这些举措代表着“特朗普总统为叙利亚人民铺就繁荣之路的又一历史性步骤”。 卢比奥表示，过去一年来，美国采取了前所未有的措施，为叙利亚人民提供制裁豁免。 卢比奥指出，特朗普总统于2025年6月签署了题为“撤销对叙利亚制裁”的行政命令，该命令通过终止叙利亚制裁计划和针对叙利亚的国家紧急状态，加快了制裁解除进程，同时指示对其他与叙利亚相关的制裁和恐怖主义认定进行审查。 卢比奥在谈到叙利亚政府时表示：“所有这些行动都是为了表彰叙利亚政府在艾哈迈德·沙拉（Ahmed al-Sharaa）总统领导下采取的积极行动和进一步承诺，即彻底将叙利亚与国际恐怖主义行为划清界限。” 卢比奥表示：“过去一年，叙利亚政府采取了多项重要反恐措施，包括于去年11月正式加入打击‘伊斯兰国’(ISIS）全球联盟，并开展行动，打击‘伊斯兰国’、基地组织、真主党以及与伊朗结盟的恐怖组织的网络。” 卢比奥还补充道，撤销叙利亚“支持恐怖主义国家”的认定以及撤销“沙姆解放组织”（HTS）“特别指定的全球恐怖组织”的认定，“消除了私营部门在叙利亚投资的最后主要障碍，并促进了叙利亚的经济复苏和重新融入全球经济。” 叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉今天在社交媒体X上发布的一段视频讲话中表示，庆祝其国家从美国恐怖主义赞助者名单中移除，并感谢特朗普总统采取的这一措施，他强调这将解除自1979年以来实施的沉重金融封锁。 叙利亚外交部长阿萨德·希巴尼（Asaad al-Shibani…
8月24日华盛顿讯，特朗普政府今天宣布了一项旨在孤立伊朗经济的全球制裁计划，威胁要对那些维持伊朗经济运转的“帮凶”实施全面制裁。贝森特今天在回答美国政府是否会制裁中国银行，或者为了维护与中国的关系而避免制裁时表示：“我们今天要明确指出，没有人可以凌驾于美国的制裁之上。” 美国承诺的制裁措施尚未实施。 贝森特说：“如果他们为交易提供便利，并且是伊朗石油转化为金钱、最终用于镇压的生态系统的一部分，那么他们将成为制裁目标。” 美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特（Scott Bessent）今天在公布这项名为“经济排斥行动”（Operation Economic Outcast）的新制裁方案时表示：“我们正在对伊朗在全球的金融联系发起一场经济攻势。” 贝森特还暗示中国也不例外。 贝森特今天在美国财政部召开的新闻发布会上表示，特朗普总统正在致电世界各国领导人，并“明确要求他们停止与伊朗的往来”。 贝森特说，美国将首先向各个国家发出时间表，要求他们“停止我们已经查明的活动”。贝森特还强调说：“任何为伊朗洗钱的实体都将被逐出美元体系，倒计时已经开始。” 特朗普总统称将对伊朗实施的史无前例经济制裁计划是伊朗的“经济末日”，但该计划很快引发了人们的质疑：美国是否也会对伊朗最大的贸易伙伴中国采取行动？ 去年中美贸易战升级后，双方维持了数月脆弱的贸易休战。今年5月，特朗普总统和习近平主席在中国首都北京举行了一场盛大的峰会，习近平主席计划应邀于9月下旬对美国进行国事访问，在华盛顿与特朗普总统会晤。 美国于今年2月28日发动的伊朗战争已持续近六个月，但看不到任何军事或外交胜利的迹象。与此同时，美国出台了打击伊朗经济的计划。 美国和伊朗于6月份达成的脆弱的停火协议在60天期限于上周到期之前就已经基本失效，双方在停火协议期间向对方发动包括导弹在内的袭击。霍尔木兹海峡是世界石油贸易的重要通道，它仍然为伊朗提供着影响力，而且与战争爆发前相比，其活动量也极大幅度地减少。 贝森特今天表示，美国的新目标“是切断支撑这个暴政政权的每一条经济命脉，直到德黑兰孤立无援”。他还指出，该政权的帮凶包括那些购买或运输伊朗石油、为其金融交易提供便利、接收其航班以及允许其进行海上转运的人。…
