One of the U.S.’s most powerful auto industry lobby groups has written to Congress calling for a ban on Chinese vehicles from America’s roads. In a letter addressed to the leaders of the House of Representatives and Senate, John Bozzella, the president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which brings together the biggest names in the American car sector, appealed for a “permanent ban” to be introduced before the 119th Congress concludes on January 3, 2027. Bozzella argued for an end to “the sale, import and manufacture of Chinese connected vehicles, hardware and software” on the basis that the superpower’s manufacturing industry is “rooted in a well-documented pattern of unfair trade, subsidies, intellectual property theft and surveillance”.
An equivalent bipartisan measure has also been put forward in the House by two Michigan members of Congress, Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell and Republican Rep. John Moolenaar, seeking to protect the interests of Detroit, America’s famed Motor City.
The appeal comes at an awkward moment for U.S.-China relations. President Donald Trump followed up the trade war he started in his first term by escalating tensions significantly in his second by imposing high tariffs on Chinese exports, which reached 157 percent at one stage, causing Beijing to respond aggressively. Trump nevertheless took part in a whirlwind state visit to the Chinese capital in May, where he was warmly welcomed by Premier Xi Jinping, who is due to arrive in Washington later this month for a return leg.
In the interim, the president has risked further alienating China by delivering a primetime televised address from the Oval Office in which he accused the country of attempting to meddle in the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden’s advantage, without providing evidence. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian strongly denied Trump’s allegations, calling them “malicious smears” that have “long been proven to be groundless.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also stoked the rivalry this week by saying that China was the only one of the G20 nations opposed to curbing the stream of inexpensive exports, which, he said, were driving global economic imbalances. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
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