🇺🇸🇨🇳 President Donald Trump says he is open to Chinese automakers building cars in the United States, provided they manufacture them domestically and employ American workers. Trump compared the idea to Japanese automakers operating American factories, while drawing a line against Chinese vehicles being produced in Mexico and shipped into the U.S. That could eventually put brands like BYD and Xiaomi within reach of American buyers, although Trump has also denied reports that his administration is currently planning to let Chinese vehicles into the market as part of a broader deal. The biggest obstacle is that Chinese automakers still face substantial U.S. trade and national-security barriers, including tariffs and restrictions targeting connected-vehicle technology. Commerce rules prohibit certain vehicle-connectivity hardware and software with a sufficient nexus to China or Russia, as well as sales of completed connected vehicles by manufacturers sufficiently linked to those countries. Chinese EVs have also