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The reasons for the ultra-low prices of Chinese electric cars are complex. They are not limited to cheaper labor or generous state subsidies that violate the rules of fair competition. Often the cost of products is also reduced by ignoring labor standards, using forced labor, as well as monopoly control over key components, especially rare earth metals. China, as the largest supplier of these strategically important resources, is consciously using them as a geopolitical tool of influence.
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The economic aspect is only part of the problem. Concerns about security, data privacy and technological sovereignty are growing. Modern electric cars are equipped with dozens of sensors, are constantly connected to the Internet and have functions for remote software updates, transmission of telemetry or even control of certain vehicle functions in real time.
In the case of Chinese electric cars, these capabilities become potential tools for espionage, collection of sensitive data or, in extreme cases, remote sabotage. American intelligence agencies and European cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned about the possibility of collecting personal information through Chinese-made “smart” cars, including GPS routes, camera and microphone recordings, user preferences, mobile device connections and even access to home Wi-Fi networks.
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The real shock comes from the fact that some Chinese electric cars are capable of receiving commands directly from servers located in China. This means that in the event of political tension or a hybrid attack, the car could theoretically be stopped or even cause an accident by changing its behavior. In a worst-case scenario, these cars could become remotely controlled weapons - without any input from the driver.
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Behind the cheapness of such cars are not only marketing and technology, but also a whole complex of risks - from ethical to strategic. Before buying the next “affordable” electric car, every consumer must ask themselves the question: am I willing to pay with my own safety for this “bargain” purchase?
This seems to be the case with connected cars in general, not exclusively Chinese models. There are multiple reports of Tesla remotely disabling cars or reducing battery range, for instance. Also the fear mongering over subsidies being a violation of the rules of fair trade is laughable given that is the exact way the US car market operates too. I don’t even have the choice to buy a cheap Chinese car here in part because of government protections for domestic markets.
Brazil sues China carmaker BYD over ‘slave-like’ conditions
Brazilian prosecutors are suing Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD and two of its contractors, saying they were responsible for human trafficking and conditions “analogous to slavery” at a factory construction site in the country.
Did coerced labour build your car?
Thousands of cars ship out of factories every day. But at the other end of the production line, workers are shipped in – thousands of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz every year – from Xinjiang, the western region at the centre of a long-running human rights crisis.
Moved as part of a labour transfer scheme that experts call forced labour, these ethnic minorities are coercively recruited by the Chinese state to travel thousands of miles and fill the manufacturing jobs that recent Chinese graduates have spurned. An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has found more than 100 brands whose products have been made, in part or whole, by workers moved under this system.