Bipartisan Bill to Block Chinese EVs Is A Step Toward Protecting US Auto Industry, Says ITIF

Bipartisan Bill to Block Chinese EVs Is A Step Toward Protecting US Auto Industry, Says ITIF

WASHINGTON-Following Representatives Molenaar and Dingell's announced plan to introduce bipartisan legislation banning Chinese EVs from American roads, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the leading think tank for science and technology policy, released the following statement from Stephen Ezell, vice president of global innovation policy and director of the Center for Life Sciences Innovation.

Chinese automakers are not normal market competitors. They are the product of decades of state-backed mercantilism designed to help China capture global leadership in advanced industries. Meanwhile, the U.S. auto sector is one of America's most important economic engines, anchoring millions of jobs, deep supplier networks, tens of billions of dollars in R&D, and critical dual-use manufacturing capabilities.

At the same time, this is also a national security issue. Modern vehicles are increasingly connected, software-defined platforms that collect sensitive data and interact with critical infrastructure. There is no reason to invite Chinese-controlled vehicles or connected vehicle systems onto American roads while Beijing continues to weaponize industrial policy against U.S. firms, workers, and technologies.

Congress is right to act before Chinese automakers gain a foothold in the U.S. market. The damage would not be limited to Detroit. It would ripple across the broader industrial base, weakening America's manufacturing capacity, innovation ecosystem, and strategic resilience. Once China's subsidized firms are embedded in the U.S. market, the economic and national security damage will be far harder to reverse. The goal should be clear: keep Chinese vehicles out while we whether they are imported or manufactured here, build a stronger, more innovative, and more globally competitive American auto industry.

Contact: Austin Slater, [email protected]