US bans BYD from air base in Japan over security concern
SEOUL: The US armed forces have banned Chinese carmaker BYD’s electric vehicles from an air base in Japan over security concerns, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, after Washington added the company to a list of enterprises it believes are aiding China’s military.
The US armed forces have prohibited Chinese carmaker BYD from utilizing electric vehicles at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, due to security concerns, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The decision follows the inclusion of BYD on a list of enterprises believed to be aiding China's military by Washington. The suspicion stems from the cameras and sensors mounted on BYD's vehicles, which could potentially collect and leak sensitive security information from the base, as reported by Yonhap citing US military officials stationed in Japan.
Confirmation from US military officials in Japan was not immediately available. BYD has not yet provided a response to a request for comment. Kadena Air Base will commence barring BYD cars starting from Monday, Yonhap reported, affecting vehicles used by personnel, contractors, commercial entities, and taxis without exception. In June, the US added BYD, Alibaba, Baidu, and automaker NIO to a list of companies suspected of aiding China's military.
Alibaba has since sued the US government. China's Foreign Ministry has protested the list, deeming it discriminatory and unreasonable.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
