(The Center Square) – In a July meeting with the Louisiana District Export Council, New Orleans FBI agent Benjamin Dreessen gave a number of serious warnings about the threat of China to American trade, including that China is “targeting the Mississippi River system.”
Dreessen warned that China’s five-year plan includes efforts to gain monopolistic control over key global industries by “procuring others’ intellectual property.”
Dreessen said the strategy extends to the United States’ inland waterways and major ports. According to the description of his remarks, Dreessen told council members that Chinese entities are increasingly targeting major ports in southern Louisiana, which serve as the gateway to the rest of the river network and the U.S. interior. Dreesson also mentioned major cities such as St. Louis and Chicago.
The Center Square was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment from Dreessen.
Trade between New Orleans and China has surged over the past decade, according to data from Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, with cargo tonnage climbing sharply as China became one of the city’s fastest-growing foreign trade partners. Between 2014 and 2023, the state recorded a 387% increase in loaded total 20-foot equivalent units – nearly a fivefold jump in trade volume between New Orleans and China.
According to the minutes, China is seeking to secure access to and control over American supply chains. He cautioned that such economic footholds could be leveraged for political influence, intelligence collection, and potential disruption of U.S. commerce.
More broadly, Dreessen noted that China is “anticipating major conflict with the U.S.,” and is working to interfere with the American military, “induce panic” and “impede decision making in the White House”.
On protecting business from Chinese intellectual property theft, the minutes noted that “not much can be done.”
Lawmakers and federal agencies have increasingly described China’s strategy as one in which the government tightly controls major trade and investment channels. Beijing’s policies often require U.S. firms to partner with state-owned companies and transfer proprietary technology to gain access to Chinese markets – a practice seen in sectors ranging from aerospace to semiconductors.
Examples cited by congressional analysts include U.S. firms partnering with Chinese companies to develop the C-919 passenger jet, state funding for semiconductor manufacturing to reduce dependency on foreign suppliers, and government mandates requiring localization of electric vehicle battery supply chains. China has also expanded control of critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology through overseas acquisitions and state-backed investment.
In the energy sector, Chinese purchases of U.S. liquefied natural gas have at times included related investments in American export terminals – deepening Beijing’s exposure to, and potential influence over, U.S. energy infrastructure.
