COSCO Shipping Responds to Sanctions Listing

The U.S. Department of Defense released on the Federal Register on January 7, 2025 a "Notice of Chinese military companies operating in the United States." A trio of prominent maritime companies Cosco Shipping Holdings Co.; China State Shipbuilding Corp. and China Shipbuilding Trading Co. made the list, as "the Deputy Secretary of Defense has determined that the entities listed ... qualify as “Chinese military companies” in accordance with the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021."

COSCO Shipping has responded saying: "China Ocean Shipping Group Co., Ltd. and its member companies have always followed local laws and strictly complied with regulations in their transnational operations, and are committed to serving global trade and global customers, including providing high-quality commercial shipping and logistics services to numerous agricultural producers, manufacturers, energy companies, retailers, and exporters in the United States. The above three companies are not "Chinese military companies", and we will communicate with relevant US parties to clarify the facts.

“The inclusion of the above three companies in the list does not mean that they have been included in any sanctions or export control list, and will not affect the business and global operations of COSCO Shipping Group.”