The Albanese authorities says it’s intently watching a transfer by the US to ban using Chinese language software program and {hardware} in sensible automobiles attributable to nationwide safety considerations.
The US Commerce Division is anticipated to announce the proposed ban on Monday (US time), citing considerations concerning the potential for Chinese language firms to entry and monitor the information of American drivers, and probably manipulate their automobiles by way of the automobiles’ communications techniques and automatic driving software program.
The Division of Residence Affairs stated it had been intently monitoring the US developments on the matter, saying in a press release it “has been proactively partaking with the US Authorities to know the implications of any proposed regulation”. Nevertheless, the division didn’t elaborate on whether or not the Australian authorities would take into account taking related steps.
The US resolution follows a months-long investigation by the division, ordered by President Joe Biden, and warnings from Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo concerning the dangers of Chinese language-made connected-car expertise, together with that information may very well be shared with Beijing and used to disable automobiles remotely.
“You’ll be able to think about essentially the most catastrophic consequence theoretically for those who had a pair million automobiles on the street and the software program had been disabled,” Raimondo stated in Might.
It additionally represents a significant escalation of the US’s crackdown on China’s booming auto business, after the Biden administration slapped 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese language-imported EVs in Might. However whereas that call was a commerce protectionist coverage designed to defend American automotive producers from an inflow of low cost Chinese language options, this proposed ban is grounded in nationwide safety considerations about nefarious interference by international state actors.
The ban is anticipated to increase to Russian-made automotive expertise the place the identical considerations apply.
Opposition residence affairs spokesman James Paterson stated the Albanese authorities wanted to stipulate the steps they had been taking to deal with the dangers.
“It’s onerous to see how it’s in our nationwide curiosity for firms headquartered in an authoritarian state to turn out to be the dominant provider of automobiles in Australia and retain entry to the big quantities of knowledge they gather,” Paterson stated.