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By David Shepardson<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) – Major auto trade groups urged the Trump administration to keep Chinese carmakers out of the U.S., \u200craising concerns ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Chinese \u200cPresident Xi Jinping, according to a letter seen by Reuters.<\/p>\n
The groups raised “serious concerns about China\u2019s ongoing efforts \u200bto dominate global automotive manufacturing and to gain access to the U.S. market. These actions pose a direct threat to America\u2019s global competitiveness, national security, and automotive industrial base.”<\/p>\n
A 2025 U.S. Commerce Department cybersecurity regulation effectively keeps nearly all \u200cChinese vehicles out of \u2060the U.S. market and the five groups representing automakers, car dealers and parts manufacturers said it should be maintained.<\/p>\n
The Chinese \u2060Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.<\/p>\n
“We also strongly urge the Administration to reject any attempt by Chinese manufacturers to circumvent these existing restrictions by establishing production \u200bfacilities \u200bin the U.S.,” said the letter dated \u200bThursday from the Alliance for \u200cAutomotive Innovation, National Automobile Dealers Association, American Automotive Policy Council and other groups. “The market distortions and risks to the auto industry in the U.S. are fundamentally the same whether these vehicles are imported or produced domestically.”<\/p>\n
In January, Trump said he was open to Chinese automakers building vehicles in the United \u200cStates. “If they want to come in and \u200bbuild a plant and hire you and hire \u200byour friends and your neighbors, \u200bthat\u2019s great, I love that,\u201d he told the Detroit Economic \u200cClub.<\/p>\n
In December, the Alliance for Automotive \u200bInnovation, which represents \u200bGeneral Motors, Ford, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Stellantis and other major automakers said “China poses a clear and present threat to the auto industry \u200bin the U.S” and \u200curged Washington to prevent Chinese government-backed automakers and battery manufacturers from \u200bopening U.S. manufacturing plants.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by David Shepardson and Parth Chandna; Editing \u200bby Alan Barona and Anna Driver)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n