Buying From China
"The hundreds of Porsches who have been left stranded across Russia are a harsh reminder that today’s high-end cars are utterly dependent on the internet, relying on satellites to remotely update their complex electronics. And when those systems fail or are deactivated, a luxury vehicle simply becomes an expensive ornament for your garage, assuming the incident hits you with the car parked in it." -commentary on an urgent wake-up call
With trade wars, embargoes, price feuds, and proxy wars (or nations secretly arming and covertly trafficking weapons to other nations to fight a war) there is growing risk of sanctions against "third parties". China is one of those.
Suppose you buy grain or toys from China. That might be OK, not much can go wrong if you consume or use these.
But what about cars? There are more and more cars coming from China (made in China, designed in China) and they are priced competitively. The media focuses on the "EV" aspect of it, as China reduces its dependence on fossil fuels (unlike the West with its dangerous datacentres fetish/bubble).
Cars need maintenance and casual repairs. The latter in particular relies on spare parts and reliable replacements are made by original manufacturers.
What if some time in the coming years there are sanctions or rules against imports from China? Are we prepare to service cars that are made in China under restrictive trade conditions and prohibitive duties (tariffs).
There are certain products that are based purchased domestically and produced domestically. They're at less risk during times of war and trade wars.
Software is no different! Nations must begin to speak about their digital sovereignty, which Free software is best equipped to grant and best positioned to assure in the face of outside resistance. █