By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) – Two members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday will introduce legislation to toughen a U.S. government ban on Chinese automakers from entering the American market just before President Donald Trump heads to China for talks.
The legislation would codify a regulation imposed by the Biden administration that effectively bans all Chinese automakers from selling passenger vehicles in the U.S. and take other steps to prevent China from entering the U.S. light-duty market.
Representatives John Moolenaar, a Republican, and Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, are introducing the legislation after a version was introduced in the Senate last month by Republican Bernie Moreno and Democrat Elissa Slotkin.
The legislation would ban vehicles designed in China if they had advanced connectivity as well as vehicle software.
The Biden administration imposed sweeping regulations that effectively ban Chinese automakers from selling passenger vehicles in the United States in January 2025, citing national security concerns linked to the ability of vehicles to collect sensitive data on American owners.
In March, auto trade groups representing nearly all major car companies — including the Detroit Three, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Toyota , parts manufacturers, auto dealers and others urged the U.S. government to keep out Chinese carmakers, citing “serious concerns about China’s ongoing efforts to dominate global automotive manufacturing and to gain access to the U.S. market.”
They added China poses “a direct threat to America’s global competitiveness, national security, and automotive industrial base.”
Chinese autos also face high tariffs, but U.S. consumers have become more interested in the vehicles, recent surveys show.
In January, Trump said he was open to Chinese automakers building vehicles in the United States.
In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in Washington urged the United States to “stop overstretching the concept of national security, cease discriminatory and exclusionary measures and provide a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory business environment.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter and Alistair Bell)
