DJI appeals inclusion on Pentagon’s ‘Chinese military companies’ list

Chinese drone maker DJI has appealed a US federal court’s decision that it should remain on the Pentagon’s blacklist of companies allegedly linked to China’s military.

The Shenzhen-based company filed the appeal on Monday to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. DJI filed a lawsuit last October, arguing that it is not owned or controlled by the Chinese military and does not contribute to China’s defence industrial base.

The drone manufacturer, which sells over half of all US commercial drones, was first added to the annually updated list of Chinese military companies, known under US law as the “Section 1260H list”, in 2022.

While placement on the Department of Defence (DOD) blacklist does not involve immediate bans, it sends a stark warning to US entities about the risks of conducting business with affected companies, while putting more pressure on Congress and other executive branch agencies to add further restrictions.

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China’s biggest drone maker DJI blacklisted by US defence department

In its lawsuit, DJI said the Defence Department’s “unlawful and misguided” decision stigmatised it as a national security threat and cost it business deals in the US and internationally, including multiple US federal agencies.

South China Morning Post