President Donald Trump stated on Sept. 11 that he would consider allowing Chinese automakers to build vehicles in the United States, provided they employ American workers. The remarks were made during an interview with Fox News ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the United States later this month.
Trump’s conditional approval for domestic production
In the Fox News interview, Trump said Chinese automakers could establish manufacturing plants in the U.S. if they hired American workers. He contrasted this with his opposition to imported Chinese vehicles, emphasizing that existing U.S. policies already prohibit such imports. "If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that," Trump said. "Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people."
He added that he opposed Chinese automakers using Mexico as a production base to circumvent U.S. import restrictions, stating, "What I don’t want is them to build in Mexico and just … build it inexpensively and ship it across the border."
Existing U.S. restrictions on Chinese automakers
Current U.S. regulations, including a Biden administration rule from early 2025, ban Chinese automakers from selling or manufacturing passenger vehicles in the United States. Additionally, Washington maintains tariffs exceeding 100% on Chinese electric vehicles. Trump noted that his administration had maintained similar restrictions, and that President Joe Biden had continued these policies.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a Washington-based industry group representing major U.S. automakers, urged Congress on Sept. 3 to permanently ban the sale, import, and manufacture of Chinese connected vehicles, hardware, and software before the current congressional session ends.
Context of Xi’s upcoming U.S. visit
Trump’s comments preceded Xi’s planned visit to the United States, where the two leaders are expected to discuss artificial intelligence and other bilateral issues. Their last meeting occurred in May during Trump’s visit to Beijing, where he extended an invitation to Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to visit the White House.