By David Shepardson
AVON LAKE, Ohio, Jan 16 (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Canadian government’s decision to allow in up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles at a low tariff rate is “problematic” and that Canada may come to regret the decision.
“I think it’s problematic for Canada,” Greer told CNBC on Friday.
“There’s a reason why we don’t sell a lot of Chinese cars in the United States. It’s because we have tariffs to protect American auto workers and Americans from those vehicles.”
Greer said Canada was seeking agriculture tariff relief as part of the EV agreement. “I think in the long run, they’re not going to like having made that deal.”
Greer said rules adopted in January 2025 on vehicles that are connected to the internet and navigation systems are a significant impediment to Chinese vehicles in the U.S. market.
“I think it would be hard for them to operate here,” Greer said. “There are rules and regulations in place in America about the cybersecurity of our vehicles and the systems that go into those, so I think it might be hard for the Chinese to comply with those kind of rules.”
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump reiterated comments he made during the 2024 campaign at a speech in Detroit that he would like Chinese automakers to come to the United States to build vehicles.
“If they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and hire your friends and your neighbors, that’s great, I love that,” Trump said during remarks at a January 13 meeting of the Detroit Economic Club. “Let China come in.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Nia Williams)
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