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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

China’s COSCO ships and port cranes face espionage allegations

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Unnamed sources Ongoing story
  • Two anonymous US officials alleged that COSCO Shipping vessels carry concealed equipment capable of collecting military communications near several countries, including the United States.
  • COSCO denied the allegations, and China’s embassy in Washington said Beijing had never ordered companies or individuals to gather intelligence abroad illegally.
  • The allegations have renewed debate in Washington over whether Chinese commercial infrastructure, including port cranes, can serve state or military interests.

American concerns about Chinese intelligence activity are moving beyond cyberspace and satellites, according to the article, toward cargo ships and the giant cranes at the heart of port commerce.

I am not surprised at all by this because we know that for decades China has conducted a relentless information-gathering campaign against the United States.

· Gordon ChangThe China critic discussed the allegations on Newsmax’s American Agenda.

Two senior officials in Donald Trump’s administration accused the state-owned shipping company COSCO Shipping of using concealed equipment on its vessels to collect military communications near the coastlines of several countries, including the United States. Reuters reported that the officials, who requested anonymity, said COSCO had maintained intelligence-gathering links with Beijing for decades. The ships were allegedly capable of collecting communications from vessels and aircraft operating in Europe, North America and Asia.

COSCO rejected the accusations on Friday, September 4, 2026, calling claims that its fleet was used to spy on other countries baseless and untrue. The company said its communications, navigation, safety and operational equipment served only commercial purposes, including navigation, ship-to-shore communications and emergency response. China’s embassy in Washington said Beijing had never asked companies or individuals to collect intelligence overseas in violation of local law.

It is not only COSCO ships in our waters.

· Gordon ChangHe argued that concerns also extend to Chinese-made port cranes.

The disclosures have reopened a long-running Washington debate over the extent to which China’s commercial infrastructure can serve national and military interests. China critic Gordon Chang said he was not surprised by the allegations and also pointed to port cranes made by Shanghai-based ZPMC. A 2024 investigation by two US House committees said ZPMC manufactured nearly 80% of ship-to-shore cranes used at US ports and held about 70% of the global market. The article says the investigation found communications modules in some cranes that were not part of their original specifications.

This also concerns the giant cranes throughout our ports.

· Gordon ChangHe cited allegations involving communications modules installed in cranes made by ZPMC.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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