COSCO STEPS UP LOBBYING EFFORTS IN WASHINGTON

   In an effort to stave off possible Federal Maritime Commission
sanctions, China Ocean Shipping Co. has stepped up its lobbying efforts in Washington.
   With Rep. James Oberstar, the ranking Democrat on the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee standing by his side, COSCO’s president Captain Wei Jiafu warned that any sanctions against the Chinese carrier would be counterproductive and could harm U.S. interests, including COSCO’s 600 U.S. employees, U.S. ports, rail carriers, trucking lines and the U.S. banking industry.
   "The United States of America is one of our major financing markets,"
the COSCO president said at a cocktail reception held at a Capitol Hill
townhouse. "American investors are monitoring our daily operations as
closely as is the Federal Maritime Commission."
   The shipping line has also engaged the services of APCO Associates, a Washington public relations firm, to help carry its messages to Congress and U.S. policymakers. Former Congressman Don Bonker is the firm’s executive vice president.