Congressmen Defend Chinese Port Business
Two Republican congressmen came to the aid of the embattled Port of Long Beach on Tuesday, saying the CIA and other federal agencies have assured them that China’s state-owned shipping line would pose no danger if its operations are allowed to expand.
China Ocean Shipping Co. (Cosco), a customer at the port since 1981, is expected to occupy a planned $200-million cargo terminal. The port and Cosco have been at the center of a political firestorm as critics from Long Beach to Washington warn that the terminal would be used for arms smuggling and intelligence gathering.
“It is a red herring and irresponsible to charge that this local commercial decision of the Port of Long Beach is a threat to our national security,” Reps. Steve Horn (R-Long Beach) and David Dreier (R-San Dimas) wrote in a letter to other House members and California’s two senators.
Critics also speculate that the plan to build a 145-acre terminal on the site of the city’s closed naval station was a political payoff for alleged efforts by Beijing to donate to American political campaigns. The city’s Harbor Commission approved the plan Monday. Opponents on Capitol Hill are trying to block the project with legislation.
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