How China Is Buying European Ports and Nobody Is Stopping It
July 14, 2025 · Frisian News
Chinese state companies control or hold major stakes in container terminals across Europe, from Greece to the Netherlands. Brussels talks about strategic autonomy while allowing the deals that undermine it.
A Chinese crane operator stands idle at the Port of Piraeus in Greece, his shift ended for the day. The port itself, once a symbol of Greek sovereignty, now runs under majority Chinese control. COSCO, a state-owned shipping giant, bought its first stake here in 2008 and now holds a majority stake in the terminal. The same company holds significant stakes in ports across the continent. Yet Brussels rings its hands about strategic autonomy while signing off on these acquisitions.
Europe's port strategy lacks teeth. When COSCO or other Chinese firms propose a takeover, each port becomes a separate negotiation, each country haggling alone instead of speaking with one voice. Greece needed cash after its financial crisis. Italy saw an investment opportunity in its ports. Spain needed jobs in coastal towns. Brussels wanted to avoid looking protectionist. So one by one, Europe's critical infrastructure fell under foreign control, often majority foreign control. The companies that run them answer to Beijing, not to Paris, Berlin, or Amsterdam.
The security arguments are old hat now, but they bite harder each year. A Chinese firm that controls a major container terminal knows what cargo moves through European ports, when it moves, and where it goes. This intelligence matters in trade wars, in competition with European companies, and in any serious geopolitical clash. The military dimension is undeniable too. Ports that China controls are ports NATO cannot fully rely on. Yet defence ministries and economics ministries rarely sit in the same room until the deal is done.
Brussels has introduced new screening rules in recent years, but they come with loopholes the size of ship locks. A firm can slip below the threshold that triggers review. It can buy through intermediaries. It can expand its stake in stages, each acquisition small enough to avoid attention. And even when Brussels does review something, it almost never says no. The threat of legal challenge from investment treaties, the fear of retaliation, and the sheer complexity of saying no all work against blocking deals.
China will keep buying because Europe keeps selling. The ports stay open, the money flows, and the strategic problem deepens. Europeans talk about decoupling from China and building resilience, but their actions tell a different story. Until capitals learn to act together on infrastructure, and until Brussels has the stomach to say no, expect more red cranes to rise over European docks.
Published July 14, 2025 · Frisian News