Hong Kong Ships in Chinese waters are disappearing from industry tracking systems, creating yet another headache for the global supply chain.
This system allows ships to send information — such as position, speed, course and name — to stations that are based along coastlines using high-frequency radio.
But that’s not happening in the world’s second-largest economy, a critical player in global trade.
Asked about the issue, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment.
But analysts think they’ve found the culprit: China’s Personal Information Protection Law, which took effect November 1.
The law doesn’t mention shipping data.
Other industry experts have more clues of the law’s influence.
Not all of the data is gone: Satellites can still be used to capture signals from ships.
With Christmas approaching, a loss of information from mainland China — home to six of the world’s 10 busiest container ports — could create more problems for an already troubled global shipping industry.
Shipping firms rely on AIS data to predict vessel movement, track seasonal trends and improve port efficiency, according to Cook from VesselsValue.
“As we move into the Christmas period, it will have a really big impact on and this is the most important element right now,” said Georgios Hatzimanolis, media strategist for Marine Traffic.
Xi emphasized his self-reliance goals in the years before and during a bitter trade and tech war with former US President Donald Trump.
And the country’s sweeping clampdown on tech extended this summer to foreign IPOs, when the Cyberspace Administration of China proposed that major companies with more than a million customers seek approval before listing shares overseas.