China’s drone manufacturer DJI has filed a lawsuit against the US department of defense (DoD), challenging its inclusion on a blacklist of Chinese military companies, the company announced on Saturday. DJI claimed that the designation given to it by the Pentagon, a metonym for the department of defense and its leadership, is incorrect.
“On October 18, DJI filed a lawsuit to challenge the department of defense’s (DoD) erroneous designation of the company as a ‘Chinese military company,’” DJI told AFP.
“DJI is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military, and the DoD itself acknowledges that DJI makes consumer and commercial drones, not military drones,” the company added. “DJI is a private company and should not be misclassified as a military company.”
In recent years, DJI has come under scrutiny from Washington for allegedly surveilling ethnic minorities in China. Its drones have reportedly been used by both sides in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The Pentagon added DJI to its list of Chinese military-linked companies in 2022. It claimed at that time that China ensures access to advanced technologies and expertise through PRC companies, universities, and research programs that appear to be civilian but support military advancements. The Pentagon stated that this was part of China’s effort to “highlight and counter (China’s) Military-Civil Fusion strategy, which supports the modernization goals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).”
Founded in 2006, DJI said that it tried to engage with the DoD for over sixteen months before deciding to seek relief in federal court.
The company said, “DJI is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military, and the DoD itself acknowledges that DJI manufactures consumer and commercial drones, not military drones. DJI is a private company and should not be misclassified as a military company.”
DJI’s lawsuit follows several measures by Washington targeting Chinese tech companies due to national security concerns. Last month, the US commerce department banned the sale of vehicles that incorporate Chinese technology over similar risks.
DJI is a leading global manufacturer of consumer and commercial drones, used for various applications including aerial photography, filmmaking, crop-dusting, search and rescue, and public safety.
The company has also faced controversy amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict when the Ukrainian government accused DJI of aiding Russia with its AeroScope system, which was allegedly used to guide missiles. DJI denied these claims and suspended business operations in both Russia and Ukraine in April 2022 to reassess compliance requirements.
DJI was also previously blacklisted by the US department of the treasury in 2021 for allegedly supporting the surveillance of the Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang region.