The U.S. Commerce Department ridiculously moved, following Israel’s September use of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies to injure or kill Hezbollah members and other Lebanese and Palestinians, to ban IT-related auto parts from China and Russia on the grounds that they will endanger Americans on the road.
The department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published a proposed rule to ban the sale or import of “connected vehicles integrating specific pieces of hardware and software, or those components sold separately, with a sufficient nexus to the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) or Russia.” While very few vehicles made in China (still less, Russia) are or have been sold in the United States, the Biden Administration had already further raised Trump Administration tariffs against them, and now is proposing an outright ban—in violation even of WTO rules.
The Sept. 23 release from Commerce Secretary and China hawk Gina Raimondo’s offices further claims that “BIS and its Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) have found that certain technologies originating from the PRC or Russia present an undue risk to both U.S. critical infrastructure, and those who use connected vehicles. Today’s action is a proactive measure designed to protect our national security and the safety of U.S. drivers.”
Israel’s use of the pagers to kill and maim in another country is clearly going to question the safety of so-called industrial supply chains worldwide.
