Chinese cargo cranes in US have communication devices, Congress

A recent congressional probe into 200+ Chinese-built cargo cranes deployed at ports across the US has raised concerns of espionage or sabotage, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The investigation revealed these cranes contained communication equipment not necessary for the work. Cellular modems were discovered on crane components, raising worries about remote access.

It was also found that the cellular modems were not documented in any contracts between the US ports and the Chinese crane maker ZPMC.

These cargo cranes account for about 80% of ship-to-shore cranes in the country.

To tackle this, the Biden administration plans to spend $20 billion on replacing foreign cranes with American ones over five years. The investigation continues, with a public report expected next month.