The Commerce Department said Thursday it is considering new rules that would impose restrictions on Chinese drones that would limit or ban them in the U.S. citing national security concerns.
The department said it was seeking public comment until March 4 on potential rules to protect the supply chain for drones, saying threats from China and Russia “could provide our adversaries with the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices , exposing sensitive US data”.
China accounts for the vast majority of US commercial drone sales.
In September, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the department could impose restrictions similar to those that would effectively ban Chinese vehicles from the United States, and the focus would be on drones with Chinese and Russian hardware, chips and software.
It told Reuters in November that it hoped to finalize rules for Chinese vehicles by January. 20.
A decision on whether to write new rules restricting or banning Chinese drones will be made by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in January. 20.
Washington has taken a number of steps to crack down on Chinese drones over the past year.
Last month, President Biden signed legislation that could ban China-based DJI and Autel Robotics from selling new drone models in the US.
An unspecified US agency must determine within a year whether drones from DJI or Autel Robotics pose unacceptable risks to national security.
DJI, the world’s largest drone maker that sells more than half of all U.S. commercial drones, said that if neither agency completes the study, it will prevent the company from launching new products in the U.S.
In September, the House of Representatives voted to ban DJI from operating new drones in the US.
In October, DJI sued the Defense Department for adding it to a list of companies suspected of working with Beijing’s military, saying the designation is wrong and has caused financial harm to the company.
DJI told Reuters in October that Customs and Border Protection was barring imports of some DJI drones from entering the United States, citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. No forced labor is involved at any stage of its production, DJI said.
US lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns that DJI drones pose data transmission, surveillance and national security risks, which the company denies.
Congress in 2019 banned the Pentagon from buying or using drones and components made in China.
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