(Bloomberg) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says electric vehicles made in China are a national security issue as the Biden administration considers additional tariffs on cars from Asian countries and other measures to protect Americans’ personal information. It warned that it posed a serious security risk.
Most Read Articles on Bloomberg
Raimondo said during Tuesday’s Atlantic Council fireside chat that electric and self-driving cars are “gathering a tremendous amount of information about the driver, the location of the vehicle, and the surroundings of the vehicle.” “Do you want to send all that data to Beijing?”
Her comments come as the White House prepares an executive order to prevent foreign adversaries from accessing “highly sensitive” personal data, as Bloomberg News reported last week. It came out. U.S. officials have long warned that China poses a particular threat in this area and that new measures could affect a wide range of industries.
Read more: Biden aims to stop foreign adversaries from exploiting US data
Commerce Department officials said Raimondo’s comments Tuesday were unrelated to that executive order. Rather, they reflect additional technology areas that the Commerce secretary is increasingly focusing on from a national security perspective, said the official, who declined to be identified discussing internal conversations.
Raimondo’s tone underscores the scope of the technology war between the U.S. and China at a time when the U.S. government is increasingly scrutinizing areas from national security and national strategy perspectives that have long raised economic competitiveness concerns. It’s highlighted.
Two prominent examples are electric cars and computing chips. The U.S. government has worked to cut China off from cutting-edge semiconductor technology, but officials are concerned about China’s overcapacity in older generations of chips that are vital to the global economy.
Read more: US eyes tariffs, seeks information on Chinese chipmakers
Raimondo on Tuesday drew clear parallels between the two fields, saying, “You can ask the same question about semiconductors, and a lot of them are made in China.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated the US’ concerns in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday night. “We have also worked hard to ensure that the advanced and sensitive technologies we develop do not create vulnerabilities,” Sullivan said.
Beyond national security, market concerns continue to weigh heavily. The Biden administration has poured billions of dollars into subsidies for domestic production of electric vehicles and semiconductors, and is considering trade tools to help protect the growing manufacturing base.
The White House is currently deciding whether to increase tariffs on certain Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, after years of reviewing tariffs first imposed under President Donald Trump. Vehicles from Chinese automakers such as BYD are expanding into Europe and Latin America, but they have not yet entered the U.S. market because of the U.S.’s 27.5% tariff.
Read more: U.S. considers tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, other goods
On the chip side, the Commerce Department is surveying semiconductor customers, including automakers and big tech companies, to understand how they source less-advanced electronic components with potential tariffs in mind. ing.
–With assistance from Keith Naughton and Michelle Jamrisko.
Most Read Articles on Bloomberg Businessweek
©2024 Bloomberg LP