Leaders of South Florida’s Port Everglades and PortMiami have met with U.S. Coast Guard officials to review cybersecurity programs aimed at reducing the possibility that giant Chinese-made cranes operating at the region’s ports and others in the U.S. pose a national security threat.

In late February, the Biden administration announced it planned to invest billions in the U.S. manufacture of ship-to-shore cranes that transfer millions of tons of cargo annually at major American seaports. The action was accompanied by other moves that include the establishment of fundamental cybersecurity standards at seaports, as well as enhanced digital security measures for foreign-built cranes to be enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard.

For years, lawmakers, foreign policy analysts and critics of growing Chinese influence over international trade and infrastructure projects worldwide have argued that equipment manufactured in the People’s Republic of China looms as a potential “Trojan Horse” for an adversary determined to gather sensitive U.S. commercial and military information for use to its own strategic advantage.

In response to growing national media reports about its alleged intent to use the cranes for spying, the Chinese government has denied the assertions, saying they are based on “paranoia.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel