Chinese cars face new US border ban bill

Washington: Two US Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation to block Chinese connected vehicles from entering the United States through Canada and Mexico, warning that the vehicles pose national security risks and threaten the American auto industry.

Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Senator Elissa Slotkin announced the Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act at the Mackinac Policy Conference in Michigan.

The bill would prohibit connected vehicles from China and other adversarial nations from entering the United States, including vehicles manufactured in China or produced by Chinese companies.

“The Chinese Communist Party should never have access to sensitive information about American drivers, roads, or critical infrastructure. The Protect America from Chinese Cars Act closes dangerous loopholes that currently allow Chinese connected vehicles to enter the United States through Canada and Mexico,” Stevens said.

“This bill is about staying laser focused on protecting American national security and standing up for Michigan autoworkers who build the best vehicles in the world,” she added.

The lawmakers said the measure responds to China’s growing presence in global vehicle markets. Chinese automakers, heavily subsidised by Beijing, have rapidly expanded in Europe and South America, according to the bill’s sponsors.

They noted that Chinese vehicles now account for roughly 15 per cent of the Mexican market. They also pointed to Canada’s January 2026 trade agreement with China that will significantly reduce tariffs on tens of thousands of Chinese vehicles.

“The threat of connected vehicles from China is now at both of our backyards, to the North and South,” the lawmakers said.

Slotkin said the issue extends beyond economics.

“This is an economic security issue and a national security issue, and we must prevent these vehicles from driving over our border and into our communities,” she said.

“They’re surveillance packages on wheels – fully capable of geolocating individual drivers, collecting full-motion video, and mapping sensitive infrastructure sites, including our military.”

She said the legislation “builds on my bipartisan Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 and bans fully finished Chinese vehicles from driving over in any capacity, even just for the day.”

Under the proposal, vehicles manufactured or designed in China would be barred from entering the United States. The restrictions would also apply to vehicles produced by companies in which Chinese firms hold more than a 15 per cent stake.

The bill would create a process allowing manufacturers to seek specific authorisations for otherwise prohibited vehicles. Any such approvals would be subject to strict conditions, transparency requirements and congressional oversight.

It would also require US Customs and Border Protection to establish enforcement procedures and compile a list of prohibited vehicles within 90 days of enactment.

The legislation builds on earlier efforts in Washington to limit the entry of Chinese connected vehicle technology into the United States. Policymakers from both parties have increasingly raised concerns that modern vehicles collect large amounts of data through cameras, sensors and internet-connected systems.

–IANS