The Biden administration unveiled a significant initiative on Monday to prohibit the use of Chinese-developed software in internet-connected vehicles within the United States. The decision is based on national security considerations, aiming to prevent Chinese intelligence agencies from tracking Americans’ movements or exploiting vehicle electronics to access the U.S. electric grid or other crucial infrastructure.
This action, likely the final major restriction on Chinese products under the Biden administration, mirrors the rationale behind the ban on Huawei telecommunications equipment and investigations into Chinese-made cranes at U.S. ports. Coupled with congressional efforts to compel TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese ownership, this initiative represents a significant escalation in the administration’s efforts to address what it perceives as major cyber vulnerabilities.
However, this strategy appears to be erecting a digital barrier between the world’s two largest economies, which, just two decades ago, envisioned the internet as a unifying force. During a briefing, administration officials emphasized that national security concerns, rather than political motives, prompted the Commerce Department’s proposed ban, which is expected to become a permanent rule before President Biden leaves office on January 20th.
This year, President Biden also announced 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, citing substantial Chinese government subsidies. This move, made even before those vehicles significantly entered the U.S. market, was explicitly framed as a measure to protect American jobs. “Many of these technologies collect large volumes of information on drivers,” stated Jake Sullivan, the President’s national security advisor, during a Sunday briefing. He further explained that these vehicles maintain constant connections with personal devices, other vehicles, U.S. critical infrastructure, and the original manufacturers of vehicles and components.
“Connected vehicles and the technology they use bring new vulnerabilities and threats, especially in the case of vehicles or components developed in the P.R.C. and other countries of concern,” Sullivan added, using the initials for the People’s Republic of China.
