Global Times recently reported that Japanese media have been covering how Chinese electric vehicles are gaining momentum in Japan, entering the Japanese public transportation and logistics industry with a “crushing price advantage.” They claim that the momentum has the potential to lead to China’s deeply mining Japan’s information. The Japanese people should not be careless. The media urged the Japanese government to respond. At the end of last year, there was a “shocking” news report that four electric buses made by China’s BYD began to operate on the Keihan bus line in Kyoto city. Japan-made electric buses cost JPY 70 million each, while China-made buses cost JPY 19.5 million. BYD plans to sell 4,000 electric buses to Japan by 2030. Japanese media also indicated that electric vehicles made in China are also making their way into the Japanese logistics industry. For example, leading logistics company “Sagawa Express” plans to introduce 7,200 Chinese electric vehicles. And SBS Holdings, the parent company of “same-day delivery,” also plans to replace 2,000 current vehicles with Chinese electric trucks. Even with Japanese government subsidies, Nissan and Mitsubishi’s EVs are priced much higher. Japanese media speculated that the strong momentum of China’s electric vehicles is due to the large subsidies from the Chinese government. They also urge the Japanese government to follow China’s example and introduce laws to prohibit the transfer of EV driving data abroad.
Source: Global Times, January 21, 2022
https://world.huanqiu.com/article/46UdoIgp1Zp