3 ms·
I know nothing, but maybe some three letter agencies know more. Or it could just be politics.
by MathMonkeyMan 3y ago
I know nothing, but maybe some three letter agencies know more. Or it could just be politics.
- AdamN 3y agoThree letter agencies are part of politics. For anything this big it's usually all three: 1/ an industry that can benefit from the policy (US-based crane builders), 2/ the government itself (extra port resilience), 3/ vote getting (union jobs for the company that builds them). It's not a bad thing by the way that there is broad alignment - although it's not necessarily the most efficient or ideal at the global level.
- throw310822 3y agoDon't forget how this sets an example, like for Huawei. Expect Americans to urge their European allies to do the same "because security". This can be another blow in the commercial war between US and China, and a potential benefit for the US if it creates a market for their cranes.
- nottorp 3y agoBut Europe would just replace cranes that spy for China with cranes that spy for the US... what's the point?
- throw310822 3y agoEurope does anything the US tells them to do.
- _chu1 3y ago[flagged]
- AdamN 3y agoEurope and US are allies so there is less (but certainly not zero) risk from US controlling European cranes than China controlling them. Also, US has more controls that would prevent them from abusing the position as easily (i.e. sure the CIA could disrupt the cranes but the bar would be much higher than the bar for China's three letter agencies to do it).
- nottorp 3y agoThose bars apply to non US citizens? :)
- AdamN 3y agoThere are other constraints like Five Eyes and bright lines around things like how the US would (usually) ask the German intel agencies to spy on Germans if possible. This is unlike the Chinese who probably have limited access to German intel.