FIRST ON FOX: Three top House Republicans are demanding a Chinese shipping giant be stripped of special privileges at American ports over concerns the vessels are allegedly spying on U.S.military communications, according to a letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.COSCO, a shipping and logistics company owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and based in Shanghai, has received favorable treatment under a Coast Guard program designed to reward trusted commercial operators.
But China hawks in Congress want to revoke those privileges following a September report that the vessels are being used to gather intelligence.In an Oct.14 letter, three top Republican lawmakers identified that as of July 15, 2026, there were 11 COSCO vessels listed in the Coast Guard's Quality Shipping for the 21st Century program, known as Qualship 21 — despite the Pentagon designating them as a Chinese military company.House China Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep.
Rick Crawford, R-Ark., and Rep.Carlos Gimenez, chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, are pressing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to revoke COSCO vessels' enrollment in the Coast Guard's program.A view of Chang Ping Yuan, a very large gas carrier (VLGC), at a port of COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore Co., Ltd.
on September 8, 2026, in Qidong, Jiangsu Province of China.(Xu Congjun/VCG via Getty Images)It follows a September's reporting that COSCO vessels used sophisticated, concealed equipment to intercept military communications and gather intelligence about encryption technologies off American coastlines.The Coast Guard program was created to allow vessels with strong safety and compliance records to undergo fewer routine inspections when entering U.S.
ports.But the lawmakers argue in their letter that COSCO's alleged espionage activities and ties to China's military raise serious questions about why its ship...