A cooperation agreement between Denmark’s Esbjerg Port and the Chinese state-owned Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is facing growing political scrutiny, with critics questioning how the deal was reached without the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs being involved.
The latest criticism comes from Thomas Rohden, foreign affairs spokesperson for Denmark’s Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) and former chairman of the Danish China Critical Society.
Rohden said it was “not well thought out” for Esbjerg Port, one of Denmark’s most strategically important ports and a key NATO logistics hub, to sign an agreement with a Chinese state-owned port without informing the Foreign Ministry.
According to Danish broadcaster TV2, the agreement prompted Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen to personally contact Esbjerg Port chairman Søren Gade, who also serves as Speaker of the Danish Parliament.
Rohden told Danish newspaper Politiken that the process raises concerns about Gade’s judgement and said he intends to investigate the contents of the agreement.
“It seems as though Esbjerg Port has been running its own show,” Rohden said, adding that he wants to ensure the cooperation does not undermine Denmark’s security interests.
The agreement itself has not yet been made public.
Both Esbjerg Port CEO Dennis Jul Pedersen and chairman Søren Gade have rejected suggestions that the agreement poses a problem, maintaining that the cooperation is appropriate.
The controversy comes as Denmark and other European countries continue to reassess their relationships with Chinese state-owned companies in sectors considered strategically important, particularly infrastructure linked to national security.
