The domestic laser radar industry is launching an lobbying offensive of China's leading competitors, and the latter is strengthening its own public relations games.

The Automobility LA car trade exhibition held at the Los Angeles Convention and Exhibition Center displayed autonomous vehicles equipped with laser radar, radar, camera and GPS devices.

| David McGuk/Getty Picture Club

In the future, a key technology of cars is rapidly becoming a new outbreak point of the already tension between China and the United States.

The development of the "Lidar" sensor technology has promoted the rise of driver -driving taxis in roaming cities such as San Francisco and Phoenix.However, as car manufacturers are preparing to deploy the functions of supporting lidar among more consumer vehicles, such as adaptive cruise control and blind spot testing, local industries are launching a wide range of lobbying offensives for China's leading competitors, which is strengthening the latter to strengthenYour own public relations game.

Ouster headquartered in San Francisco calls on Congress to stop such bleeding because people are worried that the Chinese version technology may be used to monitor Americans and provide Beijing with information about American sensitive infrastructure.This is a conflict, just when the US President Joe Biden handles the complex relationship with various departments of China and the American automobile industry, and many Republicans are adopting a more radical tone of the country.

Angus Pacala, CEO of Ouster, said in an email: "China's continued leading leadership in the lidar market has weakened our economic competitiveness and increased our dependence on key technologies for Lidar.And continuing their evil trade behavior, while strengthening their military and security ambitions. "This runs counter to the interests of the United States and needs to be stopped.

Lidar Coalition, a leading trade organization in the United States, refused to comment.However, Ouster and lobbyers have met with the main members of the CPC Communist Party of China and the Biden government officials, trying to warn the potential threats.They have been urging the blacklist to list the blacklist or completely prohibit, and impose tariffs on the laser radar sensors made in China.

Ost's campaign is a page torn off from the script, which eventually led Congress and regulatory agencies to ban another Chinese company -DJI DJI DJI — participating in the procurement and other businesses of the Ministry of National Defense.Some people in Washington seem to be listening.

When asked about Auster's concerns, the Minister of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, said in an interview that the United States needs to "close attention to ensure that it will not bring unnecessary economic security or network securityThreat. He also pointed out that "reducing risks and deciring with China must be described", especially in technology.

Last month, when the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House of Representatives and Democratic Party took the lead in taking the Bayeng government to consider restricting the Chinese Lidar company, Asto's lobbyists helped to fight for support and signature.

Members accused of saying that China's "National Security Law" forced Chinese companies to provide data on demand, which may mean "not only a large amount of data on the US maps and infrastructure, but also data about the US military system" may fall. "In the hands of the Chinese government and the military.

Two independent German technology test companies evaluate the main laser radar products sold in the US market to determine that they do not have the ability to store or transmit data outside the car.

This letter also hinted that the CCP may introduce malware, "this may reduce performance Chinese laser radar installed in the American system -the Chinese government denies this statement.

"China has always opposed the use of information technology to destroy the key infrastructure of other countries or stealing strategic data," said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in a statement that it accuses American legislators of "disconnecting the context and making one -sided explanation."

He also said that greater narrative was suspicious.

"The United States has repeatedly generalized the concept of national security, hype 'China's threat theory', and China has resolutely opposed it," Liu said.

Twenty members of the letter signed by this letter are required to review, which may cause US companies to invest in foreign car technology companies and other restrictions.

However, the laser radar products produced by HESAI (HESAI) HESAI are more complicated than many American companies, sometimes cheaper. With the encouragement of some American car interest groups, the company is fighting back.technology.A new review of the Ministry of Defense's lidar made by the Ministry of Defense, and a report from the Congressional Research Service outlined its potential danger, which also scared the company's action in Washington.

David Li, CEO of He Sai, said in an interview this fall that Ouster is turning business disputes into "political/national security issues -this is definitely not what customers want to see, especially more customers. Li Li.Said, lobbying activities from the US interest groups -and complaints from their own American customers -encourage He Sai to hire their high -priced lobbyers and public relations delegates.

Sitting in the Washington Office of the PR Group, Hesai's new public relations company, Li said that his visit was the direct result of Ouster spreading "false rumors".

Li said that he "discussed many times with different customers", and they told him: "'Heya, please help people understand this.

Hesai's customers include CRUISE (supported by General Motors) and ZOOX, and automatic truck transportation company Kodiak Robotics.These companies are unwilling to prove that they promote Herseo in Washington, but a Democratic Party assistant at Congress Mountain said after hearing a briefing with He Sai, the staff "clearly felt that the customers of He Sai asked the customers of He Sai and Congresschat.

An American client in Hesai said that any restrictions on the government's laser radar made by the government will seriously hinder the company's operating ability.

"The Hesai scanning lidar is the only sensor in the market with the performance and reliability of our operation," said a representative of a self -driving car company using the Hesai Lidar, saying that he did not want to discuss the sensitive issue."There is no other choice at all, no matter what the price."

At the end of September, in addition to the BGR, He Sai also hired two largest lobbying companies in Washington Akin Gump and BrownStein Hyatt.At the same time, compared with last year, Ouster's quarterly expenditure in lobbyters increased by about 50%.

In addition, a new organization called "Coalition for Safe and Secure Technology" is established to help Ouster Make a case of threats from China.

The person in charge and Democratic Party, Mark Paustenbach, said that the organization also hopes to "create a fair competitive environment for the American and American allies in the field of laser radar while preventing potential threats to our country's security.Essence

Although the organization plans to lobby, Bosstenbach is not a registered lobbyist, and he will not disclose the identity of the alliance.

Ouster and hesai are no stranger.They have repeatedly scrapped for patent infringement.In 2019, Velodyne, which was acquired by Ouster, sued Hesai and Chinese Lidar Robosense to infringe patent rights.(Velodyne reached a reconciliation and agreed to reach a global cross -license agreement, allowing Hesai to use Velodyne technology before Ouster acquisition.

Ouster also sued Hesai's five patents suspected of infringing Ouster; the court sent the case to arbitration in October.

Former National Security Council Director Liza Tobin is now a special competitive research project founded by Eric Schmidt, a former CEO of Google.She compared the lidar and American consumers that the UAVs, solar panels and other equipment that they mainly purchased from China now.

"It started like flushing and repeating," Tobin said."Sometimes, once we start to notice the problem of a specific sub -industry (such as lidar), it is almost too late.

The House SELECT COMMITEE senior member Raja Krishnamoorthi, a senior member of the House of Representatives, said: "We have seen this movie before. The question is whether we can write a different ending.

In the end, limits may not come from the United States.China is considering an export ban on laser radar.China's restrictions on the exports of other raw materials and technology are not only retaliation of US trade control, but also for national security considerations.

No matter what happens, the lidar sensor from China is prohibited from the help of China in the end.

"Almost the entire industry is using these sensors," said customers."If they are banned from entering the US market and there is no alternative, this will have a serious impact on the development and growth of the industry. It is probably the interests of China and Europe and other leading technical developers.