Trump says US is open to Chinese car manufacturers building vehicles domestically

President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States would be open to Chinese automakers building vehicles domestically, provided they employ American workers, despite his opposition to Chinese-made cars entering the U.S. market.“If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle. “Japan does it, but they hire our people. The big thing is they hire our people. They use our people.” Over the past four decades, Japanese car manufacturers have invested more than $70 billion in U.S. manufacturing. Japanese auto companies operate 26 manufacturing plants, 41 research and development centers, and 65 distribution facilities across 27 states, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.Trump said he would oppose Chinese automakers manufacturing vehicles in Mexico and shipping them into the United States, saying he wants the companies to build their factories and hire workers inside the U.S.Trump also pushed back against suggestions that he would allow Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD to enter the U.S. market, saying he has been responsible for keeping Chinese vehicles out of the country.“I’m the one that stopped them from coming in,” Trump said, referring to BYD. “We don’t allow [Chinese] cars into the United States, and I never did.”Trump said the U.S. has a 150% tariff on Chinese cars and credited the Biden administration with maintaining his policies restricting Chinese vehicles.“I mean, probably the only good thing Biden did is he kept my policies on having to do with Chinese cars, or we would have been overrun,” Trump said. “Our car companies would have all been bankrupt.”Trump pointed to investments by foreign automakers in the U.S., including Toyota and Honda, as examples of companies moving production into the country and hiring American workers.Trump’s comments come one week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Washington, D.C., with a slew of Chinese CEOs for a summit that will likely cover topics ranging from trade to technology and artificial intelligence.HOW 9/11 SHAPED GEN Z’S RELATIONSHIP WITH A GOVERNMENT IT NEVER KNEW BEFORE THE ATTACKSTrump’s comments come as the U.S. auto industry is pushing Congress to permanently ban the sale, import, and manufacture of Chinese connected vehiclesThe Alliance for Automotive Innovation said Chinese automakers are using government subsidies to expand rapidly overseas and warned that connected vehicles could collect, process, and transmit sensitive consumer and vehicle data.