Chinese drone maker says products will remain on sale despite US restrictions
Chinese drone maker SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, which the United States added on Friday with dozens of Chinese companies to a restricted trade list, said its products will remain on sale despite the move.
DJI is disappointed with the US Department of Commerce’s decision, a company representative said in an emailed statement. “US customers can continue to purchase and use DJI products normally.”
The administration of US President Donald Trump is escalating tensions with China in its final weeks in power.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have increased amid the handling of the coronavirus, round-trip sanctions, a trade war for tariffs and China’s imposition of its national security law on Hong Kong .
Typically, publicly traded companies are required to apply for licenses from the Department of Commerce that come under scrutiny when requesting permission to receive items from US suppliers. An entity list designation does not prevent a company from selling products in the United States.
The U.S. government has previously raised concerns about DJI and other Chinese drone makers.
In January, the US Department of the Interior said it was blocking its fleet of around 800 China-made drones and had previously halted additional purchases of those drones.
Separately, U.S. lawmakers this month chose not to ban the purchase of Chinese drone technology by U.S. agencies as part of an annual defense bill.
