First Huawei, then ZTE, followed by TikTok, and now the US seeks to ban DJI drones.
According to the New York Times, DJI is already on the US Department of Defence’s watchlist, “DJI is on a Defense Department list of Chinese military companies whose products the U.S. armed forces will be prohibited from purchasing in the future.”
The saga goes back as early as 2021, when the U.S. Treasury Department put DJI on a list of companies suspected of having ties to the Chinese military. DJI was also allegedly complicit in the surveillance of a minority group.
Back to 2024, Congress is now aiming to put DJI on the Federal Communications Commission Covered List. Companies on this “blacklist” cannot operate on the country’s communication infrastructure. Huawei and ZTE are among those listed.
The bill called Countering CCP Drones Act has already received bipartisan support in Congress, citing national security risks. The bill was introduced by Congressperson Elise Stefanik (Republican – New York), which pointed out security vulnerabilities uncovered by researchers.
On the other hand, DJI continues to deny the allegations, saying “The lawmakers driving this legislation continue to reference inaccurate and unsubstantiated allegations regarding DJI’s operations.” They have also refuted claims that DJI is a Chinese military company.
The bill has experts and enthusiasts up in arms as it would cause DJI drones to be useless in the US. The major contention among them is that no other company makes drones of the same quality and with the same features.
We have to add that the US Government is also looking in steps to curtail the import of Chinese-made cars, specifically EVs.
