On July 27, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) lead the passage of the Cranes of Concern at our Ports (CCP) Act alongside Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). The legislation addresses potential security risks stemming from Chinese-made cargo cranes at U.S. ports, focusing on evaluating surveillance threats, operational disruptions, and potential impacts on national security.
“America’s ports are vital to our economy, national security, and international trade, and we must ensure they’re protected from possible Chinese surveillance or interference,” said Sen. Cornyn in a press release. “This bill would require the federal government to confront this growing threat and assess the risks of Chinese-made cranes at ports in Texas and along our coasts, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support.”
According to the press release, Sen. Cornyn Sen. Heinrich's CCP Act mandates evaluating security threats from cranes manufactured in countries of concern, including Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC) in China.
Cranes produced in China and operating at various U.S. ports, including military ones, possess the potential to grant Beijing surveillance and disruption capabilities. The CCP Act mandates the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense to conduct assessments in order evaluate threats arising from cranes manufactured by countries and entities of concern including ZPMC. These assessments would scrutinize their capacity for intelligence gathering, operational disruption, and national security implications.
Fox News reports that House China Select Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressing their concern that ZPMC presents a risk to U.S. Homeland Security. According to the lawmakers, ZPMC controls approximately 70 percent of the global crane market share and is responsible for almost 80 percent of the ship-to-shore cranes utilized at U.S. ports.
Following a visit by a committee delegation to the Port of Miami to inspect Chinese-made cranes, concerns rose over potential surveillance risks posed by Beijing-made infrastructure at U.S. ports, Fox News reported. Recent reports indicate the Pentagon's consideration of large cargo cranes as potential tools for Chinese espionage, with concerns of surveillance capabilities. The U.S. intelligence community's annual threat assessment underscores China's role as a significant and persistent cyber espionage threat to both U.S. government and private-sector networks.
