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The Secret Chinese Fleet
April 30,
2008: COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Co.) owned the ship that recently tried to
deliver a shipment of ammunition to the government of Zimbabwe. COSCO is a $20
billion a year business, owned by the Chinese government, that operates dozens
of huge tankers and container transports, as well as ship repair facilities and
port operations around the world. It was always understood that COSCO would
provide cover for Chinese spy operations, and any "special operations" the
Chinese Navy needed help with. However, it appears that COSCO is more into
espionage than previously thought. As American counter-terrorism activities
increased in out-of-the-way places, they often found that, not only was COSCO
already there, but so were plenty of Chinese intelligence personnel, operating
under the cover of COSCO employees. It was a near-perfect fit. Port operations
are the center of much of what goes into, and comes out of, a country. In many
poor countries, the local officials who oversee foreign operators like COSCO
can be bribed to look the other way when "special" cargo goes in, or out. COSCO
also moves sensitive people, and material, for the Chinese military. It's never
been a secret that COSCO works closely with Chinese military and intelligence
agencies, but the degree of cooperation has been increasing. COSCO has also been caught smuggling illegal
cargos (weapons, hazardous waste, and so on).
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