Chinese-brand cars are sitting at Canadian ports, waiting to be unloaded. The first dealerships of BYD, Geely, and Chery are set to open this fall in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal, with more to follow by the end of the year. And not one of those cars can legally be sold in the United States.
That gap—vehicles landing at America’s doorstep that can’t be sold across the border—is the center of a quiet contest now unfolding on the northern frontier. The United States has walled out Chinese cars with a 100 percent tariff and a national security rule that bars China-owned automakers from the U.S. market even if they build their cars on American soil. …