Biden’s China EV tariffs do not address national security concerns

President Biden’s movements 4x customs duty Regulations on Chinese-made electric vehicles are not intended to avoid the potential national security threat posed by Chinese-made internet-connected vehicles, but some in the president’s own party Political leaders believe these concerns should not be ignored.

The tariff hikes are aimed at preventing China from overwhelming U.S. automakers by flooding them with EVs that cost a fraction of the price of those produced by U.S. companies. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and other Democrats are concerned that consumer devices made in China could be used to harm Americans through hacking and espionage, and He called on the president to completely ban EVs.

Brown’s Ohio is a major manufacturing hub for U.S. automakers, and he reiterated that appeal after the tariffs were announced.

“Connected cars and technology made in China have the power to transmit Americans’ personal data and information to the Chinese Communist Party. This is a clear national security threat,” Brown told CBS News in a statement. Ta. “The Biden administration must ban Chinese connected vehicles and Chinese smart vehicle technology and counter Chinese pressure to infiltrate the U.S. auto supply chain.”

Brown argues that EV technology could allow China to collect information about traffic patterns, critical infrastructure and the lives of drivers. He points out that China does not allow American vehicles near government buildings.

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin Democratic lawmakers from Michigan, a major auto manufacturing hub, expressed similar concerns.

“As thousands of Chinese-made connected cars enter the country, [the Chinese] “It’s a huge amount of data — high-fidelity data on military bases, major infrastructure facilities like bridges and power grids, secret locations, individual leaders, and more,” she said on the House floor in early May. mentioned in.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who later served as an intelligence and defense official in the Bush and Obama administrations, continued that he raised the issue with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who said the issue was his own. He said he agreed with the opinion. Detailed information on potential adversaries that could be used to target infrastructure or U.S. leaders. He said the United States lacks any national security perspective to scrutinize imported Chinese cars, including those made in Mexico.

Some Republicans also support raising tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who has long expressed concerns about TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

Biden on Tuesday China announces tariffs on EVs The administration will quadruple the current 25% tariff rate to 100% in an effort to prevent China from squeezing American companies and threatening union manufacturing jobs. With government support and cheap labor and supply, Chinese automakers can supply large quantities of low-cost vehicles to Western markets at prices ranging from $10,000 to $12,000, about one-third of the price of EVs in the United States. There is sex. However, due to tariffs in the US, these prices will be even higher. Globally, Chinese company BYD has overtaken Tesla. The world’s largest electric vehicle company In the last quarter of 2023.

Very few EVs made in China are currently sold in the United States. A Chinese-backed Swedish carmaker produces one of them, the Polestar. However, of the more than 812,000 EVs sold in the U.S. in 2022, Polestar accounted for only about 9,000. Volvo is also rolling out a car made in China, the EX30, which is expected to go on sale in the U.S. as early as this summer, and is likely to be relatively inexpensive despite increased tariffs.

The administration is trying to prevent the U.S. from following in the footsteps of Europe, where Chinese-made EVs have quickly taken over about 20% of the market share, but has not considered banning Chinese-made EVs.

Steve Weymouth, an associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business who studies the smart car industry, said the new tariffs address the economic aspects of national security, but don’t necessarily delve into privacy or espionage concerns. Stated. Mr Weymouth said internet-connected vehicles would collect “data that an insurance company would want” such as speed and route. But they also “integrate cameras, microphones and other sensors in ways that can really increase surveillance capabilities,” he said.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said during a chat at the Atlantic Council in January that EVs and self-driving cars collect “tremendous amounts of sensitive data” about drivers, and that China’s EVs pose national security concerns. He warned that it posed a serious risk.

Raimondo said cars “collect vast amounts of sensitive data about their drivers, including personal information, biometric information, and where the car goes.” “Thus, in understanding how a foreign adversary like China, which has access to this type of information at scale, can pose significant risks to national security and the privacy of U.S. citizens. , it doesn’t require much imagination.

However, there is another major factor that the government is concerned about.

“China has policies that require companies to share data with the Chinese government for certain reasons,” Weymouth said. Unlike the United States, where there are safeguards such as the requirement for court-issued warrants for such information, “the data just doesn’t exist” in China. “

The new tariff increases come from U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s Section 301, which gives the president the authority to impose tariffs if a foreign government violates international trade agreements or places an undue burden on U.S. commerce. This stems from the long-standing review of the Trump administration-era tariffs on China based on the above.

Her investigation concluded that China continues to engage in unfair business practices. In March, the president announced that the Commerce Department would launch a separate investigation into Chinese-made “smart cars,” citing national security risks.

Regarding national security concerns, the administration official said, “We don’t have a specific position on that.” “I think — these courses of action are really just focused on the statutory review of Section 301, which has already been completed, to protect workers and industries within America’s strategic sectors. We’re just focusing on a few important tariffs. For now, it’s broader and bigger.”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the relationship between Volvo and Polestar. In February, Volvo reduced its stake in Polestar from 48% to 18%. This report has been updated.