Proposed US ban on Chinese car tech a major move towards decoupling

It is a significant escalation in trade, tech war between both countries

- Lim Min Zhang

A proposed US ban on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) represents yet another move towards the decoupling of the two superpowers based on national security concerns.

The Biden administration on Sept 23 announced sweeping new rules targeting imported cars with components from "foreign adversaries" - China and Russia were named - effectively banning Chinese EVs from US roads from 2026.

The US fears that the vast amount of sensitive and personal data collected on Americans by modern cars - with their Bluetooth connectivity, satellite modules and driverless systems - could be sent to Beijing. Worse, such vehicles can be hacked and shut down.

Analysts said the move is a significant escalation in the trade and technology war between the US and China. Both countries have sought to stabilise ties without resolving underlying differences.

Professor Zhu Zhiqun from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, an expert on Chinese politics and foreign policy, said it was notable that the US Commerce Department called China a "foreign adversary" when making this announcement.

He noted that this announcement followed the Congress' "China Week", when 25 Bills targeting China were passed, as well as the Quad summit US President Joe Biden hosted in his home town of Delaware that was aimed at curbing China's "aggressiveness".

"The US-China conflict has become more difficult to manage," Prof Zhu said.

Associate Professor Marina Zhang from the University of Technology Sydney, an expert on technology and geopolitics, said the latest move is part of the broader technological decoupling between the US and China that will further fragment global supply chains.