US considering ban on Chinese drones as international tensions grow

U.S. officials are considering ramping up defenses against one of China's most ubiquitous technologies: drones. The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that it is exploring a rule that could restrict Chinese drones in the United States — or ban them entirely.

This new rule would "secure and safeguard the information and communication technology and services (ICTS) supply chain" for drones in the U.S., the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said in a press release. The bureau believes that foreign involvement in the drone supply chain "may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data."

The potential new rule comes at the behest of the Biden administration. However, with President Joe Biden having less than a month left in office, the decision on the Chinese drones will ultimately be made by President-elect Donald Trump.

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Why is the US worried about Chinese drones?

Drones have "evolved over the past decade to include sophisticated cameras, receivers and artificial intelligence abilities," said The New York Times. This has led to "concerns that they could be turned into a useful tool for an adversarial government," with China at the forefront of these worries. China already has a large presence in the American drone market; Chinese-based companies account for at least 75% of the drones sold in the U.S.

The Commerce Department also noted that Chinese drones could "damage physical infrastructure in a collision, deliver an explosive payload or gather information about critical infrastructure," said the Times, which could create additional national security concerns.

Most pressing to the U.S. is DJI, a Shenzhen, China-based company that sells over half of all commercial drones in the United States. American officials have "repeatedly raised concerns that DJI drones pose data transmission, surveillance and national security risks, which the company rejects," said Reuters. DJI has also been added to a "list of companies allegedly working with Beijing's military," and the Pentagon has banned the use of the company's drones by the U.S. government. This is part of a "series of steps" taken by politicians to "crack down on Chinese drones over the last year," including a bill signed by Biden that could prevent DJI drones from being sold in the U.S.

What would a Chinese drone ban mean?

If passed, the ban "could impose restrictions similar to those that would effectively ban Chinese vehicles from the United States," said Reuters. The ban would focus on "drones with Chinese and Russian equipment, chips and software."

This would be the "latest move in the escalating trade and tech decoupling between the world's two largest economies," said the South China Morning Post. There will now be an investigation into "threats posed by foreign adversaries, and the potential economic impact of the proposed regulations on affected entities." Trump's administration will decide whether to implement a drone ban in the coming months; the Commerce Department is seeking public comments on the drone supply chain by March 4.

Chinese officials have pushed back against the American allegations. China "stands firmly opposed to the US' overstretching the concept of national security, disrupting and restricting normal international trade and economic exchange, undermining global industrial and supply chains stability," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning per the Global Times, China's English-language state-run newspaper. The country will "take all necessary measures to firmly defend its legitimate and lawful rights and interests."