8月24日德州奥斯汀讯，来自德克萨斯州的共和党参议员特德·克鲁兹（Ted Cruz）今天表示，该州的另一个参议院的席位争夺战将是一场“耗资2亿美元”的战斗。他指出，随着该州共和党人州检察长肯·帕克斯顿（Ken Paxton）与该民主党人州众议员詹姆斯·塔拉里科（James Talarico）在这场备受瞩目的选举中展开角逐，共和党人未来的竞选之路将充满挑战。 克鲁兹在哥伦比亚广播公司（CBS）晨间节目中说：“我认为我们会赢得这场选举，但这确实是一场硬仗。” 现年63岁的右翼德克萨斯州检察长帕克斯顿自今年5月下旬共和党初选决胜轮中，在击败了74岁的共和党人现任参议员约翰·科宁（John Cornyn）之后，就一直在与民主党人塔拉里科竞争。 共和党人科宁是一位筹款能力极强的参议员，自2002年以来一直代表德克萨斯州在美国参议院任职。随着帕克斯顿在初选中战胜较为温和的科宁，许多共和党人承认，尽管他们对共和党保住这个席位充满信心，但这场选举的成本将会更高。 克鲁兹节目采访中就德克萨斯州参议员选举是否会耗资1亿美元时回答说：“2亿美元。” “这会很费钱。” 现年55岁的克鲁兹表示，他将与帕克斯顿一起竞选，并利用他的超级政治行动委员会（Super PAC）的资金支持这位共和党候选人。此前，共和党初选内部斗争激烈，成为历史上最昂贵的初选，也让美国参议院共和党领导人与特朗普总统产生了分歧。特朗普总统在最后一刻宣布支持帕克斯顿。 克鲁兹说：“帕克斯顿刚刚经历了一场艰难的初选，面对如此多的攻击性广告，你难免会受到一些打击。我的意思是，这就是政治的本质。” 现年37岁的民主党人塔拉里科此前也曾面临民主党初选挑战者，即德克萨斯州的45岁的民主党众议员贾斯敏·克罗克特（Jasmine Crockett)，但该选举并未进入第二轮投票。…
8月24日华盛顿讯，美国总统特朗普今天宣布，由于上周美加贸易谈判破裂，美国将于2027年1月1日起对进口加拿大汽车、卡车和汽车零部件的关税提高至50%。加拿大总理马克·卡尼（Mark Carney）誓言将对美国的新关税进行“对等”报复。 特朗普总统在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上发帖指出：“加拿大多年来一直在占美国的便宜。”他指责加拿大这个长期贸易伙伴通过其关税政策损害了美国农民的利益。 特朗普总统强调说：“这种做法不可持续，而且绝不能再继续下去了！2027年1月1日起，所有汽车、卡车（无论大小）、汽车零部件和钢铁的关税都将提高至50%。” 特朗普总统今晚再次在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上抨击加拿大安大略省省长道格·福特（Doug Ford）。福特曾威胁要切断美国对加拿大电力和关键矿产的供应，从而升级美加贸易战。 特朗普总统在抨击福特是加拿大总理卡尼的“走狗”时说：“应该有人让这些小丑‘乖乖听话’，否则加拿大的后果会更严重！” 福特随后强烈反击称，特朗普总统是“恶霸”和“独裁者”。 特朗普总统的最新关税威胁将使美国对加拿大汽车进口征收的最高关税翻一番，目前该关税为25%。加拿大曾试图降低这些关税，作为与美国达成新贸易协议的一部分。该协议一度曾看似即将完成，但在8月21日晚间破裂。 美国对加拿大钢铁进口征收的关税已高达50%。8月22日美国还对价值约200亿美元的加拿大商品加征50%的关税，其中包括葡萄酒、水泥和冰球杆。这些关税是对加拿大涉嫌歧视美国汽车、酒类和乳制品的报复。 如果美加双方达成贸易协议，这些关税本可避免，但加拿大谈判代表8月22日晚间空手而归。美加双方互相指责对方试图在最后一刻对协议做出不合理的修改。 美国贸易代表杰米森·格里尔（Jamieson Greer）今天上午表示：“我认为在最后几个小时里，加拿大人想要更多。” 特朗普总统今天在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上发帖还称，加拿大“将不再被当作一个国家对待！” 他接着抨击加拿大称，其在贸易和其他方面都是“世界上最难打交道的国家之一。他们觉得自己高人一等，然而，我们不需要加拿大，他们需要我们！他们95%的生意都和美国做，和我们做，这完全相反！”…
