The Biden administration unveiled a comprehensive initiative this week, aiming to prohibit Chinese-developed software from internet-connected vehicles within the United States. The justification for this action rests on national security grounds. According to officials, the move seeks to prevent Chinese intelligence agencies from monitoring the movements of Americans or utilizing the vehicles’ electronics as a potential gateway to the U.S. electric grid or other essential infrastructure.
This measure, likely representing the final significant restriction on Chinese products introduced under the Biden administration, mirrors the rationale behind the earlier ban on Huawei telecommunications equipment and investigations into Chinese-made cranes operating at American ports. Alongside congressional efforts to compel TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese ownership, this initiative marks a substantial enhancement of the administration’s strategy to address what it perceives as major cybervulnerabilities for the United States. However, the effort effectively establishes a digital divide between the world’s two largest economies, which, merely two decades ago, envisioned the internet as a unifying force.
During a briefing with reporters, administration officials emphasized that the proposed ban, put forward by the Commerce Department, was driven by national security considerations rather than political motivations. They indicated that the proposal is likely to be formalized as a permanent rule before President Biden’s term concludes on January 20th. Earlier this year, President Biden announced 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, citing substantial subsidies in China. This announcement was noteworthy, particularly because such vehicles had only begun to enter the U.S. market, and Biden explicitly framed the tariffs as a measure to safeguard American jobs.
“Many of these technologies collect large volumes of information on drivers,” stated Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, in a Sunday briefing with reporters. He further explained that these vehicles continuously connect with personal devices, other cars, U.S. critical infrastructure, and the original manufacturers of the vehicles and their 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,” he added, using the initials for the People’s Republic of China.
