- Sputnik International, 1920
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Not by Balloons Alone: US Officials Worry 'Chinese Port Cranes' Could Spy on American Cargo

© AP Photo / Stephen B. MortonIn this Thursday, July, 5, 2018 photo, a longshoreman prepares to direct the next shipping container to be picked up by a ship to shore crane at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga.
In this Thursday, July, 5, 2018 photo, a longshoreman prepares to direct the next shipping container to be picked up by a ship to shore crane at the Port of Savannah in Savannah, Ga.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 05.03.2023
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The cranes, produced in China and used in US ports, apparently have sensors that allow them to track “provenance and destination” moved via this machinery between cargo ships and shore.
Military and national security officials in the United States have become concerned that a particular type of heavy machinery manufactured in China and used on US soil, may be used as a tool of espionage.
According to one US media outlet, the target of the officials’ concern are port cranes produced by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited (ZPMC), with some even likening this gear to the mythological Trojan horse.
Specifically, the officials worry that these cranes contain “sophisticated sensors” that can track “provenance and destination” of the containers moved by this machinery between shore and cargo ships.
ZPMC cranes are being used at many US ports, including some that are used by the military. Officials now worry that China may be afforded a chance to spy on shipments sent to support US military operations abroad, the media outlet noted.
In this photo released by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the United Kingdom's carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth (R 08), and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces led by (JMSDF) Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise (DDH 182) joined with U.S.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.03.2023
Analysis
Emperor Has No Clothes: Chinese Media Mocks US Push to Project Itself as Asia Hegemon
This development comes after the US military went to great lengths to hunt down and destroy a Chinese balloon that strayed into American airspace last month.
While China insisted that the balloon was merely a wayward weather research craft that entered American skies by accident, US defense officials insisted that it could have been a spy balloon sent to gather data on sensitive sites in the United States.
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