Amidst recent concerns within the U.S. and other Western countries over security threats posed by Chinese electric cars, cranes, 5G equipment, and apps (e.g. TikTok), the official Chinese state news agency Xinhua has published commentaries saying that such concerns are “nothing but baseless excuses to suppress China.”
Xinhua published an article titled “The American Political Spectacle: No More Pretending! Spilling the Beans! American Politicians Have Been Speaking Blunt Truths Recently.” The article said: “Not long ago, Raimondo (U.S. Commerce Secretary) inadvertently revealed a ‘shocking secret’ during a televised interview. She attacked Chinese-made smart cars (EV), claiming they can ‘constantly collect data’ and send it back to China, ‘like iPhones on wheels.’ Something about this statement doesn’t seem right. Netizens exclaimed, ‘It is confirmed that Apple phones monitor the world!’”
Another article titled “Abusing ‘National Security’ Is a Poison to Global Development and Security” hinted that China may retaliate by restricting U.S. products within China over “security concerns”: “When some countries label Chinese products and equipment as ‘unsafe,’ they seem to forget that Chinese people may also worry about whether such countries’ own equipment poses a threat to Chinese national security. Tesla, an American company, is all over the streets of China; is it also collecting sensitive data in China? With over a hundred million users in China, can Apple’s iPhones unknowingly transmit Chinese users’ data back to the U.S.? U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo claimed that ‘Beijing can shut down three million Chinese cars driving on American roads simultaneously.’ Shouldn’t China also worry that Washington could simultaneously shut down millions of Apple phones owned by Chinese users? If these devices are deemed unsafe, does it imply that China also needs to take equivalent precautionary measures, ultimately leading to mutual decoupling, with each [party] seeking self-preservation?”
Sources:
1. Xinhua, March 18, 2024
https://app.xinhuanet.com/news/article.html?articleId=aa7f401b5cd60612370be7ecb7aff923
2. Xinhua, March 16, 2024
https://app.xinhuanet.com/news/article.html?articleId=86aa9d6962ef2cb9fac651da50511c1d