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US frets as China pushes to head IMO 

, Zhang Xiaojie, China's candidate for IMO Sec.Gen
The eyewitness reporter with agency report
The United States of America (USA) is getting uneasy over the latest move by China to head the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as its Secretary General.
China has thrown its hat into the ring in the race for the exalted position as its candidate, Zhang Xiaojie, is set to take over from Kitack Lim of South Korea, who will relinquish the position in December 2023.
The anxiety of the USA over the ambition of China to lead the IMO is hinged on the possibility of China using the position to hurt the shipping interests of the USA in the global market, especially in the area of exports, fishing, and navies.
It could be recalled that there is no love lost between the two countries in terms of trade as the USA is weary of the dominance of China in the world economy.
This rivalry came to the fore during the administration of Donald Trump when his government tried to cut down the influence of China on the American domestic market.
Maritime experts and commentators have warned the USA of the economic consequences of China’s emergence as the IMO scribe.
Both countries are category A members of the IMO which have the largest interests in providing international shipping services.
However, Brett Schaefer, a Jay Kingham Senior Research Fellow at Margaret Thatcher Center and his counterpart, Steven Groves, a Margaret Thatcher Fellow, both asked the US president, Joe Biden, to stop the ambition of China to head the IMO.
In their report, the two scholars claimed China will use the position to protect and further consolidate its interests in the global shipping trade to the detriment of the USA.
According to them, China is seeking greater influence inside U.N. agencies as it entered the race to head one with authority over global shipping rules.They said though the IMO operates in relative obscurity, its actions have a substantial if indirect, impact on standards of living worldwide.

“There is no question where Zhang Xiaojie the Chinese Candidate for the IMO secretary General position,  will fall on any issue of import to Beijing.

“This should be highly troubling to the U.S. and like-minded governments.

“We have seen what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is capable of when awarded such a leadership position.

“One need only look at how it handled the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which adopts codes, conventions, and guidelines governing procedures and practices for air traffic.

“As ICAO Secretary-General from 2015 to 2021, Chinese national Fang Liu undermined the mission and integrity of the organization.

“Specifically, she used her influence to block Taiwanese participation, undermine accountability, and conceal a Chinese cyber-attack on the ICAO that spread malware to member governments and private industry.

“This is only one example. Whenever Chinese nationals have led U.N. specialized agencies—whether at the International Telecommunication Union, the U.N. Industrial Development Organization, or the Food and Agriculture Organization—they have used their influence to benefit China in defiance of their responsibility to be neutral international civil servants.

“Now the CCP wants to do the same at the IMO, which sets standards for the safety, security, and environmental performance of international shipping.

“The agency also has a role in maritime-related legal matters such as compensation, liability, and facilitation of sea traffic.

“As was made clear at ICAO, China seeks leadership positions in U.N. organizations not from altruistic fidelity to their missions or to bolster their effectiveness, but to advance CCP policies and priorities. Over and over, when a Chinese national assumes a position of authority in the United Nations system, Beijing demands that they support and advance Chinese interests.

“So now that China has put forth a candidate to lead the IMO, we must ask why China wants this position and how it serves Beijing’s interests.

“Though the IMO operates in relative obscurity, its actions have a substantial, if indirect, impact on standards of living worldwide. More than 80 percent of global trade in goods is delivered by sea, meaning that every person benefits from safe, secure, and timely shipping.

“Beyond the consumer, the IMO also impacts national interests.

“The IMO has focused increasingly on combating air pollution and decarbonization related to shipping, including a “rapid shift from today’s predominant use of fossil fuels to zero-carbon alternatives,” and combatting illegal and unregulated fishing.

“The IMO also sets rules and standards that affect military maritime movement through key international waterways such as the Straits of Malacca and through strategic archipelagic sea lanes in Indonesia and the Philippines.

“China has a strong interest in these issues. When combined, China and Hong Kong rank first among the world’s nations in terms of ownership by commercial value and third in terms of shipping registries, so rules and regulations that require refitting or updates to vessels disproportionately impact China.

“Illegal and exploitative legal fishing by Chinese vessels, often held by state-owned enterprises, is extensive and conducted at an unprecedented scale. Historically, China has strongly objected when U.S. warships sail through the Taiwan Strait to enforce freedom of navigation principles.

“Beijing has an interest in shaping how the IMO will address these matters.

“China also has significant commercial and military interests in the South China Sea, over which it has claimed “indisputable sovereignty.”

“The Chinese navy regularly harasses foreign military ships in the South China Sea and has systematically built military bases through an unprecedented program of dredging and artificial island-building.

