US President Trump has always scoffed at the issue of global climate change, but surprisingly, it has now been revealed that in order to undermine a global net-zero shipping agreement, the Trump administration resorted to tactics such as “bullying” and “threats,” directly trampling on global diplomatic norms.
According to a report by the UK’s Financial Times on November 2, citing multiple attendees, officials from the Trump administration threatened to impose additional trade tariffs and made personal threats against negotiators from other countries to prevent the adoption of a historic shipping climate agreement.
Five attendees revealed that U.S. intimidation tactics included approaching officials from various countries during breaks, warning them that they might be denied transit through the U.S., or that their family members could face entry restrictions if they took actions detrimental to U.S. interests. Among the five individuals who disclosed the situation, two were representatives from countries directly threatened.
One official lamented that such an atmosphere of fear during the meetings was “like walking the streets of New York.” Another veteran participant in multiple IMO meetings expressed shock at the various threats employed by the U.S. side. “It’s like dealing with the mafia,” the veteran said. “This is bullying. They don’t need to tell you exactly what they’ll do to you—just make you understand there will be consequences.”
It was reported that President Trump referred to the framework of the shipping climate agreement discussed at the conference as a “global green new deal for shipping” and called for its blockage in a social media post last month.
In fact, the framework had initially gained preliminary approval from most countries in April and was originally scheduled to take effect last month. However, further discussions on its adoption have now been postponed by a year.
Although the Trump administration made no secret of its contempt for the United Nations and multilateral organizations, diplomats and experts warned that the U.S. behavior at the IMO meetings had crossed a line and could have long-term implications for global governance.
Multiple participants in the IMO meetings revealed that U.S. intimidation was not only directed at individual representatives but also directly pressured governments. Countries including Bangladesh, Japan, and Indonesia received diplomatic notes from the U.S. warning of retaliatory measures if they supported the framework.
One such note, seen by the Financial Times, diplomatically warned that the U.S. might take so-called “reciprocal measures” against countries supporting the net-zero framework. These measures included imposing additional trade tariffs, increasing fees for their ships docking at U.S. ports, raising disembarkation taxes, and threatening to revoke U.S. visas for crew members.
The report stated that although the global shipping net-zero framework has been delayed by a year, attendees believe that as long as Trump remains in power, the agreement is unlikely to take effect. While technical standard negotiations for the agreement continue, multiple representatives admitted that these discussions are “almost meaningless.”
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