Michigan Democrats have introduced legislation to block Chinese electric vehicles from crossing the U.S.-Canada border, a move trade watchers are calling a solution in search of a problem. The proposed Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act targets vehicles entering through Canada and Mexico, following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s deal allowing 49,000 Chinese EVs into Canada.
Bill Targets Chinese Connected Vehicles
Senator Elissa Slotkin and Congresswoman Haley Stevens unveiled the bill, which aims to prevent Chinese vehicles from entering the U.S. Slotkin described the vehicles as “surveillance packages on wheels,” citing economic and national security concerns. The bill builds on her earlier Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 and would ban fully finished Chinese cars from crossing the border, even temporarily.
Trade Experts Question the Rationale
Inu Manak, senior fellow for international trade at the Council on Foreign Relations, dismissed the move as political posturing. “There are no Chinese vehicles entering through Canada or Mexico. It’s a fake problem that doesn’t exist,” she said, noting no data was presented to justify the ban. Opher Baron, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, agreed, calling it a populist gesture to win votes in Michigan’s auto industry.
The bill targets automakers with more than 15% Chinese ownership, potentially affecting brands like Lotus, Volvo, and Polestar, which are partly owned by China’s Geely. However, critics argue that Chinese technology is already ubiquitous, making the ban misaligned with real threats.
