US Targets China’s Grip on Ports, Including Greece’s Piraeus

US targets China’s grip connected planetary ports, including Greece’s Piraeus. Credit: AMNA

The US is stepping up efforts to curb China’s increasing beingness successful strategical maritime hubs specified arsenic Greece’s Piraeus, amid concerns that Beijing’s expanding power implicit planetary ports could endanger proviso chains and information successful times of geopolitical tension.

Greece’s Piraeus successful US spotlight

One focal constituent of US attraction is the Port of Piraeus successful Greece, a large commercialized gateway connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia. Chinese shipping elephantine COSCO, 1 of the world’s largest larboard operators, holds a 67 percent involvement successful the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP).

Washington is acrophobic that China, done state-owned oregon state-linked enterprises, has acquired important power implicit captious larboard infrastructure worldwide. In January, the US Department of Defense placed COSCO connected a blacklist of companies with ties to the Chinese military. While this designation does not prohibit US firms from doing concern with COSCO, it signals that further measures could follow.

Sources cited by Reuters bespeak that US plans nether treatment see boosting American shipbuilding and shipping capacity, encouraging backstage Western investors to get Chinese-held stakes successful cardinal ports, and perchance imposing caller customs oregon regulatory restrictions.

US plans for Western concern successful Greece’s Piraeus and different ports

The White House is exploring ways to enactment backstage US oregon allied investors successful acquiring Chinese stakes successful cardinal ports.

Although nary circumstantial companies were named, officials highlighted BlackRock’s bid to acquisition planetary larboard assets from Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison—covering 23 countries, including the Panama Canal—as an illustration of the benignant of concern Washington hopes to encourage.

Beyond Greece, US policymakers are besides monitoring Chinese larboard interests successful Spain, the Caribbean, and adjacent on the United States’ ain occidental coast.

Mediterranean gateway nether review

In March, the US Federal Maritime Commission launched a reappraisal of 7 maritime chokepoints, aiming to place regulations oregon practices that could make unfavorable shipping conditions. Among these was the Strait of Gibraltar, a captious entranceway to the Mediterranean.

Spain’s deepening commercialized narration with China has raised concerns successful Washington astir Beijing’s entree to Spanish ports. “We are not alert of immoderate alleged concerns oregon approaches by 3rd parties connected this matter,” a Spanish overseas ministry spokesperson said erstwhile asked to comment.

Caribbean shipping concerns

The US has besides voiced unease implicit Chinese investments successful the Kingston terminal successful Jamaica, a large transshipment hub owed to its determination and deep-water capacity. China Merchants holds a involvement successful the institution operating Kingston’s instrumentality terminal, alongside France’s CMA CGM.

Additionally, Chinese metals institution JISCO acquired the Alpart alumina refinery successful 2016 and owns the adjacent Port Kaiser, further cementing China’s beingness successful Caribbean maritime infrastructure.

Security fears thrust policy

Analysts pass that China’s expanding power implicit larboard assets worldwide could beryllium utilized for quality gathering, subject advantage, oregon commercialized web disruptions during crises.

“The US authorities sees Chinese investments successful planetary ports arsenic a large menace to nationalist security,” said Stuart Poole-Robb, laminitis of consultancy KCS Group. “The interest is that Beijing could usage its power implicit these assets for espionage, subject leverage, oregon to destabilize proviso chains successful times of geopolitical conflict.”