'A total ban on Chinese electric vehicles': A senator joins the fight by pressuring Biden

A United States senator has entered the growing debate over China's surging electric vehicle exports, warning that they are an "Existential threat to the American auto industry." Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, called Thursday for a "Total ban on Chinese electric vehicles," warning that the U.S. cannot allow China's"Government-backed cheating." It's the strongest comment made by a sitting U.S. senator against China's EVs. Western officials have become increasingly concerned about China's surging exports of clean energy products, including solar power, electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries. The U.S. has barred EV battery materials from China, which has been designated as a "Foreign entity of concern." And the European Union has launched an investigation into China's subsidies for local EV makers, as the Chinese government has spent billions of dollars to give local brands a leg up on the competition. Japan - the world's top exporter of cars since 2017 - lost that title to China in 2023. Brown on Thursday also warned that China's EVs pose a national security risk, referencing the Department of Commerce's recently-announced investigation into Chinese-made "Connected vehicles," or smart cars. The Airlines for America trade group and three airline workers unions on Thursday asked Biden to stop approving additional flights between the U.S. and China because of "Anti-competitive" practices Beijing puts on U.S. operators.