U.S. President Donald Trump said he was ready to allow Chinese automakers to open plants in the United States, provided that they hire American workers. The statement came several weeks before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Washington, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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In an interview with Fox News, Trump at the same time assured that he was not going to open the U.S. market to imports of finished Chinese cars.
If China wanted to come here and open a plant here to manufacture its cars, I would agree — Japan does that — but they hire our people
According to him, he does not want Chinese companies to manufacture cheap cars in Mexico and then transport them across the U.S. border.
Chinese cars are effectively closed out of the U.S. for now
Currently, access for Chinese cars to the U.S. market is severely restricted by high tariffs and bans on national security grounds. At the same time, Chinese manufacturers, including BYD and Geely, are rapidly increasing their share of the global electric vehicle market.
China and US exchange sanctions ahead of the Xi-Trump summit - CNN07.08.26, 11:47
Trump’s comments came ahead of the planned summit with Xi Jinping in Washington. At the same time, back in January, the U.S. president had allowed for Chinese automakers to enter the country provided that they localize production.
Amid the possible rapprochement, U.S. lawmakers and automakers fear intensified Chinese competition. Trump himself denies that he plans to allow the direct import of Chinese cars, calling such reports a "completely false rumor."