Australia won't ban BYD at military bases

Australia won't follow the US military in barring BYD vehicles from its bases, at least for now. Defence Minister Richard Marles says security around Australian bases is being watched closely, but the government hasn't gone as far as a ban.

The US military has reportedly barred BYDs from Kadena Air Base in Japan and may extend the ban going forward.

Will Chinese-made cars face harsher scrutiny in future? Richard Marles said Australia hadn't followed the US lead, but Defence wasn't taking its eye off the ball.

"We obviously continue to monitor all the safety around our bases in every respect, but we haven't taken that step," Marles told Reuters.

Kadena on Okinawa is the biggest US military base in Japan.

US personnel also work in Australia, most notably at the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap near Alice Springs and at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory, where nuclear-capable US bombers are stationed.

The US military controls more than a dozen defence facilities in Australia and has access to around 70 other Australian bases.

The ABC's Four Corners also recently raised concerns about government ministers owning Chinese cars and those cars being allowed at sensitive national security sites.

Hefty import tariffs have kept Chinese brands out of the USA, which still has a big local manufacturing industry. Australia is a different story. Chinese brands are everywhere on our roads, and BYD alone has more than doubled its sales this year.

The US isn't alone either. Poland banned Chinese-built cars from its military sites over data security fears earlier this year.

It works the other way too. China has banned Tesla vehicles from its own military bases, even though the Teslas sold in China and Australia are built in Shanghai.

Tesla is an American company, and that's the bit Beijing cares about.

For now, BYD owners in the ADF don't need to start parking down the road. Still, Marles's comments leave the door ajar. The government is monitoring the situation and that isn't the same as ruling a ban out.

With more Chinese brands arriving every few months and connected cars sending more data than ever, expect pressure to grow for a clear policy on which cars can go where.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au