- US lawmaker wants permanent block on Chinese cars, software, and partnerships.
- Industry groups back ban, citing security fears and unfair competition concerns.
- Trump previously signaled openness to Chinese brands building factories in US.
Chinese-brand cars now account for one in 10 new cars sold in Europe, but you won’t find a BYD or Xiaomi on sale in the US, and one Ohio senator is determined to maintain that situation. He wants to make absolutely sure Chinese car brands never make it to America in the form of auto imports, partnerships, or even just lines of code buried in software.
Senator Bernie Moreno is preparing legislation that goes beyond the current restrictions introduced in early 2025 by the Biden administration. Those rules already shut out Chinese passenger cars over concerns they could harvest sensitive driver data. Moreno’s proposal aims to slam every remaining door, then double lock them just in case.
More: Toyota Is Selling A New EV In China For Less Than A 15-Year-Old Used Corolla
Speaking at an automotive event ahead of the New York International Auto Show, he didn’t exactly hold back, as Reuters reported.
“We don’t allow Huawei to come into our telecommunications infrastructure,” Moreno said, referencing the US block on the Asian tech giant. “We’re not going to allow Chinese automakers into this market. We’re going to prevent the cancer from coming into our market, and we’re going to need the other countries to do chemotherapy.”
Appealing To Other Nations
Subtle? Not exactly. Effective at grabbing attention? Absolutely. The plan isn’t just about imports. Moreno wants to block anything with Chinese ties, including software integrations and joint ventures. In other words, even a hint of Chinese involvement could be enough to disqualify a vehicle from US roads under his vision. He also hopes Mexico, Latin America, Canada and even Europe will follow suit.
Unsurprisingly, American automakers and industry groups are on board. They’ve been lobbying hard to keep the barriers high, arguing it protects both national security and domestic jobs. It also conveniently keeps a wave of competitively priced EVs from shaking up the market.
An Attack On Fair Trade
China, for its part, isn’t thrilled. Officials have pushed back, calling the approach protectionist and accusing the US of stacking the deck against fair competition. That tension adds another layer to an already delicate economic relationship between the two countries.
And there’s an added complication here. Donald Trump has previously said he’d welcome Chinese automakers building factories in the US, as long as they hire American workers.
