Not only SMIC China’s major drone manufacturer DJI has also been blacklisted by the United States as an economic entity | Anue Juheng-International Political Economy

The world’s largest drone manufacturer, DJI in Shenzhen, China, and dozens of other Chinese companies have all been blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce as economic entities.

Previously, “Reuters” reported that dozens of Chinese companies are being blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce, including the Chinese chip manufacturer SMIC.

US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross criticized on Friday that China “used ubiquitous surveillance to suppress citizens in Xinjiang and other regions.”

The U.S. Department of Commerce blacklisted 4 companies, including DJI, AGCU Scientech, China National Scientific Instruments and Materials, and Kuang-Chi Group. “Gene collection, surveillance, and face recognition technologies are being used on a large scale to violate human rights in China, and these four companies even export their products and technologies to other countries that suppress the people, which runs counter to the foreign policy of the United States.”

The four Chinese companies did not immediately respond on Friday.

The US government has previously expressed concerns about DJI and other Chinese drone manufacturers. In January of this year, the U.S. Department of the Interior stated that it had grounded about 800 UAVs made in China, and earlier stopped the purchase of such UAVs by the Department of the Interior.

In May 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alerted U.S. companies that Chinese-made drones might pose risks to company data.

In addition, US lawmakers decided this month not to prohibit US companies from purchasing Chinese drone technology.