- General
- December 18, 2020
- 3 minutes read
US Blacklists Drone Maker DJI
The United States Commerce Department has announced the addition of a fresh set of Chinese companies to its ‘Entity’ blacklist, precisely…
The United States Commerce Department has announced the addition of a fresh set of Chinese companies to its ‘Entity’ blacklist, precisely 77 in number. Included in the new set is DJI, the popular Chinese drone maker whose drones dominate the consumer drone market globally.
The US asserts the targets of the fresh blacklist are “entities in China that enable human rights abuses, entities that supported the militarization and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, entities that acquired U.S.-origin items in support of the People’s Liberation Army’s programs, and entities and persons that engaged in the theft of U.S. trade secrets.”
Once added to the Entity List, American companies are restricted from exporting technology to any blacklisted firm without a license and permission from the American government, making it harder for such firms to work and collaborate with companies based in the US.
DJI has previously been reported to have worked on surveillance systems for the Chinese government so it seems that its blacklist traces back to that work. Notably, DJI is one of the few Chinese companies with a strong brand name both in and outside its home country, thanks to its lineup of consumer drones that are very popular with users across the world.
Along with DJI, another notable Chinese firm that also just got blacklisted is SMIC, a partially state-owned chipmaker that’s one of the biggest companies of its kind.
Photo credit: DJI
