US weighs ban on Chinese drones, citing national security concerns
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Thursday that it was considering a new rule that could restrict or ban Chinese drones in the United States out of national security concerns.
In a notice, the Commerce Department said the involvement of foreign adversaries — notably China and Russia — in the design, development, manufacture and supply of drones could pose “undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security.”
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The notice requested private companies to comment on the scope and implications of the rule by March 4. The decision of what restrictions to impose, if any, on Chinese and Russian drones will fall to the Trump administration.
China and Russia have shown a willingness to compromise U.S. infrastructure and security through cyberespionage, the Commerce Department said, adding that the governments could leverage their laws and political situations to “co-opt private entities for national interests.”
Beyond the use of drones by hobbyists, the devices are employed in a variety of U.S. industries. They help farmers monitor crops and spray for pests, inspect pipelines for the chemical industry, survey bridges and construction sites, and aid firefighters and other emergency responders.
But drones have evolved over the past decade to include sophisticated cameras, receivers and artificial intelligence abilities, fueling concerns that they could be turned into a useful tool for an adversarial government.
Companies based in China account for at least 75% of the U.S. drone market, a dominance that “provides ample exploitation opportunities,” the Commerce Department said. It added that Russia accounted for a relatively small portion of global drone sales but had announced its intention to invest heavily in developing the domestic market.
