The United States is moving to ban autonomous vehicles with Chinese or Russian technology, the Commerce Department announced on Monday.

The move comes amid intense rivalry between the US and Chinese auto industries, but Washington said the ban was a security precaution.

"This is not about trade or economic advantage," said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

"This is a strictly national security action. The good news is right now, we don't have many Chinese or Russian cars on our road."

What would the ban cover?

In addition to imports, the proposed ban would also cover vehicles made in the US using Chinese or Russian technology.

This includes both the software and hardware that connect autonomous vehicles to the outside world.

The software ban could take effect as early as 2027, the AFP news agency reported, while the hardware ban would be delayed until 2029 to give American supply chains the opportunity to exclude Chinese tech.

"Cars today have cameras, microphones, GPS tracking, and other technologies connected to the internet," Raimondo said.

"It doesn't take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of US citizens."

China condemns 'discriminatory actions'

The Biden administration has been locked in a steep tariff war against Chinese imports, and electric vehicles more broadly have been a repeated point of contention.

Beijing hit back at media reports of the ban before it was formally announced.

"China opposes the US's broadening of the concept of national security and the discriminatory actions taken against Chinese companies and products," a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

zc/nm (AP, AFP)