The U.S. government has begun a regulatory review amid concerns that Chinese drones could pose a threat to national security. The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on January 2 (local time) that it is considering restricting or banning the sale of Chinese drones and will accept public comments until March 4.
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▲[Korean Today] Photo = FREEPIK © Reporter Byun A-rong |
The Commerce Department said the move was intended to block Chinese drones from exposing sensitive U.S. data or being remotely controlled. It’s for similar reasons as those used against TikTok, and stems from concerns that Chinese companies’ technology could leak Americans’ information to the Chinese government.
Currently, China accounts for about 75% of the U.S. civilian drone market, and DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, accounts for about half of the market. Accordingly, the U.S. Congress has been strengthening regulations on Chinese drones, including passing a bill last September that prohibited DJI’s new drones from being operated in the U.S.
DJI has consistently denied these concerns, and last October it even filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense for designating it as a company with ties to the Chinese military.
The specifics and implementation of future drone regulations are expected to be determined by the second term of Donald Trump’s administration, which begins on January 20. This move suggests that US regulations on Chinese technology companies for national security reasons may be further strengthened amid intensifying technological and economic competition between the US and China.
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