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US Officials Accuse COSCO of Using Ships to Gather Military Intelligence

US Officials Accuse COSCO of Using Ships to Gather Military IntelligenceAI illustration

Two senior Trump administration officials told Reuters that COSCO, China's state-owned shipping giant, has been equipping cargo ships with hidden signals intelligence equipment to capture military communications near foreign coastlines.

The equipment, those officials said, collects data on military communications technologies and encryption systems, and gathers information on shipping lane activity across North America, Europe and Asia.

COSCO rejected the claims. Its statement called the accusations "totally unfounded." China's embassy in Washington called them "totally baseless."

29 Aug – 04 Sept 2026

US Officials Accuse COSCO of Using Ships to Gather Military Intelligence

08/2909/0109/04

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