
China’s DeepSeek Breakthrough – and What it Means for National Security
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT — When word first came last week that China’s AI startup DeepSeek had launched an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that could compete […] More
OPINION — When President Biden first sounded the alarm in February about importing Chinese vehicles and their software, most attention focused on how Beijing could use that software to gather information on Americans and on U.S. infrastructure. Yet grasping the full threat means contemplating scenarios that may sound like science fiction.
Today’s vehicles already collect personal data and transmit it to manufacturers via always-on cellular and satellite connections; and car manufacturers are working feverishly to automate every function of their vehicles. Gaming out what Chinese-manufactured cars can do on U.S. soil—for a government that makes no distinction between economic, political, and military spheres—is not an exercise in fantasy but an urgent national security task.
The technology in today’s most advanced networked vehicles can already be used for communication, guidance, jamming, and ground transport disruption, especially when combined with Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEOs) and ground networks. If a fleet of these “smart” vehicles were on the ground in another country, then China – as the manufacturer of those vehicles – might be able to use their data for military purposes.
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Again, it sounds like science fiction. But here are some of the potential military applications:
A Chinese company to watch
One Chinese company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely), is a conglomerate that combines all the necessary technologies for these purposes: autonomous vehicle production, LEO manufacture and operations, and access to terrestrial communication infrastructure. Geely not only makes EVs, but also owns a subsidiary, Geespace, that develops, launches, and operates LEO satellites. Geely also happens to partner with Huawei and Ericsson, which together offer nearly global 5G coverage, thus completing for Geely the trifecta required for a worldwide, high-precision command-and-control network.
Geely is just one of many Chinese companies with these capabilities. China is the world’s largest automobile exporter, and it has every other Chinese automobile (as well as space and infrastructure) company in the country at its disposal. Meanwhile, China uses every means possible to infiltrate U.S. critical infrastructure, and it would be naïve to think that it would abjure the advantages networked vehicles provide.
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How to respond
What then to do? The U.S. and its allies have already imposed steep tariffs, but tariffs and investigations will not suffice. The U.S. should at a minimum do the following:
U.S. and allied leaders labored for more than 40 years under the delusion that China’s technological development was for purely commercial, peaceful purposes. However, China’s own military strategists have made clear they do not recognize any technology or activity as purely commercial; commerce is woven into China’s military doctrine. The key points of that doctrine are that China is in a state of war; the U.S. is the enemy; and China is using every possible means to weaken the U.S. until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) no longer regards the United States as a threat.
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