On Tuesday, a group of U.S. Congress members publicly sent a letter to Mexico’s newly inaugurated female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, urging her to address the national security concerns posed by Chinese automakers producing connected cars in Mexico. These automakers are believed to have close ties with the Chinese Communist Party.
Led by federal Representative Elissa Slotkin (Democrat from Michigan) and Senator Sherrod Brown (Democrat from Ohio), a total of 21 bipartisan lawmakers signed the joint letter.
The lawmakers called on Sheinbaum to review companies related to the Chinese Communist Party and enact legislation; establish a national review commission to address the risks posed by Chinese vehicles to Mexico, the Americas, and North American countries; and dispatch a delegation to the United States before early 2025 to discuss how to collaboratively tackle these risks.
The public letter was issued on the day Mexico’s first female president was sworn into office.
The letter highlighted how nearly every new car today is a connected car equipped with complex sensors, computers, and the ability to transmit and receive data remotely. While these technologies support critical safety and convenience features, they also collect, process, and transmit vast amounts of data with potential intelligence value that could be exploited by adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party.
The Chinese government provides significant subsidies to Chinese automakers, allowing them to gain market share in foreign markets at competitive prices. Lawmakers noted that the U.S. has taken steps to address China’s unfair trade practices but expressed concerns that China may use its presence in Mexico to circumvent these measures and enter the U.S. market.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration imposed a 100% tariff on electric vehicles manufactured in China. The public letter indicated that “Chinese companies, including automaker BYD, have announced plans to establish factories in Mexico, raising the possibility of Chinese companies attempting to avoid these tariffs by producing in Mexico.”
Last week, the Biden administration proposed a ban on using Chinese-produced software and hardware in connected vehicles on U.S. roads for national security reasons, effectively blocking Chinese automobiles from entering the U.S. market.
These bans will also prevent Chinese automakers from testing autonomous vehicles on U.S. roads and extend to software and hardware produced by other foreign adversaries, including Russia.
Both U.S. political parties share a common stance on addressing the Chinese Communist Party’s activities and policies.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Trump reiterated last Tuesday that if elected, he would impose a 100% tariff on “every car entering the U.S. through the Mexican border,” targeting Chinese automakers trying to evade sanctions.