White House Runs Mandated National Security Review of Chinese Tech

Upcoming executive orders under President Trump could put an end to the game of tag that has left Chinese drone manufacturer DJI on the run from a US import ban for years. The orders aim to target alleged security risks and boost domestic production rates.

Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik introduced the Countering CCP Drones Act in April 2023, which would have placed mega drone manufacturer DJI on an FCC-maintained list of companies that pose a risk to national security and barred DJI from making sales in the US.

The bill moved through Congress, and supporters expected it to be included in the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Rulemakers had a different plan, finalizing the NDAA without including the Countering CCP Drones Act and instead requiring an unspecified “appropriate national security agency” to conduct a risk assessment on Chinese-made drones within the next year.

“The legislation unfairly singles out drones manufactured in China and does not designate an agency to conduct the required risk study,” DJI responded. “DJI should be provided with a fair opportunity and allowed due process in order to either validate or address any potential findings from the assessment, as no technology audit is ever perfect.”

While this mandate gave DJI some temporary breathing room, President Donald Trump is setting up to sign new executive orders that explicitly target Chinese-made drone technology. It would likely direct US intelligence to accelerate the previously mandated national security assessment for both DJI and Autel.

The outcome of these executive orders could effectively prevent the sale of all new Chinese drones in the US and keep Americans from importing this technology. It would not affect DJI drones already owned by US customers, though lawmakers have already made moves to limit flights and keep them further away from critical infrastructure.

FMI: www.dji.com