Warnings from the US about the potential threat posed by Chinese EVs helped prompt the UK to effectively ban Chinese vehicles from Ministry of Defence sites.
A defence industry source suggested that the UK had not followed the US lead in banning Chinese-made EVs due to a lack of ability to develop its own mass-manufacturing industry.
In March 2024, then-Conservative ministers in the Department of Transport received information that the US was planning to ban the import of Chinese-made EVs over national security concerns.
The warning, which came from the US Department of Commerce but included input from Washington’s National Security Agency, claims that China “likely represents the broadest, most active, and persistent cyber espionage threat to US Government and private-sector networks”.
The document even suggested that remote access to vehicles from Beijing could threaten lives of US citzens.
The document also pointed to China’s National Intelligence Law, under which homegrown companies are required to cooperate with state intelligence work upon request, meaning sensitive data from overseas nations could be handed over to spies in Beijing.
More than 200 automakers operating in China are, the document said, “legally obligated to transmit real-time vehicle data, including geolocation information, to government monitoring centres”.
In January this year, the outgoing Biden administration implemented a law to ban all Chinese-made EVs from the US by the beginning of 2027. There has been no indication from President Donald Trump that he will overturn the move.
The UK’s leading defence firms are advising also staff not to connect their mobile phones to Chinese-made EVs over fears that Beijing could steal sensitive national security data.
A spokesman for the UK government said: “We continue to actively monitors threats and work with allies like the USA to further understand the risks in this area.”
After just two years in the UK market BYD holds the same 1.8 per cent of the UK car sales market at Elon Musk’s Telsa, which has been operating here for 12 years.
Rising popularity of Chinese EVs
Chinese EV brand BYD has become popular in the UK (Photo by Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images)The government spokesman added: “We will never compromise our national security and are continuing to strengthen our infrastructure and supply chain resilience to protect UK economic security.”
The government has strenuously denied claims that the trade deal allows the US a veto on any potential Chinese investment into the UK.
The White House was asked for comment.
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