China bans hidden car door handles: Safety fix or global rule-setting moment?
Fri Feb 06 2026
Sleek, flush, futuristic--hidden door handles once symbolized the EV era. Now, they're being flagged as safety risks. China is set to ban them, becoming the first country in the world to do so. What triggered the move? How will it affect automakers? Will the impact stop at car design, or ripple into global standards?
Host Tu Yun is joined by Professor Yan Liang, Professor of Economics, Willamette University, the United States, Professor Andy Mok of Beijing Foreign Studies University, who's also a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, and Professor Warwick Powell, Adjunct Professor, Queensland University of Technology, Australia for a chat.
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Sleek, flush, futuristic--hidden door handles once symbolized the EV era. Now, they're being flagged as safety risks. China is set to ban them, becoming the first country in the world to do so. What triggered the move? How will it affect automakers? Will the impact stop at car design, or ripple into global standards? Host Tu Yun is joined by Professor Yan Liang, Professor of Economics, Willamette University, the United States, Professor Andy Mok of Beijing Foreign Studies University, who's also a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, and Professor Warwick Powell, Adjunct Professor, Queensland University of Technology, Australia for a chat.