Foreign buyers of Chinese drone parts are paying sharply higher prices as Beijing tightens exports of critical components amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war.
Suppliers and intermediaries who ship parts have as much as doubled their prices for foreign customers, who have few alternative sources, as Beijing strengthens enforcement of controls, said purchasers at the Shenzhen Unmanned Aerial Systems Expo in southern China last month.
The nearly $41bn commercial drone market has become increasingly important to militaries across the globe as devices meant for civilian use are deployed on battlefields in Ukraine and the Middle East.