【By Observer News, Xiong Chaoran】U.S. President Trump has long been dismissive of global climate change issues, but it turns out that someone has now revealed that the Trump administration used "bullying" and "threats" to undermine a global shipping industry net-zero emissions agreement, directly violating global diplomatic rules.

According to the UK's Financial Times, citing statements from multiple attendees on November 2 local time, U.S. government officials threatened to impose additional trade tariffs and make personal threats against other countries' negotiators to prevent the signing of a historic shipping climate agreement.

More than 10 diplomats, other government officials, and industry observers told the Financial Times that the U.S. government violated normal global diplomatic rules during a meeting held last month at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquartered in London, and used "bullying methods" to block the UN-backed global shipping net-zero emissions framework (Net Zero Framework).

This framework would have imposed carbon emission taxes on shipping, according to attendees. A group of U.S. officials intimidated small island nations in Africa, as well as the Pacific and Caribbean regions, forcing them to abandon support for this framework. According to one person present, the U.S. delegation had eight members.

According to five attendees, the U.S. intimidation tactics included approaching officials from other countries during tea breaks, warning them that they might not be able to transit through the U.S., or that their families could face entry restrictions if they took actions that harmed American interests. Of these five people who informed about the situation, two were representatives from countries directly threatened.

An official lamented that the atmosphere of fear at the conference was "like walking on the streets of New York," while another senior participant in multiple IMO meetings was shocked by the various U.S. threat tactics. "It's like dealing with a gangster," said this senior figure: "This is bullying. They don't need to tell you exactly what they will do to you; just let you know there will be consequences."

The IMO held a meeting last month in London, where the "Global Shipping Net-Zero Emissions Framework" was postponed for one year. Global shipping authority "Lloyd's List"

According to reports, President Trump referred to the framework as a "global green new tax on the shipping industry" and called for blocking its passage in a social media post last month.

In fact, the framework had received preliminary approval from most countries in April this year, and was originally scheduled to take effect last month, but further discussions on whether it would be approved have now been delayed for a year.

Although the Trump administration has openly shown disdain for the United Nations and multilateral organizations, diplomats and experts warn that the U.S. actions at the IMO meeting have crossed the line, potentially having long-term impacts on global governance.

"It's like being on the streets of New York," said an official from a country that was threatened. If his country did not give up supporting the framework, it would face visa restrictions on seafarers and other penalties, including increased fees for entering U.S. ports.

"They went from one delegation to another... threatening them. Let them go back and negotiate with their own governments, warning them what would happen if they didn't change their minds," the diplomat said.

Another senior participant in the IMO meeting said that the U.S. tactics caused the organization and meeting, which are usually known for technical discussions and consensus decision-making, to be in "complete shock."

"It's like dealing with a gangster," this senior figure added: "This is bullying. They don't need to tell you exactly what they will do to you; just let you know there will be consequences."

The Financial Times reported that a U.S. State Department official did not respond to the personal threats directed at other country representatives, but praised the actions of Greece and Cyprus, which supported the framework in April this year but chose to abstain in the vote last month, thereby supporting the delay of negotiations.

Before the meeting last month, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated in a statement that the Trump administration was evaluating the possibility of sanctioning officials who promoted radical climate policies that burdened American consumers, as well as other measures under consideration.

Creon Butler, head of the Global Economy at the Chatham House, said that breaking diplomatic traditions and using pressure tactics to force other countries to comply with U.S. positions on climate and other issues poses long-term risks to U.S. international influence.

"In the short term, this approach may work, but in the medium term, it will lead non-U.S. countries to conclude that they cannot cooperate with the U.S., and instead turn to reach agreements that bypass the U.S.," he said.

Several countries, including Brazil, warned at last month's meeting that certain "means that should never be used between sovereign states" were being used to undermine the net-zero framework, but did not reveal details.

Multiple people attending the IMO meeting revealed that the U.S. intimidation targeted not only individual representatives but also directly pressured governments. Countries such as Bangladesh, Japan, and Indonesia received diplomatic notes from the U.S., warning that if they supported the framework, they would face retaliatory measures.

A copy of such a note seen by the Financial Times warned in diplomatic terms that the U.S. might take so-called "reciprocal measures" against countries supporting the net-zero framework, including imposing additional trade tariffs, increasing fees for ships docking in U.S. ports, raising shore leave taxes, and threatening to revoke seafarers' U.S. visas.

April 8, 2025, container terminal at Long Beach Port, California, U.S. Visual China

"On one hand, there were economic threats, which were repeatedly mentioned at the meeting; on the other hand, there were very personalized threats at the representative level, including visa issues," said an IMO representative who had discussed the U.S. threats with several countries, but requested anonymity, stating that "everyone was very afraid of retaliation."

"We did receive very specific threats, and they clearly thought about what levers could be used against each country," said another national representative: "Everyone was shocked by the extent of the pressure."

Another representative said that before the London meeting, the U.S. had already contacted all countries (including wealthy ones), warning that "individual delegation members might be placed on a sanctions list," and if they supported the framework, they would face visa restrictions.

This representative added that these threats were reiterated again at the London meeting. "This situation is completely unusual. I've never heard of anything like this in IMO negotiations. These people being threatened are just bureaucrats, just civil servants."

The report stated that although the global shipping net-zero emissions framework was postponed for a year, representatives at the meeting believe that the agreement is unlikely to come into effect as long as Trump remains in the White House. Currently, the technical standard negotiations on the agreement are still ongoing, but multiple representatives admitted that these discussions were "almost meaningless."

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