A group of 20 US democratic congress members urged Mexico’s President-Elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, to address national security issues posed by internet-connected vehicles produced in Mexico by Chinese automakers.
All modern cars and trucks are equipped with onboard networking hardware that provides internet access and allows them to share data with devices both inside and outside the vehicle.
The lawmakers, led by Representative Elissa Slotkin and Senator Sherrod Brown, called on Sheinbaum in a letter to initiate a national review and send a delegation to the United States in early 2025 for talks, according to Reuters.
The United States fears that China, a strategic and economic rival as well as a trading partner, could use data collected by connected vehicles for surveillance or, in extreme circumstances, control them remotely via the internet and navigation systems.
“We believe that this dataset, under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, poses a national security threat,” the letter says, which was also signed by Senators Gary Peters, Debbie Stabenow, and Tammy Baldwin.
Last week, US President Joe Biden proposed banning Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads, which would effectively block Chinese cars and trucks from entering the US market and prohibit new vehicles produced in Mexico by Chinese automakers.
China has rejected US criticism, stating that the American measure “lacks a factual basis, violates the principles of market economy and fair competition, and is a typical protectionist approach.”
The Biden administration is taking steps to prevent the sale of Chinese cars in the United States, with advocacy groups warning about what they consider unfair competition from Chinese electric vehicles, which are heavily subsidised by the state.
This month, Biden raised tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles by 100%, despite only four Chinese light vehicles currently being sold in the United States. In 2022, Congress passed a law to prevent Chinese-made electric vehicles from receiving tax credits.
The lawmakers noted that Chinese automakers have made inroads into the Mexican market, stating that this raises “significant concerns” that they are now attempting to use Mexico as a base to enter the US market.
The letter pointed out that Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD is planning to build a factory in Mexico, which they believe “raises the possibility that Chinese companies may try to bypass these US tariffs with production in Mexico.”
