The U.S. military has barred vehicles made by Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD from entering Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The ban took effect Monday over concerns that the vehicles’ cameras and sensors could collect and transmit sensitive security data from the strategically important installation.
The restriction follows a Pentagon decision in June to designate BYD as a company it believes supports China’s military-industrial complex. BYD has rejected that claim.
A Kadena Air Base spokesperson said the vehicles “present an unacceptable and unmitigable risk to our personnel and our mission,” but did not explain the specific concern. The ban adds to scrutiny of Chinese technology and connected vehicles amid heightened geopolitical competition between Washington and Beijing.