Republican senator proposes to widen US ban on Chinese autos

Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said on Tuesday he will introduce legislation next month to toughen a U.S. government ban on Chinese automakers from entering the American market, and encouraged other countries to follow suit.



The Biden administration imposed a sweeping regulation that effectively bans all Chinese automakers from selling passenger vehicles in the United States in January 2025, citing national security concerns about the ability of vehicles to collect sensitive data on American owners.



The ban has the strong backing of U.S. carmakers and other auto groups. Earlier this month, major auto trade groups urged the U.S. government to keep Chinese carmakers out of the country, according to a letter seen by Reuters, ahead of President Donald Trump's planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May.



Senator Moreno said his proposed legislation would go further than the ban on imports, and would seal off the U.S. so "there's never a scenario where a Chinese automobile will enter our market, that's hardware, that's software, that's partnerships."