https://twitter.com/jonathanholslag/status/1577579868795043841?s=46&t=AKmmWjWqkVL234mpslIeVA
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2022/10/05/academic-warns-of-chinas-nefarious-role-in-belgian-ports/
RT@JonathanHolslag@twitter.com
For my foreign friends: New paper about the political and military dimension of China's maritime sector.
https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2022/10/05/academic-warns-of-chinas-nefarious-role-in-belgian-ports/
“Each Chinese ship is a ship of war. The crews chiefly consist of military personnel” says Holslag. “In China ships need to be built to miliary specifications to allow them to transport tanks. Ferries have to be able to sail the high seas and can bring tanks and amphibious craft on land”.
Chinese shipping companies acknowledge they are political players and many shipping companies take part in military exercises. Holslag points to the role commercial ships could play in any invasion of Taiwan.
比利時專家揭中國大舉民船軍用 籲歐洲為北京侵台做準備
主持人在電視專訪中詢問中國進犯台灣可能性，對此霍爾斯拉格指出，很多人都說「烏克蘭是前菜，而台灣會是主菜」，東亞議題的重要性高於烏克蘭。
…
主持人提及霍爾斯拉格在報告揭露，如今全球航行的船隻中有3分之1為中國籍，而這些船隻都是潛在的戰船。
霍爾斯拉格解釋，從俄烏戰爭的教訓中北京了解，進犯台灣需要極大規模的後勤，目前仍舊不足，因此中國正讓民船承擔軍用角色，例如汽車船被裝上更大的強化鋼樑，以便裝載坦克車。
報告指出，中國法規規定，商船需要根據特定軍用規範建造，包含大型船隻必須能夠運送坦克、渡輪需符合外海部署能力的規範等。
另外，報告也提到中國影響力入侵歐洲港口，例如透過中國國有企業中遠海運持有安特衛普（Antwerpen）、濟布魯治（Zeebrugge）等港口的股份，其中安特衛普港最大的貨櫃碼頭80%為中遠海運所有。
對此，霍爾斯拉格在節目中表示，這些影響揭露的主要危險，「是我們自己的弱點」。
Many Chinese shipping companies are active in the Flemish ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge. Holslag says these Chinese investments make these ports reliant on China: “Antwerp’s largest container terminal is 80% dependent on COSCO Shipping, a Chinese company”.
The academic urges us to draw lessons from the conflict in Ukraine and our reliance of Russian gas. “We will need to build an awful lot of ships required to guarantee our strategic economy. We no longer possess the shipbuilders to do this. We need to reduce our vulnerability to China”.