A Cosco container ship from China passes the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on May 14, 2019. Eric Risberg /AP Photo
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said China uses commercial vessels to collect intelligence and advance military objectives, as new allegations involving Chinese state-owned shipping giant COSCO drew renewed scrutiny in Washington.
“As the Select Committee has extensively documented in its public reports, the PLA and the CCP work hand-in-hand to use China’s commercial vessels to harass other vessels, intimidate governments, collect intelligence, and advance their aggression,” a committee spokesperson told The Epoch Times on Friday.
“So it should come as no surprise that China leverages commercial shipping against the United States and threatens our critical infrastructure,” the spokesperson said.
The committee said it would continue working to expose and counter what it described as China’s use of commercial vessels to threaten U.S. sovereignty and national security.
The comments followed a Reuters report citing two unnamed senior Trump administration officials who alleged that COSCO vessels carry concealed equipment used to collect military communications near U.S. and allied coastlines.
COSCO denied the allegation in a statement on Thursday, calling it totally unfounded. The company said equipment aboard its vessels is used for navigation, communications, safety, emergency response, and other commercial operations.
Related Stories
Pentagon, Congress Have Raised COSCO Concerns
The Pentagon separately identified COSCO Shipping as a Chinese military company and said it “officially acts on behalf of the PLA,” referring to the People’s Liberation Army, the CCP’s army.
The same Defense Department document identified COSCO as a military-civil fusion contributor to China’s defense industrial base.
The Pentagon material does not say COSCO vessels carry intelligence-collection equipment or substantiate the specific allegation involving concealed equipment.
Congressional concerns about COSCO’s access to U.S. ports predate the latest report.
In January 2025, members of the House Homeland Security Committee and House Select Committee on the CCP asked the Coast Guard how it screens COSCO and other Chinese state-owned shipping companies operating at U.S. ports.
The lawmakers sought information about vessel and crew screening, intelligence sharing, and whether the Coast Guard had conducted COSCO-specific risk assessments. They also requested a classified briefing.
Chinese military writings have separately discussed using civilian vessels for intelligence collection.
A 2025 report by the China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College said intelligence collection is an established mission of China’s maritime militia. The report also said PLA experts have advocated placing intelligence personnel aboard Chinese-owned or operated commercial vessels traveling overseas and assessed that such deployments were likely already occurring.
The report did not identify COSCO vessels as carrying the concealed equipment alleged in the latest case.
The Epoch Times asked the Coast Guard and Navy for details about any COSCO vessels, equipment, or locations tied to suspected intelligence collection.
“The Coast Guard does not comment on intelligence matters,” said Cmdr. Steve Roth, the service’s chief of media relations.
The Office of Naval Intelligence said the requested information was unavailable.
