10 saat önce

US bans smart cars with Chinese, Russian technology

The rule follows an announcement this month that Washington is mulling new restrictions to address risks posed by tech from adversaries like China and Russia.

AP

The final rule currently applies just to passenger vehicles under 10,001 pounds. / Photo: AP

The United States has finalised a rule effectively barring Chinese and Russian technology from cars in the American market, taking aim at software and hardware from the world's second-biggest economy over national security risks.

The announcement on Tuesday, which also pertains to Russian technology, comes as outgoing President Joe Biden wraps up efforts to step up curbs on China, after a months-long regulatory process.

"Cars today aren't just steel on wheels they're computers," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

She noted that modern vehicles contain cameras, microphones, GPS tracking and other technologies connected to the internet.

"This is a targeted approach to ensure we keep the People's Republic of China and Russian-manufactured technologies off American roads," she added, referring to the

The final rule currently applies just to passenger vehicles under 10,001 pounds, said the US Commerce Department.

It plans, however, to issue separate rulemaking aimed at tech in commercial vehicles like trucks and buses "in the near future."

As Trump 2.0 targets China, 2025 could spiral into a new Cold War

'A sufficient nexus'

Under the latest rule, even if a passenger car were US-made, manufacturers with "a sufficient nexus" to China or Russia would not be allowed to sell such new vehicles incorporating hardware and software for external connectivity and autonomous driving.

This prohibition on sales takes effect for model year 2027.

The restriction also bans the import of the hardware and software if they are linked to Beijing or Moscow.

The software curbs take effect for model year 2027 while the hardware controls come into play for model year 2030.

On Tuesday, Biden issued an executive order to accelerate the pace at which infrastructure for artificial intelligence development can be built in the country.

But the US actions could attract Beijing's retaliation, with the Chinese Commerce Ministry already calling Monday's AI-related export curbs "a flagrant violation" of international trade rules.

"China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," the ministry said.