US government abandons plan to blacklist Chinese-made drones

The US Commerce Department has revoked a plan to slap restrictions on Chinese drones, originally proposed to address national security concerns, the latest example of the Donald Trump administration avoiding actions that might fuel tensions ahead of a planned summit between Trump and President Xi Jinping this spring.

“This decision underscores President Trump’s desire to sustain the trade framework that he and President Xi approved this past October and ensure a cordial meeting between the two leaders during his April visit to Beijing,” said Ali Wyne, senior research adviser with the International Crisis Group.

“It also underlines that his affinity for Xi and his narrow, trade-centric view of strategic competition between the United States and China make Trump an iconoclast within the Beltway,” he added, referring to the ring road around Washington.

The withdrawal appeared as a low-key update on a government tracking website on Friday, though the proposal had been formally retracted the previous day.

China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

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

This came weeks after the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates radio, television, wire, satellite and cable transmission, announced a ban on imports of new models of foreign-made drones and critical components, following similar statements from the Commerce Department in the autumn.

South China Morning Post