“The IMO plays a critical role in setting the rules of the road through the South China Sea” the two scholars submitted.

However, in July, the 40 member states of the IMO Council will meet to elect the next Secretary-General.

 The selection is then submitted for approval to all 175 member states later in 2023 and the new Secretary-General assumes office in 2024.

However, the maritime commentators believed that Zhang Xiaojie, tge Chinese Candidate, should be the greatest concern and worry for the US.

Zhang Xiaojie had served as head of China’s delegation to the IMO Council since 2015 and also served as Chair of the Council for 2018-2019.
This put him in a vantage position and made him well-known to the people that would elect the next Secretary-General.
Notably, he has served in numerous posts in the Chinese government, including Director of International Organizations and Multilateral Affairs in the Ministry of Transport.
“In short, he has worked in the Chinese government in various posts for over 30 years.

“Having been charged with advancing China’s interests in the IMO, he knows China’s agenda in the organization intimately.

The Margaret Thatcher Center scholars both claimed that Zhang Xiaojie will not have a free hand if elected as Secretary-General as he will be teleguided by his home government to advance Chinese interests through hiring and managerial decisions, just as Fang Liu did at the ICAO.

“Considering that the CCP expects Chinese nationals to advance its agenda even when serving as senior international civil servants—under threat of arrest and punishment—there is no question where Zhang Xiaojie will fall on any issue of import to Beijing.”This should be highly troubling to the U.S. and like-minded governments.

“China is already pressing countries to support Zhang Xiaojie diplomatically and, if past practice is any indication, offering economic incentives for support. Countering this push and ensuring that an alternative candidate becomes Secretary-General of the IMO will require the U.S. to apply its own pressure and work closely with allies” the maritime experts noted

The IMO Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the Organization.
 Between sessions of the Assembly, the Council performs all the functions of the Assembly, except that of making recommendations to Governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.
The Assembly, which normally meets once every two years in regular session, is responsible, among other things, for electing the Organization’s 40-Member Council.The following countries were elected by the Assembly, at its thirty-second session, to be Members of the IMO Council for the 2022-2023 biennium:

Category (a)    10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services:

China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.

Category (b)    10 States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade:

Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

Category (c)    20 States not elected under (a) or (b) above, which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world:

The Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, Türkiye and Vanuatu.

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Analyses

The invisible toll gates:Why National Single Window is Nigeria’s ultimate economic battleground

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
Walk into any market in Nigeria today, from the commercial hubs of Lagos to the roadside stalls in Yola, and ask why a bag of rice or an imported spare part costs three times what it did last year.
The typical public commentator will blame global inflation, floating currencies, or macro-economic shocks.
But those who understand logistics know the real truth lies buried under layers of paper, manual stamps, and artificial delays at our seaports.
Nigeria’s international trade is suffocating not from a lack of deep water, but from a deliberate design of convenience.
The recent operational rollout of the National Single Window (NSW) has triggered behind-the-scenes panic among Port cartels, and for good reason.
For decades, keeping our clearing processes fragmented, manual, and dependent on desk-to-desk human interaction was the perfect business model for syndicates.
When cargo dwell times drag on for 21 days, those delays are money in the pockets of the gatekeepers and a death sentence for local businesses.
Let us look at the raw field realities. The push by the Nigeria Customs Service to aggressively crash clearance times down to global 48-hour standards is meeting fierce internal resistance.
Why? Because a unified digital ecosystem means you cannot easily manipulate documentation, hide illicit cargo, or demand “mobilization fees” before signing off a container.
The outcry and protests from certain freight-forwarding syndicates aren’t about technical glitches; they are about the sudden closure of invisible toll gates.
This is exactly why governance at our national gateways can no longer be left to the mercy of transactional bureaucratic habits.
Building deep-sea infrastructure like Lekki Port is a massive physical achievement, but concrete and cranes are useless if the administrative processes at the gate remain backward.
 Real structural reform requires turning our Ports into automated, friction-free pipelines that prioritize production over rent-seeking.
If Nigeria wants to survive this fiscal squeeze, the National Single Window cannot just be treated as another glossy IT project launched in Abuja.
 It requires unyielding administrative enforcement to completely dismantle the corrupt cartels managing the manual desk chains.
The invisible toll gates at our Ports must be completely demolished, and that exact same structural discipline must be scaled across our border stations and trade corridors.
The era of managing international trade with 20th-century paper trails is dying. The future belongs to the builders of automated, transparent systems.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst,  writes from Abuja 
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Headlines

NANTA Exco embarks on seven-day Ghana retreat, fam trip to deepen regional tourism partnership

Gloria Odion, Reporter

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has commenced a seven-day executive retreat and familiarisation (fam) trip to Ghana, hosted by Safari World, as part of efforts to strengthen regional tourism partnerships and expand cross-border travel opportunities.

