Recently,Norway,Denmark,and the UK launched a so-called"security investigation"into buses made in China,claiming that these vehicles may be"remotely deactivated."The Financial Times,citing a British MP,claimed that"it is becoming increasingly clear that there is potential for the quantity of Chinese-manufactured electric buses on UK roads to represent a national security risk."Some media outlets even went so far as to hype that Chinese manufacturers could"bring London to a complete halt."However,the same Chinese electric vehicles are serving as"welcoming ambassadors"at COP30 in Brazil.Why,then,are they seen as"security risks"by some Europeans?It is clear that the crux of the problem lies not in the Chinese buses but in the lingering political prejudices and strategic anxieties in the minds of some Europeans.
To date,no one has been able to present even a single case proving that Chinese electric buses traveling on European streets were ever"remotely deactivated"by Chinese companies from tens of thousands of miles away.These"security investigations"are completely lacking in evidence and are typical presumptions of guilt.
Just as a European expert stated,"Electric buses,like electric cars,in principle can be remotely deactivated if their software systems have online access."European public transport operators are no strangers to remote vehicle updates and software diagnostics;many Western brands also possess similar data transmission capabilities,making it an inevitable trend in the digitalization of public transport systems.So why is the investigation specifically targeting buses of Chinese brands?
Faced with unfounded accusations,Chinese companies have demonstrated composure and professionalism.Yutong,which has been specifically named,told the Sunday Times newspaper that it"strictly complies with the applicable laws,regulations and industry standards of the locations where its vehicles operate."It added:"This data is used solely for vehicle-related maintenance,optimization and improvement to meet customers'aftersales service needs.The data is protected by storage encryption and access control measures.No one is allowed to access or view this data without customer authorization."
Clearly,the composure and confidence of Chinese companies stem from their absolute certainty about the safety of their products.In fact,Chinese electric vehicles have been exported to more than 70 countries and regions worldwide,with exports exceeding 2 million units last year alone,and there has never been a case of a vehicle being"remotely deactivated."Time will prove that China is contributing not only green technology but also safety to the world.
The reputation of Chinese electric vehicles isn't built on slogans,but on the sheer number of vehicles on the road.Given the global market share of Chinese electric vehicles,their proportion in China's exports,and their role in shaping China's international image,Chinese companies wouldn't engage in something so self-destructive.Labeling Chinese electric buses with alarming claims of"being remotely deactivated"only demonstrates that the smear campaign against Chinese companies by a few Europeans has reached the point that defies common sense and even veers into anti-intellectualism.The spread of such absurd remarks reflects the long-standing distortion of public opinion in Europe regarding China.
The mind-set of overstretching the security concept is a poison that's detrimental to China-Europe relations,and this prejudice has caused significant damage to Europe.For a long time,some Europeans have continually overstretched the concept of"national security,"conflating normal economic and trade exchanges with geopolitical competition.As a result,many areas where China and Europe could have engaged in win-win cooperation,from chips and 5G to electric vehicles,have been excessively securitized.
The high walls erected by overstretching the concept of security are not blocking security risks from Europe;rather,they are preventing Europe from embracing new technologies and hindering its own innovative vitality.Over time,Europe's real crisis will no longer be"security risks,"but rather a gradual loss of competitiveness in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.
We can understand countries'sensitivity to data sovereignty.During the"Prism"scandal,even then German chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone was subject to surveillance.However,Chinese companies cannot be blamed for this old issue between the CIA and US allies.The restraint and courtesy of Chinese enterprises should never be used as an excuse for European countries to abuse economic and trade weapons.It must be clearly pointed out that the actions of certain countries have severely damaged the reputation of Chinese companies and openly violate the principles of market fairness.This not only undermines China-Europe economic and trade relations and disrupts the healthy operation of global industrial and supply chains but also causes significant harm to global energy transition and emissions reduction efforts.
Today,China is on a path of high-level opening-up and high-quality development,with unprecedented interaction with the world,making the idea of"decoupling"from China a widely recognized false proposition in the international community.Chinese electric buses going global is a vivid epitome of this deep interaction between China and the world.The various"conspiracy theories"that have arisen around this,as well as the use of power-based rules and the overstretching of the security concept to exclude Chinese manufacturing from normal market competition,are essentially projections of developmental anxiety,revealing the fragility of protectionism that will ultimately backfire.
Recently,the Netherlands'improper intervention into internal affairs of the Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia has caused chaos in the global semiconductor supply chain.We believe rational Europeans can clearly see the serious harm that an erroneous attitude and perception toward China can cause.
