Danger to national security?
USA checks data security of Chinese cars
February 29, 2024, 8:12 p.m
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The US has been considering raising tariffs on Chinese cars for several months. Now there is growing concern that sensitive data could be transmitted to China through the cars and fall into the wrong hands. The auto industry there feels this is unfair.
The US government is scrutinizing Chinese cars because of possible safety risks. The White House said it was about whether the vehicles collected sensitive data and transmitted it to China. China could flood the market with its cars, posing a risk to national security, said US President Joe Biden. “I won’t let that happen.” However, it is still too early to say what steps will follow; a decision on how to deal with the Chinese vehicles has not yet been made.
Modern cars have a variety of cameras and sensors that they need for their driver assistance systems. They use this to collect data and sometimes communicate with each other. This is exactly what the US government is concerned about: it fears that this data will fall into the wrong hands.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cui Dongshu, secretary general of the China Industry Association, said that if you look at all vehicles with smart sensors, it is unfair to target the cars from a particular country and impose restrictions.
High tariffs on Chinese cars
So far, only comparatively few vehicles from China have been imported into the USA. But the government wants to react before the cars are widespread, explained Trade Minister Gina Raimondo.
Chinese car manufacturers have recently declared other Asian countries and Europe in particular as export destinations. Market leader BYD has already announced that it will not bring its vehicles onto the market in the USA.
Separately, the US government is considering new tariffs on Chinese cars. There is also increasing pressure to restrict the import of vehicles from Chinese manufacturers manufactured in Mexico. The US has previously targeted Chinese telecom companies and labeled Huawei and ZTE as threats to national security.