Towards a commercial drone war between Beijing and Washington? China indicated this Friday, January 3, that it will take “all necessary measures” after the announcement by the United States of a plan to restrict or even ban Chinese drones in the name of national security.
The American government launched a public consultation on Thursday which could lead to a ban on the sale of commercial drones or spare parts originating in particular from China or Russia. The main manufacturer of consumer drones in the world is the Chinese DJI, far ahead of the others.
“China has always firmly opposed the United States overextending its concept of national security, interfering and restricting normal economic and trade exchanges,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, responded on Friday. Chinese Foreign Minister during a regular press conference.
“A risk for sensitive American data”
Beijing opposes Washington “undermining the security and stability of global production and supply chains,” she added. “We will take all necessary measures to firmly protect our legitimate rights and interests,” Mao Ning stressed.
The American public consultation is due to end on March 4. The final decision will therefore be up to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump. According to the Department of Commerce, in charge of the consultation, the drones in question “can give our adversaries the possibility of controlling them remotely and using them, with a risk to sensitive American data”.
DJI announced in October in a press release that it was suing the US Department of Defense. The manufacturer criticized Washington for having designated it as a “Chinese military company”. “DJI is neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military”, it is a “private company and should not be wrongly classified as a military company”, the company argued.
The company has been in the crosshairs of Washington for several years, which accuses it of having supplied products for the surveillance of ethnic minorities in China, in particular the Uighurs. The AFP is unable to confirm or deny these accusations.
The United States already announced in September its plan to ban the sale on American soil of connected vehicles equipped with Chinese and Russian technologies, also in the name of national security.