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COSCO accused of using commercial ships for Chinese military espionage
U.S. officials allege that the Chinese state-owned shipping giant COSCO is using concealed, sophisticated signals intelligence equipment aboard its commercial vessels to conduct espionage. According to senior Trump administration officials, this decades-long intelligence-gathering partnership allows Beijing to intercept military communications and monitor encryption developments across North America, Europe, and Asia.
The intelligence collected is reportedly used to bolster China's position in territorial disputes, conduct maritime reconnaissance, and provide early warnings regarding foreign military targets. Officials noted that the advanced hardware is distinct from routine maritime communication tools.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has strongly rejected these claims, calling the narrative baseless and stating that the Chinese government would never require companies to violate local laws to collect intelligence abroad. The allegations emerge as President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping prepare to meet in Washington for a summit to discuss security and trade issues. Notably, the Pentagon added COSCO to its list of companies linked to the Chinese military in January 2025.
Entities
COSCO · China · Donald Trump · United States · Xi Jinping
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Chinese government would never ask a company to collect intelligence abroad in violation of local laws. www.bairdmaritime.com · www.ibtimes.com · www.sofx.com · www.marinelink.com
- [● 10 SOURCES] COSCO uses concealed equipment on its vessels to spy on military communications. dailycaller.com · www.bairdmaritime.com · epochtimes.pl · www.ibtimes.com · winfuture.de · +5 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] The surveillance allows China to collect signals from vessels and aircraft in Europe, North America, and Asia. dailycaller.com · www.bairdmaritime.com · epochtimes.pl · www.ibtimes.com · www.sofx.com · +4 more
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Pentagon added COSCO to its list of companies linked to China's military in January 2025. www.sofx.com · zive.aktuality.sk
- [● 6 SOURCES] The intelligence gathered is used to bolster China's position in territorial disputes and provide maritime reconnaissance. www.bairdmaritime.com · www.ibtimes.com · www.sofx.com · www.agcnews.eu · www.marinelink.com · +1 more
- [● 6 SOURCES] The equipment on COSCO ships is sophisticated signals intelligence collection hardware, not routine communications equipment. www.bairdmaritime.com · www.ibtimes.com · www.sofx.com · www.agcnews.eu · www.marinelink.com · +1 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] COSCO has maintained an intelligence-collection relationship with Beijing for decades. dailycaller.com · www.bairdmaritime.com · epochtimes.pl · www.ibtimes.com · www.sofx.com · +4 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] The equipment is designed to gather information on military communications technologies and encryption developments. www.bairdmaritime.com · epochtimes.pl · www.ibtimes.com · winfuture.de · www.agcnews.eu · +3 more