Joe Biden has ordered an investigation into whether Chinese “connected” vehicles, including electric cars, pose a security risk to Americans, as he tries to prevent China from flooding the US market.The US president directed his commerce department to determine what measures his administration should take to prevent China from undermining national security through the export of “connected” vehicles. He said the “unprecedented” move was designed to ensure America maintained what he said was its “dynamic auto industry”.
“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” Biden said as he announced the investigation on Thursday. “China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.”
Biden said most cars were now “connected”, making them “like smartphones on wheels”. He said he was concerned Chinese vehicles could collect sensitive data about US citizens and infrastructure, and that the information could be sent back to China and enable its government to remotely access the vehicles.