Story perspectives

COSCO Denies Hidden Spy Equipment in U.S. Communications

9/6/2026

Summary

Story summary

COSCO denied allegations it used hidden equipment to spy on U.S. military communications.
Two senior Trump administration officials said COSCO has a decades-long intelligence-collection partnership with Beijing.
The partnership allegedly lets China gather communication signals from vessels and aircraft worldwide.
Pentagon added COSCO to its list of companies linked to the Chinese military in January 2025.
Chinese embassy in Washington said Beijing never asks companies to collect foreign data illegally.

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Story summary

COSCO denied allegations it used hidden equipment to spy on U.S. military communications.
Two senior Trump administration officials said COSCO has a decades-long intelligence-collection partnership with Beijing.
The partnership allegedly lets China gather communication signals from vessels and aircraft worldwide.
Pentagon added COSCO to its list of companies linked to the Chinese military in January 2025.
Chinese embassy in Washington said Beijing never asks companies to collect foreign data illegally.