Arabic version: مجموعات السيارات تضغط على ترامب لمنع شركات صناعة السيارات الصينية

According to Cnbc, leaders of six major auto trade groups urged President Donald Trump to preserve policies that prevent Chinese automakers from selling, importing or making vehicles in the United States. The letter, dated Thursday, was sent before Trump’s expected meeting next week in Washington with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The groups asked Trump to “maintain policies that keep the door firmly shut to Chinese automakers seeking to sell, import or manufacture vehicles inside the U.S.” Their coalition represents major parts of the American automotive industry, including franchised dealers, suppliers, domestic automakers and foreign automakers operating in the country.

The letter follows Trump’s comments last week that he would allow Chinese automakers to move manufacturing to the United States. “If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be OK with it,” Trump said Sept. 11 on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.”

Industry leaders argued that allowing Chinese manufacturers to build vehicles in the U.S. would “undermine fair competition and jeopardize the progress” made in preventing “Chinese dominance in key industries.” They said the automotive sector is central to the nation’s advanced manufacturing and defense base and warned that, once hollowed out, that base could not be rebuilt overnight. The groups also pointed to Chinese automakers’ government subsidies and their rapid expansion beyond China. The letter was signed by associations representing every major automaker operating in the U.S., including Tesla, as well as roughly 17,000 franchised dealers.