US Bill to bar China-linked cars gains support

Washington: A bipartisan proposal to bar China-linked connected vehicles and their technology from the United States has gained more than 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, a congressional committee has said, ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Connected Vehicle Security Act would prohibit the importation, manufacture and sale of connected vehicles, software and hardware linked to China. Republican Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, leads the bill with Democratic Representative Debbie Dingell.

The committee announced the new co-sponsor count as lawmakers pressed Trump to address a range of trade and security concerns in his talks with Xi. The figure marks growing support for the proposal in the House. It does not mean the bill has passed either chamber.

“My bipartisan legislation protects the American people and secures the future of American manufacturing,” Moolenaar said in the committee’s release on Wednesday (local time).

He argued that allowing the vehicles into the US market could harm domestic manufacturers, cost jobs and create risks for infrastructure. Those are Moolenaar’s stated concerns. The supplied release does not provide evidence of a particular security breach involving a connected vehicle, or a response from China.

The proposal covers more than completed cars. By including software and hardware, it seeks to address China-linked technology used in connected vehicles as well as the vehicles themselves. The committee described the measure as a prohibition on importation, manufacture and sale, though its release did not set out how the ban would be enforced or when it would take effect if enacted.

Moolenaar also framed the bill as an economic measure. He said a large Chinese presence in the vehicle market could weaken US companies and leave the country more dependent on China. Dingell’s role as a co-lead gives the House proposal sponsors from both parties.

A Senate version, led by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, has 46 bipartisan co-sponsors, according to the committee. It passed the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously in July. A committee vote advances a bill but does not make it law; it would still need further congressional action.

The two co-sponsor figures provide a measure of support in each chamber. They do not establish that either chamber has scheduled a final vote. The committee’s Wednesday release announced the House milestone but gave no timetable for passage.

The legislation is one of several China-related demands emerging from Congress before the Trump-Xi meeting. On Wednesday, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for tighter restrictions on China’s access to advanced American AI chips and chipmaking equipment. Other lawmakers pressed for talks on AI safety and for firmer Chinese commitments to buy US agricultural products.

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