- A permanent ban has been proposed as Xi Jinping tours the US.
- President Trump recently suggested Chinese brands could build cars locally.
- Senators say Chinese cars could decimate the American car industry.
Dozens of American lawmakers, including Democrats and Republicans, want Chinese vehicles permanently banned from US soil. The bipartisan initiative comes less than two weeks after President Donald Trump said he’s fine with Chinese brands selling cars locally, as long as they are manufactured in the US.
American automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, have been lobbying for stronger policies to keep Chinese vehicles out, a sentiment echoed by senators on both sides of the political aisle. The rush to enact a permanent ban comes just as China’s President Xi Jinping embarks on a three-day visit to the US.
Read: Detroit’s Big Three Push Back Against Trump’s Chinese Car Invitation
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno and Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin are central to the latest efforts, proposing legislation for an outright ban which already has 100 co-sponsors, Reuters reports. They’re looking to win Senate approval for the bill this week.
Protecting American Brands
While one might assume President Trump’s tricky relationship with China would have prompted him to adopt a hardline stance against Chinese cars, that hasn’t been the case. Former President Joe Biden signed legislation in January 2025 to prohibit the sale of vehicles using hardware and software systems from China, starting with the software ban from the 2027 model year and the hardware ban from 2030.
So far, this rule has largely prevented Chinese companies from entering the US market. However, the Trump administration has issued a waiver to Volvo, allowing the Chinese-owned Swedish company to continue selling its cars in the States. Legislation being proposed by Senator Moreno and Senator Slotkin aims to prevent the administration from issuing waivers like this.
“Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, no one wants Chinese cars in America,” Slotkin declared during a press conference this week. She also pushed back against Trump’s apparent willingness to allow Chinese companies to build cars locally, stating this would signify “the beginning of the end of auto manufacturing in the United States.”
Speaking with Fox News earlier this month, President Trump declared that “If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that.”
