Chinese commercial and consumer drone maker DJI announced on Saturday, October 19, that it would sue the US Department of Defense, accusing Washington of including it on the list. “evil” on a blacklist of Chinese military companies in 2022, causing it to lose numerous tenders, according to him.
In recent years, DJI has been in Washington’s crosshairs, particularly for its role in monitoring ethnic minorities in China and for its alleged ties to Chinese power. In a statement sent to AFP, DJI claims not to be “neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military”and having tried “Dialogue with the Department of Defense for more than sixteen months” before I realized “who had no choice but to seek redress in federal court”.
Some drone models blocked at customs
The Department of Justice is not the only public actor threatening the Chinese drone manufacturer’s sales in the United States. According to the American media The edgeCustoms are already blocking the import of some of its professional drones and, for several days, its latest high-end consumer quadcopter, the Air 3S. In an information letter sent to its distributors, DJI explains that customs justifies this blockage under the law on the prevention of forced labor of Uyghurs.
However, the company defends itself by stating that “Forced labor is not used at any stage of manufacturing” of their drones. In a blog post, DJI adds that it hopes “misunderstanding” It dissipates when the company has provided customs with documents proving its good faith. Furthermore, between now and 2025, the US Congress will have to decide whether to ban DJI drones in the United States: the law passed in 2024, for security reasons, is still far from having passed all the stages of the US parliamentary shuttle, according to The edge.