The NANTA delegation was received at Safari World Homes in Accra by the Chairman of the Safari World Group, Mr. Ernest Gyekye, who expressed delight at hosting the Nigerian travel trade leaders.

He assured the delegation of a memorable experience throughout their week-long stay.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, described the retreat and familiarisation tour as a strategic initiative aimed at fostering stronger business relationships and promoting collaborative tourism development across Africa.

“This mission is not a leisure trip,” Folami said. “It is a deliberate step to implement and expand our association’s marketing advocacy for Nigerian brands across borders.”

He noted that Nigeria and Ghana share deep historical, cultural and commercial ties that should be leveraged to drive tourism growth on the continent.

“Nigeria and Ghana share history, culture, trade and people. The future of our tourism cannot be built in silos,” he said.

“This retreat is about moving from policy to practice—creating real products, real partnerships and real movement of travellers between Accra and Lagos.”

As part of the programme, the NANTA executives will engage in strategic business-to-business (B2B) meetings with their Ghanaian counterparts, tour key tourism destinations under the Safari World brand, and participate in cultural exchange activities designed to promote stronger bilateral tourism cooperation.

The itinerary spans Safari World’s three flagship destinations, including Safari Homes in Accra, the Aqua Safari riverfront experience, Safari Island Cruise, Safari Nautica, and Safari Recreation and Sports facilities in Ada, as well as the Safari Valley Eco Resort and Safari Eco Park in Dawu.

Operating under the brand promise, “One World, Three Destinations, Over 20 Unique Experiences,” Safari World is leveraging the visit to strengthen its footprint in the Nigerian travel market while positioning Ghana as a premier destination for leisure tourism, conferences, group travel, family holidays and premium tourism experiences.

A major highlight of the visit will be the Executive Dinner scheduled for July 21 at the Safari Valley Eco Resort, where key stakeholders from Nigeria and Ghana’s tourism industries will deliberate on strategies for deepening travel trade and advancing regional tourism development.

The familiarisation tour is expected to provide NANTA’s leadership with first-hand knowledge of Safari World’s tourism offerings, paving the way for the development of attractive travel packages and stronger business partnerships that will benefit Nigerian travellers and the wider West African tourism industry.

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Customs

Ogun Customs spurns claims of Smugglers’ takeover of Idiroko–Sango Ota trading Route

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed as false reports alleging that smugglers had taken over the Idiroko–Sango Ota trading route in Ogun State, describing the claims as a deliberate misrepresentation of a traffic incident.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Chado, the Command clarified that the traffic gridlock on the route resulted from the breakdown of an articulated commercial trailer after it fell into a badly deteriorated section of Atan Road, temporarily obstructing the free flow of traffic.
According to the Command, the vehicles caught in the ensuing congestion were legitimate commercial trucks transporting red palm oil to various local markets and had no connection whatsoever with smuggling activities.
It explained that the large number of heavy-duty trucks trapped in the gridlock may have led some members of the public to wrongly conclude that smugglers had taken over the road.
“The reports that smugglers blocked the road are inaccurate. The disruption resulted from a road accident and poor road conditions. The vehicles involved were lawful commercial vehicles transporting red palm oil for legitimate trade,” Chado stated.
The Command urged journalists, social media users and the general public to verify information before disseminating reports capable of creating unnecessary panic or undermining public confidence in security agencies.
Observers within the border trade sector noted that the allegation does not reflect the prevailing security situation within the Ogun I Area Command, where anti-smuggling operations have been intensified under the leadership of the Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller O.O. Afeni.
Since assuming office, Comptroller Afeni has strengthened intelligence-driven surveillance, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies and host communities, and sustained pressure on economic saboteurs operating along the Ogun border corridors.
These measures, according to stakeholders, have resulted in significant seizures of prohibited goods and reinforced the Command’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s economy and territorial integrity.
Maritime and border trade stakeholders also cautioned against the spread of unverified information capable of undermining the efforts of security personnel or creating a false impression of lawlessness in border communities.
They stressed that while combating smuggling remains an ongoing responsibility, responsible and accurate reporting is equally critical to ensuring that operational achievements are not overshadowed by misinformation.
The Ogun I Area Command reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling campaign while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade in line with the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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