COSCO Calls Allegations of “Intelligence Collection” False and Unfounded
COSCO Shipping issued a strongly worded statement saying it “firmly opposes” false and unfounded claims by “certain media” alleging its ships have hidden equipment for the purpose of intelligence collection. Its strong statement followed a similarly strong response to Reuters from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., after it ran a story saying two unnamed senior Trump administration officials made the allegations.
The state-owned shipping company said it strongly opposed any acts that try to “undermine our corporate brand and hinder our global operations through dissemination of false or misleading information.” It cited its legal rights to protect its reputation and business interests.
A shipping major, COSCO has grown rapidly and continues to place large orders for new ships. It ranks as the world’s fourth-largest container carrier with 566 ships and a capacity of over 3.6 million TEU, according to AlphaLiner. COSCO also has operations in dry bulk and tankers.
In an exclusive story released by Reuters on September 1, unnamed Trump administration officials reported that COSCO ships have concealed equipment to intercept military communications near the coastline. They asserted that the data collection effort was being done for the Chinese government to collect communication signals from vessels and aircraft operating across Europe, North America, and Asia. The article asserts that the information permits the Chinese to monitor key shipping lanes and maritime routes crucial for trade and military navigation.
The officials, Reuters reports, asserted the COSCO vessels have “’sophisticated signals intelligence collection platforms,’ not routine communications hardware.”
COSCO responded by saying, “All communication, navigation, safety and operational equipment installed on our vessels is used solely for legitimate commercial purposes, including navigation safety, ship-to-shore communications and emergency response. None of the equipment on board our vessels is used for intercepting military communications or gathering intelligence as alleged in the report.”
It is not the first time the U.S. has asserted that COSCO has ties with the Chinese military. The U.S. Department of Defense, on its annual listing of companies linked to China’s military, added COSCO Shipping and two of its subsidiaries, as well as other companies including the Chinese oil company CNOOC, to the designation in January 2025. It is largely a symbolic move but could be used to urge companies not to do business with the Chinese companies.
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The allegations come as the Trump administration continues to seek to challenge China. Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping, however, are also scheduled for a summit in Washington, D.C., this month after the two leaders met in China in May 2026.
It is also the latest in a series of assertions of Chinese spying. In 2023 and 2024, there were repeated allegations that the large Chinese-manufactured cargo cranes used in ports around the world could collect information or “call home.” Multiple groups dismissed the claims, but it led to a renewed effort to reshore crane manufacturing capabilities in the United States. The Trump administration included the Chinese-manufactured cranes on its tariff lists, along with an effort to charge fees for Chinese-built or operated ships calling in U.S. ports.
