BYD barred from largest US overseas air base

Move aims to block potential intelligence collection

US Forces Japan has banned Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD from military bases, citing concerns over the protection of classified information. Pictured is the US Air Force delivering supplies to Japan. [Getty Images]
US Forces Japan has banned Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD from military bases, citing concerns over the protection of classified information. Pictured is the US Air Force delivering supplies to Japan. [Getty Images]

US Forces Japan has banned all vehicles made by Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD from entering its bases, in a move aimed at preventing sensitive military information from leaking through cameras and sensors embedded in the cars. The measure could also be extended to US Forces Korea bases, observers say.

According to a US Forces Japan official Friday, Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture announced it will bar all BYD vehicles from entering the installation beginning Monday. Security personnel from the 18th Security Forces Squadron — the unit responsible for protecting key assets and maintaining order on the base — will block BYD vehicles at every gate. The ban covers all BYD vehicles regardless of type or purpose, including privately owned cars, contractor vehicles, taxis, delivery vehicles and commercial vehicles. The base said no exceptions will be permitted under any circumstances.

Kadena is the largest US Air Force base overseas and serves as a critical hub for US Pacific security operations, including the defense of Japan and the deterrence of North Korea, China and Russia. The base also hosts the Typhon mid-range missile system, which carries Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of 1,600 kilometers — enough to reach Beijing from western Japan.

The ban is intended to prevent the leakage of information related to military operations at the base, as well as details about the fighter jets, transport aircraft, radar systems and munitions operated by the 18th Wing of the US Fifth Air Force stationed there.

The concern centers on software-defined vehicles, which use advanced sensors and cameras to scan and collect data on their surroundings. Electric vehicles equipped with real-time cloud transmission or remote-control capabilities could effectively function as mobile intelligence-gathering devices.

The US Department of Defense designated 188 Chinese companies — including tech giants Alibaba and Baidu — as "Chinese military companies operating directly or indirectly within the United States" last June, adding them to its Section 1260H procurement restriction list. BYD was included on that list.

Within US Forces Japan, there is growing speculation that the BYD ban could be extended to other major installations, including Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, as well as to USFK bases.

The Pentagon banned the sale and use of smartphones made by China's Huawei and ZTE at military base exchanges worldwide in 2018, citing security concerns. It also restricts the use of Huawei telecommunications equipment near military facilities and overseas installations.

Japan has also been tightening regulations on Chinese IT equipment and cloud and data center services. Relations between Tokyo and Beijing deteriorated sharply after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last November that Japan could intervene in a Taiwan contingency. China has since condemned the Takaichi cabinet's push to expand Japan's defense capabilities as "neo-militarism."


kate01@heraldcorp.com