Imported Chinese ship-to-shore cranes could potentially be used to spy on the country’s import and export movements in ports and on its military operations, the US Department of Defence has warned.
The Wall Street Journal reports that US officials have raised fears that the ship-to-shore cranes could be a ‘Trojan horse’ tool for espionage that China could use to gather intelligence on cargo being shipped in and out of the country. However, China has rejected the fears as “complete paranoia” that is “misleading” the American public.
The cranes are manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, which entered the US market as a major importer, after it offered to supply its high-quality cranes at lower prices than Western businesses. The cranes contain sophisticated sensors that can register and track the origin and destination of containers, raising fears that China could gather intelligence about cargo shipped in and out of the country to support US military operations globally.
The US Defense Intelligence Agency said China could use the cranes’ technology to potentially disrupt port traffic, or gather data on military equipment being shipped around the world.
Former US counterintelligence official, Bill Evanina, described the Pentagon’s latest concerns as similar to the Huawei Technologies controversy, which led to the Chinese IT firm’s imported products, including cellphones and tablets, being banned from the US market for similar reasons.
“It’s the perfect combination of legitimate business that can also masquerade as clandestine intelligence collection,” Evanina said.
However, at this stage no evidence of actual cases of cranes being used to spy on the US has emerged, but these latest fears come after the spat between the countries regarding high-altitude balloons. The US had accused China of using the balloons as a clandestine surveillance tool.
According to Port Technology International, US national security officials have raised concerns in recent years over other Chinese-made equipment, including baggage-screening systems and electric transformers. This led to the US Congress, in December 2021, ordering a study of whether foreign-made cranes operating in US ports posed any security risks.
However, the Chinese Embassy in Washington has labelled the crane concerns as “paranoia-driven” and accused the US of attempting to obstruct trade and economic co-operation with China.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the claim was “complete paranoia” and “misleading to the American public.”
Several US businesses, including Microsoft, have previously worked with ZPMC, which provided the IT giant with automated systems that can analyse data in real time.
