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US: During a high-stakes Congressional hearing that portrayed China’s burgeoning auto industry as a threat to both national security and the economy, lawmakers and experts warned that Chinese-made cars could turn into “computers on wheels” capable of spying on Americans, disrupting transportation networks, and hollowing out the US auto industry.

House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar opened a hearing titled “Trojan Horse: China’s Auto Threat to America,” claiming that Beijing’s ascent to become the world’s largest auto exporter was “a political project of the CCP,” based on massive subsidies, supply chain control, and predatory practices that US and allied firms “cannot match,” rather than a market success. He cautioned that contemporary cars equipped with sensors, cameras, microphones, and networking devices can serve as “potential spy platforms with a kill switch inside.”

Moolenaar warned that Chinese-built technologies may enable Beijing to siphon off vital data or even deactivate fleets during a crisis, obstructing highways or interfering with logistics. “Modern vehicles are digital eyes and ears on wheels,” he added.

Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi said that China has dominated the car industry by using a well-known strategy of forced joint ventures, intellectual property theft, overproduction, and dumping. He pointed out that while Chinese electric cars were sometimes priced “below what it would even cost to make a car,” China’s auto exports increased by more than 300 percent between 2021 and 2024.

According to Krishnamoorthi, “EVs are the future,” with 60% of new cars sold worldwide expected to be electric by 2040. “The current question is: in 15 years, who will control the EV market?”

According to Elaine Dezenski, a former US homeland security official and senior director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, China is dumping automobiles on international markets through “massive overcapacity” that is state-driven, leading to industrial dumping that “wipes out competitors and tilts the playing field before cars even reach the showroom.”

Dezenski described tactics such as forced technology transfer, price manipulation, coerced labor, and intentional market domination, saying, “This is not normal industrial production or competition.” She cautioned that the foundation of US car production, small and medium-sized suppliers, were particularly at risk.

Former British ambassador and China specialist Charles Parton referred to cellular modules as “the gateway” to contemporary automobiles and other vital infrastructure, characterizing vehicle connection systems as an immediate security threat. Approximately 70% of these modules are now supplied by China worldwide, he added.

Why would China and America fight? Why don’t we just turn you off? Parton questioned, cautioning that large data streams may be collected for surveillance purposes and that malware introduced via software upgrades could disrupt pipelines, payment systems, cranes, or automobiles.

According to Peter Ludwig, co-founder of the automotive software company Applied Intuition, long-term industrial strategy, state subsidies, and supply chain dominance have led Chinese manufacturers to produce sophisticated automobiles that are on par with Western models in terms of quality but are offered for as low as $10,000.

Ludwig said that “unwinding that dependence will be slow, costly, and politically difficult once such systems are widely deployed.” He added that “Chinese vehicles pose the same kinds of risks in the physical world that TikTok represents in the digital world.”

Witnesses were questioned by a number of congressmen about whether the US should exclude Chinese automakers and important suppliers from entering the US market. Ludwig gave a resounding “yes,” stating that although the limitations were in line with the Commerce Department’s connected car regulations, they nevertheless needed to be reinforced.

Concerns over forced labor in China’s auto supply networks and the possibility that Chinese companies may utilize Mexico as a backdoor to the US market via investment and transshipment were also brought up during the hearing.

China’s car drive coincides with wider economic, national security, and technology-related issues between Beijing and Washington. US authorities have increasingly drawn comparisons between the dangers of Chinese automobiles and parts and past reliance on Huawei telecom equipment, which eventually necessitated expensive “rip and replace” operations.

As New Delhi balances its own aspirations in electric mobility and manufacturing with worries about Chinese dominance in batteries, crucial minerals, and automotive components—sectors essential to both economic development and strategic autonomy—this congressional discussion is worth monitoring for India.