The U.S. government wants to ban the sale in the United States of connected vehicles incorporating Chinese and Russian technology, citing national security risks.
The new measure is part of a toughening of the approach of President Joe Biden’s government towards China.
In mid-September, the United States announced that electric cars imported from China would be taxed 100% from September 27.
The text unveiled Monday by the Ministry of Commerce concerns software and terminals that allow a vehicle to communicate with the outside world, in particular for driving assistance and autonomous driving.
Before the US government announced the measures, Beijing on Monday called such a ban “discriminatory.” “China opposes the US generalization of the concept of national security and the discriminatory measures taken against Chinese companies and products,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said after press reports.
Electronics are increasingly integrated into modern cars and most vehicles today are connected to the Internet through the navigation system.
The emergence of driver assistance and autonomous driving software further reinforces the importance of external interventions in the control of a vehicle in circulation.
“Malicious access to these systems could allow adversaries to access and collect our most sensitive data and manipulate vehicles on American roads,” the department’s Office of Security and Industry said in a statement.
The government has not specified which manufacturers or models would be subject to this legislation, the text of which will be subject to consultation for 30 days before taking its final form.
Asked by AFP, the American Automobile Industry Council (AAPC), which represents the three industry giants General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, did not immediately respond.
There are no Chinese-branded vehicles sold in the United States today.
But some Western manufacturers, such as Volvo, Swedish but controlled by the Chinese Geely, Polestar, Buick (GM group) or Lincoln (Ford subsidiary) sell cars made in China.
“A serious risk”
Beyond that, there is the question of vehicles assembled in the United States but which may use Chinese parts.
The US authorities have previously conducted a study to assess the impact that this measure would have on the industry, an official source explained.
From this analysis it emerged that the penetration of Chinese and Russian software was “minimal”, she specified.
For terminals, “it’s a bit more complicated,” the source said. “There’s more Chinese equipment” circulating outside China, with the ban requiring “changes of suppliers.”
Therefore, the government does not intend to implement the ban on physical equipment before 2029, in order to give the industry the necessary time to adapt.
In the case of software, on the other hand, the measure would be effective from 2027.
“Today, cars have cameras, microphones, GPS and other technologies connected to the Internet,” said Commerce Minister Gina Raimondo, quoted in the statement.
“It doesn’t take much imagination to understand that a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to national security and the privacy of American citizens,” she added.
Therefore, the minister explained, the American government is determined to take “proactive” measures to “preserve American routes from Russian and Chinese technology.”
US trade policy is one of the key issues of the American presidential campaign.
During his term, Donald Trump had held an offensive discourse towards China and introduced customs duties on imports of products manufactured in the People’s Republic.
This system was, for the most part, maintained by Joe Biden once in the White House.
In addition to tariffs, the Biden administration has restricted exports to China of certain technology products, especially semiconductors and the machinery used to manufacture them.
This is to limit the access of Chinese companies to advanced equipment purchased abroad, particularly for military purposes.