Spying Chinese EVs claim harms Sino-UK pragmatic cooperation

An article in the Daily Telegraph on Sunday said that a number of Cabinet officials in the United Kingdom recently issued a "warning" that Chinese electric vehicles imported to help the UK achieve zero emissions targets will allow China to "spy" on UK citizens.

Citing sources close to the UK government, the article claimed the technology embedded in these electric vehicles can be used for location data collection and making audio and video clips. One cabinet minister even suggested that Chinese EVs were vulnerable to "remote interference".

A cross-party parliamentary group called on London to take measures to prevent the UK from losing control of the "critical infrastructure" of its car market or risk its car market being overrun by Chinese EVs, creating a "security risk".

Former UK home secretary Priti Patel even linked Chinese EVs to Huawei's 5G equipment, falsely claiming they both pose a "surveillance risk". While playing up the "surveillance risk" and advocating intervention in Chinese companies' business in the UK, the Daily Telegraph, however, admitted that Chinese companies hold a dominant position in the EV industry, and it will not be easy to "curb" them. Chris Stark, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, told the UK parliament last month that although Germany remained the largest supplier of cars to the UK, China had moved into second place and was on track to overtake Germany.

Under the UK's upcoming EV quota proposal, carmakers have to ensure that by 2024, 22 percent of vehicles they sell in the UK are zero-emission. This has to be raised to 80 percent by 2030, something that could benefit Chinese car companies.

In recent years, UK politicians have repeatedly intervened on the issue of investment by Chinese companies, something the UK media, too, frequently hypes up. In November, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the UK was generalizing the concept of national security and directly interfering with normal investment cooperation of Chinese enterprises, something China firmly opposes.

Today's deeply integrated world faces multiple challenges that require cooperation among all countries. A Cold War mentality runs counter to the interests of all countries, including the UK. China has been developing its relations with the UK in the spirit of equality and mutual respect, but the UK is clinging to an outdated mindset that will only lead it farther away from progress.