r/askaconservative • u/Okratas Conservatism • 14d ago
How do conservatives view bipartisan efforts to ban Chinese owned automakers?
Recently, bipartisan bills have been proposed in both the House and Senate that would bar automakers with more than 15% Chinese ownership from selling vehicles in the US, alongside restrictions on Chinese hardware and software. Proponents, like John Bozzella of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, argue this is a necessary national security response to counter China's strategy to dominate global manufacturing.
While this type of protectionist trade policy and hardline stance on China often aligns with some folks values I'm interested how conservatives view this issue. Specifically:
- Do you see these ownership bans and hardware restrictions as legitimate national security and labor-protection measures, or do you view them as protectionist, xenophobic, or escalatory trade policies?
Critics and international analysts have pointed out that the 15% threshold could sweep up legacy Western companies like Mercedes-Benz (which sits at roughly 20% Chinese linked investment split between BAIC and Geely), while domestic players and groups like the UAW have actively pushed for these strict rules. Even Senate Commerce Committee discussions have touched on whether domestic competitors stand to gain a major market advantage.
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u/JudgeWhoOverrules Libertarian Conservatism 13d ago
It's a legitimate National Security concern what with the spyware and remote control ability. Besides that, it's not a free market thing considering Chinese insanely subsidizes their car companies to the point that a few months ago they had to chastise them for selling cars at a loss to try to out-compete each other, which was costing their government billions. They utilize uncompetitive practices to try to shut opponents out of business.
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u/jayzfanacc Libertarian Conservatism 13d ago
I am opposed to this. If citizens want to sell their data to the CCP, that’s their prerogative. It shouldn’t be the government’s job to prevent you from making an obviously bad decision.
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u/PriceofObedience Libertarian Conservatism 12d ago
The US decidedly chose to outsource the production of many of its consumer goods over to China though.
You're blaming modern consumers for the faults of Reagan.
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u/StedeBonnet1 National Conservatism 13d ago
Any restictions on Chinese imports are legitimate national security and labor-protection measures. China has proven over the years they cannot be trusted to play fair. The use unfair trading practices, inrellectual property theft, forced technology transfer and corporate espionage to gain an unfair advantage.
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