The Detroit News recently reported that Canada is rolling out the welcome mat for Chinese-made vehicles just as U.S. automakers pull back investments and face growing global pressure. This shift should set off alarm bells here in Michigan, where our economy, workforce and identity are tied to the auto industry.
Earlier in the legislative session, House Bill 4400 was introduced to prohibit the sale of vehicles in Michigan that are designed, developed or manufactured by foreign entities of concern, including those controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. At the time, the threat was already clear. Now, it’s accelerating.
The Chinese Communist government has made no secret of its strategy: heavily subsidize domestic automakers, flood global markets with artificially cheap vehicles and use economic dependence as leverage. It’s state-directed industrial warfare, and Michigan stands directly in the line of fire.
When Canada embraces Chinese vehicles, it doesn’t just undercut American and Michigan-based manufacturers — it creates a backdoor risk for the entire North American market. Michigan cannot assume that decisions made in Ottawa or Beijing will stop at the border. Our state could become the next testing ground for hostile foreign technology embedded in the products we drive each day and park right outside our homes.
Modern cars are more than just transport vehicles. They are sophisticated data-collecting machines capable of tracking location, capturing images and transmitting information back to servers subject to foreign control. Our concerns should extend far beyond economics. This is about privacy, critical infrastructure security and public safety.
This legislation is a proactive, state-level safeguard to protect Michigan workers, consumers and businesses. It sends a clear message that while Michigan welcomes innovation and competition, we will not allow hostile foreign governments to exploit our market, hollow out our auto industry or compromise our security. Our auto workers and their families deserve leaders who will stand up for them before the damage is done, not after factories close and investments disappear.
Michigan has led the world in mobility for more than a century. We should not surrender that leadership or our sovereignty. The stakes are too high, and the warning signs are already here.
It’s not hypothetical. It’s reality. The Chinese Communist Party has sent surveillance balloons over our U.S. airspace, exploited academic research partnerships and tested vulnerabilities in our elections, as evidenced by non-citizen voting by a Chinese student at the University of Michigan. Other Chinese national students were found photographing sensitive military sites at Camp Grayling. We can’t ignore how economic leverage fits into that pattern.
Michigan is the flashpoint for soft power influence and potential espionage, demonstrated by the efforts of battery manufacturers CATL and Gotion to establish operations in our state. Their ties to China demand heightened scrutiny as the Chinese Communist Party expands its strategic and economic reach inside the United States. That is why we established the Michigan Legislature Working Group for National Security ― to reaffirm oversight over foreign influence and interests and to provide for the common defense of our state and nation.
The auto industry is the backbone of Michigan’s economy and a pillar of American industrial strength. If we care about our future, Michigan should stand with domestic auto manufacturing and the workers who built this state.
Reps. Luke Meerman, R-Coopersville, and William Bruck, R-Erie, represent Michigan’s 30th and 89th House Districts.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Opinion: Michigan should block Chinese-made vehicles
Reporting by Luke Meerman and William Bruck / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
