DJI, the Chinese drone maker, has said that Washington’s bid to block US sales of its products is an affront to an emerging industry, arguing for comprehensive regulatory standards rather than bans aimed at individual companies based on their nationality.
“You just want to prohibit the use of the product, or bar the company from doing business, just because of country of origin. Just because we’re located in China, therefore the product is not safe and secure,” said Mario Rebello, regional manager for North America at DJI, the world’s biggest drone manufacturer, at its fourth annual Airworks conference in Los Angeles. “That’s not a validation. That’s not a path forward. You shouldn’t be legislated based on country of origin.”
Last week US legislators introduced a bill that would block federal funds from being used to purchase drones from China. The American Security Drone Act of 2019, which has received bipartisan support, was drafted to prevent US agencies from relying on sophisticated technology that could allegedly leak sensitive data to Beijing.