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Posted on 09/04/2026 4:36:34 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Chinese state-owned shipping giant COSCO is allegedly using concealed equipment aboard commercial vessels to spy on military communications near the United States and other countries, U.S. officials say.
The surveillance operation gives Beijing access to communications and information involving military vessels and aircraft across North America, Europe and Asia, Reuters reported, citing two anonymous senior Trump administration officials. The allegations raise new questions about the security implications of allowing a state-owned Chinese company already linked to Beijing’s military to maintain a major presence in American ports and supply chains.
“This is a very serious accusation and if true should lead legislators in the United States and abroad to put in place safeguards in and around both military facilities and civilian ports,” Zack Cooper, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “I suspect that many in Congress would support a blanket ban on COSCO operations in US waters and perhaps lead to additional pressure on Chinese-operated ports and port infrastructure around the world.”
COSCO has maintained an intelligence collection relationship with Beijing for decades, allowing China to use its commercial shipping network to gather signals from around the world, Reuters reported, citing the officials.
COSCO, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the White House and the Pentagon each did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
One expert warned that these Chinese ships could be carrying offensive munitions as well as surveillance technology.
“I think it’s fair to assume any Chinese platform or any platform containing Chinese components is trying to gather intelligence at all times,” James Holmes, holder of the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, told the DCNF. “It goes beyond surveillance, by the way. Containerized missiles and drones are all the rage now, so any Chinese container ship is a potential armed auxiliary cruiser. Think about Ukraine’s raid against a Russian military airfield from a commercial truck bearing drones. San Diego, Norfolk, et al. need to be on guard.”
The Federal Maritime Commission told the DCNF that it has not yet reviewed whether intelligence collection falls within the scope of “unfavorable shipping conditions” under its jurisdiction.
“The Commission identifies COSCO as a government-controlled carrier of the People’s Republic of China,” Joel Graham, special legal and operations advisor in the Office of the Chairman at the Federal Maritime Commission, told the DCNF. “The Commission has broad authority to investigate the activities of foreign carriers, including government-controlled carriers, to evaluate whether their practices cause unfavorable shipping conditions in US foreign trade … The Commission has not previously addressed whether alleged intelligence collection activities would constitute such a practice.”
The equipment is designed to collect information on military communications technology and advances in encryption while also providing Beijing information about important commercial and military shipping routes, Reuters reported, citing one of the officials. Information gathered by the ships can help China conduct maritime reconnaissance, identify potential foreign military targets and obtain early-warning information, according to the outlet.
The officials did not identify the specific equipment allegedly installed aboard the vessels but described the systems as sophisticated signals intelligence platforms rather than ordinary communications hardware.
“COSCO operates a large fleet of commercial vessels around the world,” Christopher H. Sharman, director of the China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College, told the DCNF. “That global presence could provide Beijing with access to maritime environments and locations that would otherwise be more difficult to reach using dedicated government or military vessels. The same global reach that makes COSCO commercially valuable also makes its fleet potentially valuable to Beijing for pursuing national-security objectives worldwide.”
Sharman stated that his comments do not represent the views of the U.S. government or Department of War.
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No way China can be allowed to control the Panama Canal or any of our port infrastructure.
Chinese ships spying?
That’s even a question? But of course they are. And we spy on them. Stop the drama!
I would be absolutely gobsmacked if they were not doing it.
Exactly.
I mean, this is news? More like reporting the obvious. A 1st grader knows this.
This is my shocked face.
Not really.
I wonder how many of those containers hold drones. Lots of drones.
I wonder if there are drones at the properties the Chinese bought near our military bases.
“Beijing Allegedly Hid Spy Equipment Aboard Commercial Ships Operating Near US”
TOTAL BS - China is AGAINST spying on Americans, which is why they’re leading the charge against Flock Cameras in the US- according to Fox News, but they’re good with spying on our ships?
(and we’re supposed to believe that Flock bullshit because we are Conservatives and hate China)
And in other news, water is wet. Of course they did. Our government needs to assume that China is attempting to spy on us and steal our technology 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
They used to do that with fish trawlers
Yeah. Who could actually be surprised by that?
Sink them.
No shyt, Sherlock.
the chinese have spy equipment on boats?
what about the spies walking around in our country?
Or all the spies that they pay to go to our universities?
My son applied to Harvard for a PHD in Biotechnology.
The entire class of PHD students were Chinese.
He said he would have needed to learn Mandarin to work there. He took a job in Big Pharma instead.
The young smart Chinese students are tested at an early age. The really smart ones go to special schools and eventually western universities. Where the CCP pays FULL tuition for them to go there. The college system loves this. So, when they graduate they are ALL indebted to the state. They are ALL spies to some extent.
Welcome to COSCO, I love you long time.
Unload every container and actually open the doors.
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