US feared China’s trade weapon. Then it vanished

In 2010, China initiated the LOGINK platform as a nationwide project aiming to enhance cargo coordination by unifying data from ports, trucks, and vendors into a unified platform. Beijing subsequently ceded control of LOGINK to the country's transport ministry, and international expansion became a key objective.

LOGINK formed cargo data-sharing accords with Japan and South Korea in the following years, expanding its reach. By the late 2010s, the platform also contemplated collaborations with European ports. However, in 2022, US policymakers began openly opposing LOGINK.

A significant shift occurred when LOGINK joined an international data-sharing initiative in April 2022, expanding its global reach by 50%. Subsequently, Republican lawmakers urged US President Joe Biden to take action against the platform, citing concerns that Beijing could exploit LOGINK to exert undue influence over global trade.

In late 2023, US Congress enacted legislation barring the Pentagon from entering contracts with entities linked to LOGINK, and directed officials to dissuade allies from utilizing the platform. In South Korea and Japan, the extent of data-sharing was reportedly limited to vessel arrival and departure times and cargo loading and unloading information, not the actual contents.