A bipartisan group of lawmakers has urged the Pentagon to deny export licenses to Chinese drone manufacturer DJI and review the export approval process over national security concerns.
“DJI supplies our adversaries around the world, including Iranian-backed Hamas and Russia, with drones to carry out vicious attacks against our allies,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said in a statement. “These export licenses should not have been approved, and American technology should not be advancing DJI drones. It is time to end Communist China’s weaponization of American ingenuity.”
DJI has been blacklisted in a number of entity lists from the departments of Treasury, Commerce, and Defense for posing threats to national security and alleged human rights violations.
Once added to those lists, DJI is subject to a “presumption of denial” under the license review policy, meaning its license application will often be denied. But the lawmakers noted that they are aware “that DJI’s drones likely still contain critical components from American companies, just as they did prior to DJI being listed.”
The lawmakers noted that a recent teardown of a DJI drone found U.S.-manufactured components, which suggests government approval of export licenses.
Additionally, the letter cited evidence showing that “DJI drones have been exported to America’s adversaries for military purposes, in violation of U.S. export laws and sanctions.”
In the letter, the lawmakers wrote that the Hamas terrorist group reportedly used DJI drones to attack Israeli forces and disable its surveillance systems.
The lawmakers then requested that the Pentagon provide information regarding approving export licenses and the national security review process when granting DJI approval.
They also require DOD experts and technicians who review DJI transfer requests to give a briefing to members of Congress “to explain their national security review processes and their final recommendations.”
Among those signing the letter were Ms. Stefanik, China Select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), and Sens. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joni Ernst (R- Iowa), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).
Last month, a bipartisan group of 11 U.S. lawmakers asked the Biden administration to investigate and potentially sanction another Chinese drone maker, Autel Robotics.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
DJI’s Dominance Threatens National Security
According to a whitepaper by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, “China has used its monopolistic position to flood the U.S. with subsidized drones, distorting the marketplace in favor of Chinese drones, stifling competition, and inhibiting new entrants.”Legislation Efforts
Chinese-made drones, particularly DJI, have been under close scrutiny from Washington lawmakers as well as the administration. A series of legislation and measures targeting these drones have been introduced.In 2019, Congress banned the Pentagon from buying or using drones and components manufactured in China.
In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice banned using its funds to buy Chinese drones as these devices are “subject to or vulnerable to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government.”
In 2020, the Department of Commerce (DOC) added DJI to its entity list, accusing it of enabling “wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance.” U.S. firms are not allowed to export their technology to DJI unless they get a U.S. government export license.
In 2021, the Department of Treasury added DJI to the list of entities for allegedly providing drones to Xinjiang police to track and surveil China’s Muslim Uyghur minority, banning Americans from trading DJI stocks.
Last month, Mr. Gallagher and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) introduced legislation seeking to ban the U.S. government from buying Chinese drones.
In July, the Senate passed the American Security Drone Act, banning federal agencies from buying and using DJI and other Chinese-made drones.
