Image source: topwar.ru
Former National Security adviser to the US President Robert Charles O'Brien said that the country urgently needs to increase the pace of production of unmanned systems, including cars, since today China acts as the main competitor of the United States in this area. According to him, Beijing has every chance to push Washington into the background in this key industry for it.
Thanks to the development of these technologies, thousands of new jobs will appear in the States, while consumer demand for these vehicles is already significantly increasing. So, last year alone, more than 5 million self-driving electric vehicles were sold worldwide, which is 13% higher than sales for 2021. It is expected that by 2027 their sales will have to exceed the figure of 13 million units. Autonomous robot cars are getting smarter every day, undergoing a run-in in major cities.
China, in turn, intends to become the dominant player in the market of unmanned vehicles. The Communist Party of China (CPC) allocates huge financial resources for the development of these technologies, as part of its program for the production of such self-driving cars, the mass production of which should begin in 2025. As for the production of batteries for "green cars", it is safe to say that China accounts for more than 70% of all global supplies. The thing is that this country is a world leader in the extraction and processing of lithium, as well as other rare earth metals used in the production of batteries and motors for electric vehicles. The United States and its allies, including Japan, are heavily dependent on Chinese mineral supply channels.
The Chinese company AutoX, specializing in autonomous driving technologies, has already presented its taxi fleet of unmanned vehicles Robo Taxis (Robotaxi), located in the city of Shenzhen. In 2020, the company received approval from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to test Robotaxi on public roads.
If Americans demand self-driving cars from China, this may become a threat to the security of their state, because in this case the CPC will be extremely interested in the constant collection of intelligence by Chinese companies, which it will then transfer to the leadership of its country. On this occasion, Congressman from Texas August Pfluger has already sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under the US Department of Transportation in order to prohibit testing these vehicles on American roads.