8月24日亚特兰大讯，美国物流巨头联合包裹服务公司（UPS）今天透露，该公司将投资超过20亿美元，用于拓展其国际业务、医疗保健业务和供应链解决方案业务。 据消费者新闻与商业频道（CNBC）报道，这项持续投资计划从2024年开始，并将持续到2028年，但UPS表示此前并未披露投资总额。这家物流巨头表示，此举旨在帮助企业更快地适应不断变化的宏观经济压力和全球供应链中断。 UPS国际战略副总裁斯科特·斯瓦斯特(Scott Szwast)表示：“这些投资与我们的一个重要战略重点领域高度契合，即提升客户（尤其是在复杂行业）的运营能力，帮助他们更有效地管理全球供应链。” 此次投资的部分项目包括：今年在菲律宾新建一个枢纽；明年在加拿大安大略省开设一家新设施；以及2028年在香港国际机场新建一个航空枢纽。 总部位于美国佐治亚州亚特兰大的UPS已在台湾开设了一家技术赋能的物流中心，并在荷兰阿姆斯特丹开设了一家供应链解决方案中心，该中心整合了货运、经纪和冷链解决方案。 斯瓦斯特表示，位于台湾的新物流中心利用自动化和机器人技术，使整个供应链的运转速度提高了一天。 UPS公司还表示，为了满足日益增长的需求，目前已开通法国巴黎至香港，以及中国深圳至悉尼的每周五班航班。 斯瓦斯特指出，随着全球供应链日益复杂，某些全球市场，例如亚洲市场，对企业而言变得比以往任何时候都更加重要。 斯瓦斯特说：“很多情况下，他们发现供应链更像是历史的产物，而非战略的体现，他们需要非常灵活高效的解决方案来连接业务的这些新环节。他们需要更多的选择和更大的灵活性，而这正是我们投资的方向。” UPS 近期还宣布投资 4800 万美元，在其遍布全美各地的网络中建设 27…
8月23日华盛顿讯，美国美国财政部长斯科特·贝森特（Scott Bessent）将于8月24日召开新闻发布会，宣布对伊朗实施制裁。他此前曾表示，这是“世界历史上规模最大的协调经济孤立行动”。 贝森特今天在《金融时报》发表的一篇评论文章中写道：“黎明将至，一场经济上的诺曼底登陆即将打响，这是有史以来针对敌对势力发起的最大规模的金融攻势。” 此前，贝森特在8月20日曾警告称，美国将以“历史上最严厉的制裁”来“摧毁”伊朗伊斯兰共和国。 贝森特表示，特朗普政府要求美国盟友和世界其他国家停止与伊朗进行贸易往来。他声称，美国将动用“全部力量”对付任何不遵守规定的国家。 贝森特表示：“我们将直接告诉他们，要么与我们站在一起，要么与我们为敌。” “现在是我们的盟友和世界其他国家做出决定的时候了，我们将摧毁这个杀人政权的经济。” 贝森特召开新闻发布会之前，美国总统特朗普上周曾表示，美国将对伊朗实施“有史以来对任何国家最严厉的经济打击”。 特朗普总统还威胁要对任何帮助伊朗规避制裁的国家实施严厉的经济制裁，并在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上发帖称，“这将是一场前所未有的经济战和孤立”。 据伊朗国家媒体报道，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队驳斥了特朗普政府的威胁。革命卫队发言人今天表示，伊朗有办法“应对敌方战争带来的不利影响”，并且“可以轻松地与各国建立经济关系”。 据伊朗国家媒体报道，伊朗革命卫队发言人表示：“美国总统声称他下令发动经济战，并对伊朗发起了最严厉的经济打击。这相当于默认承认敌人在军事领域遭受了惨败。” 美国在2月28日联合以色列发动伊朗战争近6个月未取得胜利之后，正在考虑加大经济战以迫使伊朗言败。但目前尚不清楚美国进一步的经济压力是否会改变伊朗的行为。