The Commerce Department announced Thursday that it is considering new rules that would limit or ban the use of Chinese drones in the United States, citing national security concerns.
The department said it was seeking public comment by March 4 on possible rules to protect the drone supply chain, adding that threats from China and Russia “make it difficult for adversaries to remotely access these devices.” “There is a possibility that it could be manipulated to leak sensitive U.S. data.”
China accounts for the majority of U.S. commercial drone sales.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in September that her department could impose regulations similar to the effective ban on Chinese-made vehicles from the United States, with a focus on drones equipped with Chinese and Russian equipment, chips and software. He said he could guess.
He told Reuters in November that he hoped to finalize rules for Chinese cars by January 20.
A decision on whether to create new rules to limit or ban Chinese drones will be made by President-elect Donald Trump's administration, which takes office on January 20.
The US government has taken a series of steps over the last year to crack down on Chinese-made drones.
President Biden signed a bill last month that bans China-based companies DJI and Autel Robotics from selling new drone models in the United States.
An unspecified U.S. government agency must decide within one year whether DJI or Autel Robotics' drones pose an unacceptable national security risk.
DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer that sells more than half of U.S. commercial drones, said the company will not be able to launch new products in the U.S. unless any government agency completes its investigation.
In September, the House of Representatives passed a resolution banning DJI's new drones from operating in the United States.
In October, DJI sued the Pentagon for adding it to a list of companies said to be collaborating with Beijing's military, alleging that the designation was incorrect and caused financial harm to the company.
DJI told Reuters in October that Customs and Border Protection had stopped importing some DJI drones into the United States, citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. DJI says that no forced labor is involved at any stage of manufacturing.
U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns that DJI's drones pose data transmission, surveillance and national security risks, which the company denies.
Congress in 2019 prohibited the Department of Defense from purchasing or using Chinese-made drones or components.
