Chinese drone manufacturer DJI announced on Saturday October 19 that it would sue the US Department of Defense. The company criticizes Washington for having listed it “ wrongly » on a blacklist of Chinese military companies. For years, the drone market leader has been in the sights of the American authorities.
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In recent years, DJI has been in Washington’s crosshairs, particularly for its role in monitoring ethnic minorities in Chinaas well as in the war in Ukraine. This is because its drones are used extensively by both parties in the conflict.
“ On October 18, DJI filed a lawsuit challenging its misdesignation by the Department of Defense. Defense (DoD) like a “Chinese military company”,” DJI said in a statement sent to AFP.
THE UNITED STATES had added DJI to their list of Chinese companies linked to the army in 2022.
In its press release, DJI claims to have tried to “ interacting with the Department of Defense for over 16 months “, but that she now has ” found she had no choice but to seek relief in federal court “.
“ DJI is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military, and the DoD itself acknowledges that DJI makes consumer and commercial drones, not military drones. DJI is a private company and should not be misclassified as a military company », pleaded the company which dominates the drone market.
Fears of use of data for military purposes by Beijing
For years, Washington has implemented measures targeting Chinese technology companies for reasons of national security, and out of fear that their technologies could be used by Beijing for military purposes.
Last month, the US Department of Commerce decided to ban the sale of vehicles capable of connecting to devices that incorporate Chinese technologies. The authorities again cite risks for national security.
Similarly, restrictions on the export of microchip manufacturing equipment are intended to prevent China from acquiring sensitive components. This is in case they could be used for advanced weapons and technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
Accusations of helping Russia in Ukraine war
DJI, founded in 2006, is the world’s largest consumer drone manufacturer, and also controls a large share of the high-end drone market. Its products are very popular around the world, especially for their rapid innovations which have contributed to the explosion of the drone market worldwide.
In 2022, the Ukrainian government accused DJI of helping Russia with its AeroScope systems, which Moscow would use to guide its missiles, something the company strongly denied. In April 2022, DJI said it would suspend its activities in Russia and Ukraine for a “ internal reassessment of compliance requirements “.
This is not the first time DJI has been blacklisted by the US government. In 2021, the Treasury Department listed her there as well, accusing her of participating in surveillance of China’s Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.