China's relationship with the United States is notably shaky as the two economic powers share little trust between themselves. The tension between these two countries extends to native brands in their respective jurisdictions, as scrutiny is always necessary before getting approval.
One can see it with the current grilling TikTok is receiving in the United States due to suspicions that they might be providing users' data to the Chinese government.
In China, US companies are also facing a plethora of issues relating to constant checks from the government. Regulations in China also affect big American brands like Apple as they find breaking into the Chinese market hard. The central reason both nations cite for the incessant regulations often relates to the need for data privacy.
Tesla seems to be facing a similar issue in China due to a feature in their car. China Tesla sales have been fairly okay, but the electric car brand still faces stringent issues with scrutiny from the government and even the citizens.
Beijing’s anti-espionage legislation raised the scrutiny to new levels. This is mainly because of cars that were connected to the internet.
Many foreign automakers haven't had many issues with laws, regulations, and scrutiny in China for years. This is largely because most of their cars were mostly disconnected from the internet. So some of the new updates in rules and regulations weren't needed. But Tesla in China and other internet-connected companies raised concerns from government regulators. Tesla is particularly affected.
Tesla Cars Banned in an Airport in China
Local media in China recently reported that an airport in the southern part of the country had banned Tesla cars from parking around their environment. The airport has more than 1 million users, and it has enforced the rule.
While speaking to the press, an airport worker said many other public places enforce similar rules. They may allow other vehicles to drop by briefly; however, a Tesla is expected to keep moving.
What is Tesla Saying?
Tesla is refuting claims that their Sentry Mode stores users' data on the internet. The electric car company had to make a post on Weibo to make clarifications to the issues.
The electric car company argues that they are not the only car-producing company that utilizes these features in their cars. They also noted that when Tesla cars are produced in the factory, the setting of Sentry Mode is turned off. Only the owner of the car can turn it on. And it is manually turned on and off.
"In response to Tesla's "Sentinel Mode" that netizens are concerned about recently, here is a unified report to everyone:
Sentry Mode (some brands are also called "Guard Mode") is a smart security configuration that is currently standard in mainstream smart cars, not Tesla. exclusive. When Tesla vehicles leave the factory, this function is turned off by default and needs to be manually turned on by the owner to use it," Tesla said in their post.
Tesla didn't also hold back at highlighting the uses of this Sentry Mode, saying, "At present, this function has assisted the police in cracking several vehicle damage and theft cases."