Every time a settlement to the long-running dispute over terminal handling charges (THC) appears to draw nearer, the ugly face of self interest surfaces to scuttle all progress.
Much to its credit, China's State Council last year intervened in the increasingly fractious affair, if only once again to bring the two sides to the table to find a solution.
The THC is a fee the shipping lines pass on to the exporters to recover the basket of costs they incur when calling at a port. It is not meant to generate profit.
The council in August last year entrusted the Ministry of Communications to hold a hearing into whether the unilateral way in which shipping lines applied the levy was contrary to Chinese laws on pricing and maritime practices.
The two-day hearing prompted the ministry to hand-pick a 'panel of experts' to dissect the evidence and come up with a finding on the legal issues and suggestions for a way to settle the dispute.
A deadline of October 31 was set, later delayed to the end of the year.