The US military has banned vehicles made by China's BYD electric vehicle maker at Kadena airbase on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, with the restrictions taking effect this week. The US air force's 18th Wing at Kadena said the vehicles "present an unacceptable and unmitigable risk to our personnel and our mission", according to Lieutenant Colonel Alli Stormer, a spokesperson for the base.
The ban applies to all BYD vehicles regardless of ownership, including privately owned cars, taxis and delivery vehicles. Security personnel at the base's gates have been instructed to prevent BYD vehicles from entering and to direct drivers to turn around. The move reflects wider American and western concerns about potential information leaks through vehicle-mounted technologies such as cameras, sensors and GPS devices, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. American military officials have not publicly identified a specific threat.
Kadena is the largest US air force base in east Asia and would play a central role in any crisis involving China, Russia or North Korea. The base houses the Typhon missile system, which can fire Tomahawk missiles up to 1,600 kilometres away, placing parts of China and Russia within striking range. It also hosts fighter planes and aircraft used for mid-air refuelling, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The ban is part of a broader US strategy to restrict Chinese smart technology. In June, the Pentagon added BYD to a list of 188 Chinese firms it believes have military ties, prompting a protest from Beijing. The blacklist includes automaker Nio, e-commerce firm Alibaba and internet company Baidu. The US defence department previously banned Huawei and ZTE smartphones at military bases worldwide in 2018 over security concerns.
China has taken similar steps against American technology. In 2021, Beijing barred Tesla vehicles from some government compounds due to concerns about cameras on the vehicles, though it removed that restriction in 2024 after Tesla received an endorsement from China's top auto industry association. BYD overtook Tesla as the world's largest seller of battery-electric vehicles in 2025 and is expanding overseas, including in Japan, where it launched its Racco electric minicar in July.
The Kadena ban has fuelled speculation that similar restrictions could be implemented at other US military facilities as part of Washington's broader efforts to limit Chinese technology it suspects could be used to gather sensitive information. BYD has not publicly responded to the ban.