Beijing protests US ban on Chinese auto technology

AFP news agency quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun as emphasizing that Washington's concerns about national security risks were "groundless".

“Such actions that hinder economic and trade cooperation between enterprises... represent typical protectionism and economic coercion,” Guo Jiakun said, stressing that “China firmly opposes this.”

Earlier on January 14, Washington issued new regulations to ban Chinese and Russian technology from entering the US auto market. The restriction also prohibits the import of software and hardware if they are related to Beijing or Moscow.

The rule comes after Washington said this month it was considering new restrictions to address risks posed by drones from rivals such as Russia and China.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said modern vehicles contain many technologies such as cameras, microphones, GPS navigation systems, and many other gadgets connected to the Internet, making them not simply blocks of steel running on engines, but also computers.

Explaining the new regulation, Ms. Raimondo said Washington's goal is to ensure that technologies produced in rival countries do not enter the country.

In response, Mr. Guo Jiakun affirmed that China will take “necessary measures” to protect its legitimate rights and interests.

“What I want to say is that the US has cited national security reasons to restrict the use of Chinese software, hardware and all connected vehicles in the US without any factual basis,” Guo Jiakun said at a press conference.

Therefore, spokesman Guo Jiakun called on the US to end the above actions and “stop unreasonable suppression” of its companies.