China’s military could leverage U.S. warehouses and other logistics infrastructure owned by Chinese firms in the event of a conflict between the two countries, a new report warned.
The Jamestown Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, identified Chinese firms that operate U.S. facilities while also holding ties to the People’s Liberation Army and the Central Military Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Those agreements are part of Beijing’s longstanding civil-military fusion efforts, whereby the CCP coopts nominally private businesses to further its military goals.
“The CCP will use every resource at its disposal to achieve its goals, whether state-owned or nominally private. It doesn’t separate commerce from security,” Cheryl Yu, a fellow in China studies at Jamestown and author of the report, told National Review.
“When PRC logistics firms expand overseas, especially those with military agreements, they’re extending Beijing’s reach: Economic today, military if needed tomorrow.”
The growth of Chinese government-tied logistics networks in the U.S. follows numerous party directives urging Chinese businesses to grow overseas. Chinese premier Li Qiang told the National People’s Congress in March that it’s necessary to expand China’s international logistics networks and construct more overseas warehouses.
The Jamestown Foundation described the PLA’s private sector partners as “potential nodes in the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) global support infrastructure.”
SF Express, a Chinese logistics company with a sizeable U.S. presence, has previously collaborated with the Central Military Commission Logistic Support Department’s Transport and Delivery Bureau, the report found, and company director Wang Wei said in a 2017 speech that it will “actively respond to the national military-civil fusion development strategy.”
SF Express’s special logistics division has conducted site visits at Chinese military branches, the Jamestown Foundation found.
The company has 24 U.S.-based subsidies, which, the report stated, “could be used to serve dual-use functions in a future conflict scenario.” In 2024, SF Express said in its annual report that it strengthened its supply chains in the U.S. and Europe. Its website lists the addresses of several sites near major international airports, including JFK and LAX.
The Jamestown report also identified the Los Angeles-based firm WorldCPS as a partner of SF Express. WorldCPS has called itself the largest Chinese-owned logistics company in the U.S., operating seven large warehouses totaling 500,000 square feet and 50 loading docks in America. National Review has contacted both companies with requests for comment.
Chinese firms linked to Beijing have also grown their logistics networks in Mexico, according to the report.
“As PRC logistics firms continue to expand their presence abroad, their growing global footprint introduces new risks for host countries,” the Jamestown Foundation concluded. “Understanding the dual-use nature of these networks is essential for crafting policies that safeguard economic openness without compromising national security.”