A group of four US lawmakers has raised significant concerns about Chinese companies conducting tests of advanced self-driving vehicles within the United States. In a joint letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo, Congress members Tim Walbert, Debbie Dingell, Robert E. Latta, and Marc Veasey emphasized the potential risks associated with allowing Chinese firms to test their autonomous systems on American soil.
The letter highlights the risk of the United States “ceding a serious strategic advantage” by permitting Chinese companies to continue their self-driving vehicle testing within the country. While the Chinese government has imposed restrictions on US companies testing autonomous systems in China and has even limited where Tesla vehicles can operate with their semi-autonomous features, several Chinese firms are currently operating autonomous vehicle tests in the US.
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The Detroit Bureau reported that there are seven Chinese companies conducting such tests in the United States, which has prompted growing concerns among the lawmakers. They fear that the technology utilized in autonomous vehicles, including LiDAR, RADAR, cameras, AI, and advanced sensors and semiconductors, could be used to gather data on American citizens and infrastructure. This data could potentially be shared back to China, and more specifically, to the Chinese Communist Party.
In their letter, the Congress members emphasized the massive amount of data that self-driving cars can collect, providing the Chinese Communist Party with an unprecedented vantage point into the United States. Drawing attention to China’s history of utilizing big-data analytics to identify dissidents within its borders, the lawmakers expressed apprehension that similar tactics might be deployed in the US and abroad.
The letter referenced a Bloomberg article from April, which revealed that China’s self-driving industry had surpassed regulatory guidelines set by Beijing. Furthermore, Chinese companies, namely ByteDyance, Haomo Zhixing, and Great Wall Motor, recently established the country’s largest computing center for autonomous-driving infrastructure, indicating China’s dedication to leading the autonomous vehicle market.
The lawmakers stressed the importance of prioritizing American leadership in autonomous vehicle technology, cautioning against granting competitive advantages to an adversarial nation that does not share the same values and commitment to freedom. The potential implications of allowing Chinese companies to conduct self-driving vehicle tests in the US are far-reaching, making it crucial for the country to maintain its strategic edge in this critical technological field.
