U.S. officials accuse COSCO of hidden spying equipment as China denies claims

U.S. officials have accused China's state-owned COSCO of equipping its merchant ships with concealed, sophisticated signals-intelligence systems to monitor military communications, encryption developments, and key shipping lanes across Europe, North America, and Asia. The allegations, which follow COSCO’s addition to a Pentagon list of companies linked to the Chinese military, describe a decades-long partnership with Beijing to gather intelligence and provide early warnings of foreign targets. China’s embassy in Washington has repudiated the claims as baseless, and COSCO has not publicly commented. The disclosures come ahead of anticipated discussions between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on trade and security, highlighting ongoing tensions over China’s military and intelligence activities abroad. While the specifics of the equipment were not detailed, officials emphasized the capabilities enable broader maritime reconnaissance and influence China’s stance in territorial disputes.