Chinese Drone Manufacturer DJI Sues Pentagon

The world's largest consumer drone manufacturer, DJI, announced on October 19 that it was suing the US Department of Defense, claiming that Washington had "erroneously" placed the business on a blacklist of Chinese military companies.

In recent years, Washington has criticized it for its involvement in monitoring ethnic minorities in China, and both sides in the conflict in Ukraine have allegedly made substantial use of DJI drones.

"On October 18, DJI filed a lawsuit to challenge the Department of Defense's (DoD) erroneous designation of the company as a 'Chinese Military Company,'" according to a statement provided to AFP.

In 2022, the Pentagon included DJI on its list of Chinese businesses with ties to the military. 

Having tried to "engage with the DoD for more than sixteen months" since its founding in 2006, DJI claimed it has finally "determined it had no alternative other than to seek relief in federal court."

"The Chinese military does not own or control DJI, and the DoD admits that DJI produces commercial and consumer drones rather than military drones. DJI stated on Saturday that it should not be mistakenly categorized as a military organization because it is a private enterprise.

Because of national security concerns and worries that Beijing might exploit technology for military objectives, Washington has been implementing measures against Chinese tech businesses for years.

Citing national security concerns, the US Commerce Department last month took action to prohibit the sale of automobiles that include Chinese technology and can connect to other devices or the internet.

In the meanwhile, export limitations on machinery used to make chips are meant to keep China from obtaining sensitive materials that might be utilized in advanced weaponry and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The largest manufacturer of consumer drones in the world, DJI also controls a significant portion of the market for more expensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Its UAVs have received international recognition for their quick inventions, which have contributed to the global expansion in drone use for a variety of purposes, including public safety, crop dusting, aerial photography, cinematography, and search and rescue missions.

With its AeroScope system, which Kyiv claims Moscow uses to direct its missiles, DJI was accused by the Ukrainian government in 2022 of aiding Russia.

The business vehemently denied that it had permitted Russia to exploit its goods for military objectives.
DJI announced in April 2022 that it was temporarily halting operations in Ukraine and Russia as it "internally reassess(ed) compliance requirements."