U.S. Military Bans Entry of Chinese BYD Electric Vehicles at Okinawa Base

The United States has decided to prohibit the entry of vehicles from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD at a key U.S. military base in Japan. This move expands existing regulations aimed at protecting military secrets, which have already targeted Chinese IT and communication devices.

According to U.S. military officials on October 23, the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa will block the entry of BYD vehicles starting on the 26th. This ban applies to all BYD vehicles, including personal cars, contractor vehicles, taxis, delivery trucks, and commercial vehicles. The 18th Security Forces Squadron plans to turn away any such vehicles at the base entrance.

Kadena Air Base is the largest overseas U.S. Air Force installation, housing systems like the Tomahawk cruise missile-equipped 'Typhon,' and is a critical area for security in East Asia.

The U.S. government's stringent measures stem from concerns that cameras, advanced sensors, and software-defined vehicle systems in electric cars could be misused as sophisticated information-gathering devices. The intention is to preemptively prevent the potential leakage of sensitive military asset information, such as fighter jets, transport aircraft, radar, and ammunition storage, through real-time cloud transmission or remote control.

Previously, in June, the U.S. Department of Defense officially listed BYD among Chinese military companies.

There is a significant possibility that this measure could extend to other U.S. military installations in East Asia, including bases in South Korea. Since 2018, the U.S. has already banned the use of Chinese smartphones and communication equipment from companies like Huawei and ZTE at military bases worldwide. The prohibition of BYD vehicles is seen as a step to further extend military security controls to vehicles.

Meanwhile, the overseas expansion of Chinese vehicles has been notably increasing. In the first half of this year, the number of new registrations for Chinese vehicles, including those produced at Tesla's factory in China, reached 79,444 in South Korea's imported car market, surpassing Germany to become the top importing country, indicating a rapid rise in market penetration.