The United States is checking to see if cars from China could be a threat to national security. They might put limits on the cars because of worries about their technology.
The United States Commerce Department needs to investigate because cars gather a lot of personal information about the people inside them and use cameras and sensors to record detailed information in the United States. “The White House said they are working on fixing the infrastructure. ”
The study will also look at cars that can be controlled or stopped from far away.
President Joe Biden said that China’s rules could bring a lot of their cars to our market, which could be dangerous for our national security. “I won’t allow that to happen while I’m in charge. ”
White House officials told reporters that it’s too soon to say what they might do and said they haven’t decided yet if they will ban or limit Chinese cars.
Officials told news people the U. SThe government has a lot of power and can make big decisions that affect a lot of people.
Biden said it is a big plan to make sure cars in the U. Sare better for the environment. The roads from countries we are worried about, like China, do not harm our security as a nation.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a group that represents big car companies like General Motors, Toyota, and Volkswagen, wants the Commerce Department to talk to them before making any decisions that could affect their industry.
The group asked Commerce to focus on deals that might be dangerous for the U. SProtecting the economy and the safety of the country, but not stopping small transactions that could affect vehicle safety.
Not many Chinese-made small trucks and cars are being brought into the US. Gina Raimondo, who is in charge of trade, said the government is doing something to stop problems from getting big and causing danger to our privacy and safety.
Chinese companies that make electric cars have been relying on Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe as their biggest markets for selling their cars to other countries. BYD, the biggest seller of electric cars in the world, has said many times that it doesn’t have any plans to sell its cars in the U. SThe company is searching for a place in Mexico to build a factory to make cars for the local market.
BYD announced on Wednesday that it will start selling its Dolphin Mini EV in Mexico for 358,800 Mexican pesos (US$21,019. 33), which is less than half the price of the cheapest Tesla.
The Chinese foreign ministry did not respond right away to a request for comment on Thursday.
Cui Dongshu, who is the secretary general of China Passenger Car Association, said it is unfair to single out cars from a certain country that have smart sensors and put restrictions on them.
The Biden administration is thinking about adding extra taxes on cars made in China. They are also feeling pressure to limit the number of electric cars from China that are brought into the US through Mexico.
The United States The U. Shas made rules to help people use less. The electric vehicle battery supply chain is being moved away from China. Companies and consumers will not get tax benefits if they use materials from China in their supply chains.
In December last year, China was accused of breaking trade rules and causing problems for global supply chains. China is in control of making the batteries for electric cars, and now others are trying to make a new supply chain that doesn’t rely on China.
In November, a group of both Democratic and Republican people in the United States worked together. Politicians are worried because Chinese companies are collecting and managing important information while testing self-driving cars in the US.
The Commerce Department wants to hear opinions for 60 days and then think about making rules to solve problems. The probe will also look for information about US-made cars, such as where the software is from.
The United States didn’t allow Chinese telecom companies to do business there because they were worried about data security. They said Huawei and ZTE were a danger and couldn’t operate in the U. SCarriers must take their equipment out of the United States. Networks are connected systems of computers or other devices that can communicate and share information with each other. The White House said China is putting a lot of limitations on the United States. Foreign cars and other foreign vehicles driving in China. “Biden said that we should not let Chinese connected vehicles operate in our country without protections. ”
In the past few years, China has made its rules for managing data in the country stricter. Most industries have to ask for approval before they can send data to other countries.
In May, the government made stricter rules about how car companies can use data. They also suggested that smart cars in China should not send data to other countries, but should use Chinese cloud services instead.