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Rep. Roger Williams warns Chinese-built cars could pose data and espionage risks
Summary
Rep. Roger Williams said Chinese involvement in building vehicles or supplying EV components raises data-security and espionage concerns and argued U.S. industry should not cede market or surveillance capabilities to Chinese firms; he also said U.S. car sales remain "pretty good."
Rep. Roger Williams, a U.S. representative from Texas, told an interviewer that Chinese involvement in the auto industry raises serious privacy and national-security risks, saying, "China is the enemy." He argued the United States need not rely on Chinese firms for vehicle production or components and urged caution about allowing them greater presence in the U.S. market.
Williams cited economic and security concerns, mentioning intellectual-property theft and currency manipulation as part of the problem and invoking his long experience in the auto business as context. "I've been in the business industry 57 years," he said, adding that U.S. manufacturers can compete with any foreign producers.
On specific privacy risks, Williams warned that some automotive equipment could collect location data or remotely disable vehicles. "We've got people wanting to put apparatuses in there that say exactly where you are and shut your engine off," he said, calling that level of access "too personal." He framed the possibility of tracking and remote-control features as a reason not to expand Chinese firms' role in vehicle production.
A questioner asked whether building Chinese vehicles and batteries in the United States — instead of importing finished products — might reduce security risks. The questioner noted that components used in U.S. electric vehicle assembly are sometimes imported and referenced a BYD electric bus plant in California as an example of domestic production tied to a Chinese company. Williams responded that allowing Chinese firms to operate in the U.S. remains "wrong" in his view and reiterated concerns that Chinese-built vehicles could "follow customers" and learn people’s movements.
Asked about the state of car sales amid gasoline price fluctuations, Williams said sales were "pretty good," citing steady showroom traffic, consumers having money from recent tax relief and healthy inventories. "People have money in their pocket... So the car business is not great, but it's... we and inventories are good," he said.
The interview closed after the moderator thanked Williams. No formal policy proposal or legislative action was reported during the segment; the remarks were presented as the congressman's views during the interview.
