Shanghai Zhenhua denies posing a cybersecurity risk to US ports By Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) said on Sunday its cranes do not pose a cybersecurity threat, after U.S. congressional committees questioned the Chinese state company's work on cranes bound for the United States. .

House security panels, examining ZPMC's installation of equipment from Swiss engineering group ABB (ST:) on ship-to-shore cranes bound for the United States, invited ABB executives in January to public hearings to clarify its relationship with ZPMC, which it said raised “significant concerns”.

“The ZPMC takes the United States' concerns seriously and believes that these reports can easily mislead the public without sufficient factual review,” it said in a document, referring to the investigation by the Homeland Security and Strategic Competition committees.

“The cranes provided by ZPMC do not pose a cybersecurity risk to any port,” he said.

ABB has said it sold its electrification and control equipment to many crane manufacturers, including Chinese companies, which in turn sold cranes directly to U.S. ports.

The United States and China, the world's largest economies, frequently accuse each other of cyberattacks and industrial espionage. This year, Washington said it had disrupted a Chinese cyberespionage operation targeting U.S. infrastructure and was investigating Chinese vehicle imports for national security risks. It previously banned Chinese telecommunications companies.

ZPMC said the cranes it supplies are used in ports around the world, including the United States, and comply with international standards and applicable laws and regulations.

ZPMC, listed on the Shanghai stock exchange, is one of the world's largest port machinery manufacturers and owns a fleet of more than 20 shipping vessels, according to its website.

ABB generates 16% of its sales in China, second only to the US market with 24%.