A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is asking the Biden administration to impose tariffs of more than 25% on Chinese drones, even if they are imported from other countries.
House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, a Republican, and co-chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat, led a group of more than 11 other lawmakers in making the request.
In a letter sent to the Department of Homeland Security, Commerce, and the US Trade Representative today, they asked the Biden administration to take immediate action against two Chinese drone manufacturers, DJI and Autel.
One of the demands is to increase tariffs to “prevent” the proliferation of Chinese technology in the US market, as they are considered to pose a clear threat to economic and national security. They argue that the current 25% tariff on Chinese-made UAVs is “insufficient” to curb imports.
The group of lawmakers said Chinese UAV companies hold more than 77% of the recreational UAV market share and more than 90% of the commercial UAV market share in the US.
A Chinese police drone made by DJI patrols in Yantai city, Shandong province on February 23. Photo: Reuters
Additionally, they noted that the number of UAVs exported from Malaysia to the US increased from a minimum in 2019 to 242,000 in 2022 and up to 565,000 in the first 11 months of 2023.
“These figures raise concerns that China may be using Malaysia as a transit point to circumvent US laws,” the letter said.
They also stressed that Chinese UAVs "pose a risk of collecting American data to provide to Chinese military and intelligence agencies." DJI has repeatedly asserted that its UAVs do not pose a threat to American users' data.
Relevant US government agencies have not commented on this information.
The request to increase tariffs on Chinese drones comes after some lawmakers called on the Biden administration to take similar action against Chinese-made vehicles.
In November, the China Commission and other lawmakers asked the Biden administration to investigate and, if necessary, sanction Shanghai-based Autel Robotics. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi have also introduced legislation to ban the U.S. government from buying drones from the Asian country. Congress in 2019 banned the Pentagon from buying or using drones and components made in China.
Thanh Tam (According to Reuters )
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