WASHINGTON – The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday called on President Joe Biden to block Chinese-made vehicles from the U.S. auto market. This was the strongest call yet by a U.S. lawmaker for action against China’s automakers.
“I implore you to take bold, aggressive action and permanently ban electric vehicles manufactured by Chinese companies or other subsidiaries they create to disguise their origins,” Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, wrote on Thursday to Biden and called for “swift” action. “Chinese electric vehicles are an existential threat to the American auto industry.”
The White House did not immediately comment Thursday.
In March, Biden said that China’s policies “could flood our market with their vehicles, posing a risk to our national security” and that he “would not let that happen while I’m on guard.”
Brown’s comments supporting a permanent ban on Chinese electric vehicles from the U.S. market are the strongest ever made by a U.S. lawmaker on the issue. Others have called for high tariffs to keep electric vehicles out of the US.
Last month, Brown and Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan – all from auto-producing states – called on Biden to dramatically increase import tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles to address national security risks. Lawmakers and advocates have also raised concerns that Chinese automakers could build low-cost vehicles in Mexico to qualify for U.S. electric vehicle tax credits.
Auto industry representatives said so Reuters In February, Biden announced he was considering raising tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, and the letter is the latest expression of growing pressure on the White House to take further steps to prevent Chinese vehicle imports.
In March, the Commerce Department launched an investigation into whether Chinese vehicle imports pose a risk to national security and could impose restrictions amid concerns that “connected” vehicle technology could put Americans’ data at risk.
“We are moving as quickly as possible to identify the risks and take any actions that we believe pose national security concerns,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Reuters Last month. “If China is subsidizing vehicles in a way that disadvantages American workers, we must do something about it.”
Two Republican senators have also proposed legislation aimed at increasing tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles, even though relatively few Chinese vehicles are imported into the United States.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington had no immediate comment Thursday, but previously rejected calls for an increase in tariffs, saying China’s automobile exports “reflect the high-quality development and strong innovation of China’s manufacturing industry.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in November called on U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to increase tariffs on Chinese vehicles.
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