U.S. Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens warned the International Maritime Organization that Beijing is using maritime infrastructure and commercial dominance as tools of political pressure, placing the Trump administration’s Greenland push inside a wider debate over Arctic security and the vulnerability of ports, ships, and supply chains.
Stephens, who also serves as U.S. permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said in a July 7 statement to the IMO Council that China’s maritime reach is “a challenge that this body cannot afford to ignore.”
He said China “currently builds more than half of the world’s ships,” dominates production of ship-to-shore cranes and shipping containers, and has pursued port concessions and infrastructure worldwide, “not simply for commercial gain,” but to extend its strategic reach and weaponize access against sovereign nations….
US Envoy Warns China Is Weaponizing Maritime Power as Greenland Debate Intensifies
