The United States hosted its first meeting with South Korea, Japan, Australia, the European Union and other countries this week to discuss potential security risks associated with "connected vehicles," the State Department said Thursday. The White House and the department held the meeting with officials from the countries on Wednesday, as Washington launched a regulatory process earlier this year to address risks from vehicles that use technology and certain components from China and other countries of concern. The regulatory move came amid concerns that vehicles with cameras, sensors, chips, software and other components -- manufactured in China -- could be used to glean sensitive data about drivers and passengers as well as U.S. infrastructure. The South Korean automotive industry has been carefully watching the move as it could affect their production of connected vehicles. At the inaugural meeting. the participants exchanged views on data and cybersecurity risks, and other issues, according to the dep artment. The attendees included officials from Britain, Canada, Germany and India. "They also affirmed that connected vehicles are emerging as a key node in critical infrastructure as they constantly connect with other vehicles, personal devices, telecommunications networks, the electric grid, and other infrastructure," it said in a media note. "The United States and like-minded nations will explore options for advancing affirmative cybersecurity standards and coordinating other possible policy measures to mitigate risks," it added. The department noted that the meeting underscored the importance of promoting an "open, inclusive, trusted and secure digital ecosystem" and ensuring all connected vehicles and other emerging technologies are built and maintained with "trust and security." In late April, Seoul raised the South Korean automotive industry's concerns over the U.S.' envisioned rules to address risks from connected vehicles as the U.S. Commerce Department requested public feedback on its rule-makin g process. It expressed expectation that the U.S. will provide a "precise" definition of the scope of connected vehicles, as it pointed out that the current U.S. definition of the cars in question is "excessively broad." Source: Yonhap News Agency