作者/Author(s): Elaine Dezenski and David Rader
網站來源/Source: Foreign Policy
日期/Date: September 20, 2023
關鍵字/Keywords: Ports, Espionage, Intelligence
摘要：
海運線路對世界貿易至關重要，但它們也很脆弱，很容易受到國家行為者的操縱，國家行為者可以通過資訊化武器癱瘓航運。各國政府在世界範圍內擴大對公海、戰略海道和外國港口的影響力是很常見的，但北京政府的控制存在一些問題。首先，北京在其港口擁有廣泛的資訊收集基礎設施。其次，中國法律規定，中國海外公司必須收集並向中國政府報告有關外國實體的情報。西方國家必須掌握中國在這些港口收集情報的程度，並降低風險。
中國的海上力量
- 中國擁有龐大的海上足跡，光是中國公司在全球就擁有或經營著至少一半的主要貨櫃港口。中國擁有龐大的航運能力，並建造了大部分貨櫃和岸邊起重機。
- 中國對外航運活動是大規模數據收集、情報搜集和監視的雙重站點，而且現今許多港口都使用中國的物流軟硬設備。
- 中國系統化的情報搜集行動，可幫助其發現西方貿易和供應鏈的關鍵漏洞，或追蹤戰略物資的運輸。
- 中國正在追求海上基礎設施具備軍民兩用功能，這些基礎設施可以兼作為解放軍的補給點或維修設施。
- 最關鍵的問題是習近平對內採取政治緊縮政策，所有商業活動都服務於國家利益，並要求中國公司收集訊息向政府匯報，禁止將航運數據傳輸給其他國家。
- 中國收集航運資訊的能力，在承平時期就已經具有大量優勢。在戰爭期間，中國更可以將其民用資產用於軍事用途，收集資訊並干擾關鍵戰時物資的運輸。
Summary:
Sea lines are critical for world trade, but they are fragile and vulnerable to manipulation by state actors, which can paralyze shipping by weaponizing information. It is common for governments to expand their influence over open seas, strategic sea lanes, and foreign ports worldwide, but there are some problems with the control by the Beijing government. First, Beijing has a wide information-gathering infrastructure at its ports. Second, the Chinese laws mandate that Chinese overseas companies gather and report intelligence on foreign entities to the Chinese government. The West must grasp the extent of Chinese information gathering in these ports and mitigate the risks.
China's Maritime Power
- China has a large maritime footprint. Chinese companies own or operate around half of the world's main container ports. China has a vast shipping capacity and builds most shipping containers and ship-to-shore cranes.
- Chinese foreign shipping activities double as stations for large-scale data collection, intelligence gathering, and surveillance, especially when many ports use China's logistical software and hardware.
- China's systematic information-gathering actions could help it identify critical Western trade and supply chain vulnerabilities or track the transport of strategic supplies.
- China is pursuing civil-military interoperability in maritime infrastructure, which could double as resupply points or repair facilities for the PLA.
- The main issue is Xi Jinping's tightening policies to make all commercial activities serve the state's interest, mandating Chinese companies to gather information for the government and banning the transmission of shipping data to other countries.
- China's control over shipping information gives it a considerable advantage in peacetime. During wartime, China can extend its civilian assets for military use and leverage its information-gathering capacity to disrupt the transport of critical wartime goods.