Drone maker DJI is dragging the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to court because it feels the government has labeled it a Chinese military company without evidence.
“DJI is the largest privately owned seller of consumer and commercial drones, which are used by police departments, fire departments, other first responders, large and small companies, and hobbyists throughout the United States and the world,” the company wrote in its filing. DJI argues that it’s “neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military.” As DoD acknowledges, DJI sells only “consumer and commercial drones,” not military ones.
The company seeks to be removed from DoD’s list of Chinese Military Companies (CMC) that directly or indirectly operate in the United States. Since it was added to the CMC list in 2022, DJI argues it’s “lost business deals, been stigmatized as a national security threat, and been banned from contracting with multiple federal government agencies.”
DJI sells more than half of its drones in the United States. The main concern for the U.S. Military is the fact that DJI drones could be used to spy on critical infrastructure, providing China with valuable data collection. DJI drones are an important resource in the ongoing war in Ukraine, but the company says it has no control over how its drones are utilized once purchased.
The U.S. Treasury added DJI to its list of Non-SDN Chinese Military Industrial Complex Companies in 2021, claiming the company supplied its drones to the Chinese government to spy on Uyghurs. The implication was that DJI is indirectly involved in human rights abuse. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection cited the government’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) as the reason for blocking imports of new DJI drones into the United States. DJI is working with the customs to prove its compliance with UFLPA, hoping authorities will “judge it fairly and efficiently.”
“We remain one of few drone companies to clearly denounce and actively discourage the use of our drones in combat,” DJI wrote on its website in July. “DJI does not manufacture military-grade equipment, nor does it pursue business opportunities for combat use or operations.
The Senate hasn’t yet approved the Countering CCP Drones Act seeking to restrain the influence and reach of Chinese-made technology. If passed, the bill will effectively prohibit DJI from importing, marketing, or selling its drones in the country.
Source: The Verge
