The Chinese communist regime has announced that it will ban the export of unregulated civilian drones that can be used for military purposes or terrorist activities, while also lifting some previous temporary restrictions on its drones. These adjustments are set to take effect on September 1.
According to a joint statement issued by the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, and the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, the new control list includes high-precision measurement equipment and certain unmanned aircraft components. The decision is aimed at preventing drones from being used in “the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
It is worth noting that China’s Ministry of Commerce has also lifted its temporary restrictions on some civilian drones, although it did not specify which type.
This move comes as Beijing faces increasing scrutiny and criticism from Western countries, led by the United States. The West has accused China of supplying Russia with civil-military dual-use equipment that has been utilized in its war efforts in Ukraine. Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba visited Beijing in late July before this decision was made.
DJI Technology Co. Ltd., a leading drone manufacturer based in China, was blacklisted by the U.S. government due to its connections with China’s military last year. DJI stated that it opposes using its products for military purposes but admitted to being unable to track or restrict purchases made for such intentions.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, DJI announced a suspension of all business activities in Russia and Ukraine.
Under mounting international pressure, China implemented export controls on certain drones and drone-related equipment in July 2023. This included a two-year temporary ban on exporting some consumer-grade drones and prohibiting any civilian drone exports for military purposes.
However, despite these measures being taken by China, there are concerns about potential loopholes remaining regarding CCP’s drone exports. Shu Hsiao-Huang from Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research believes that there may still be channels through which these controls can be bypassed.
Shu points out that general consumer drones capable of transmitting image data can be utilized in combat situations based on their use during the Russia-Ukraine conflict earlier this year.
While concerns persist about consumer drones potentially being repurposed for military use, Su Tzu-yun from Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research notes that these types of drones are typically small-scale devices primarily used for photography with limited control range and payload capacity.
Additionally, Shu suggests that CCP may have concerns about potential further sanctions imposed by the United States on Chinese drone exports which could impact their market presence in Western countries.
Furthermore, Western nations are worried about Chinese drone technology potentially reaching Iran or Russia since Iran relies heavily on Russian-made drones which were involved in an attack against Israel earlier this year. Even if direct supply is not occurring between CCP and these countries’ drone programs directly installed Chinese-made parts could still pose a risk according to Shu Hsiao-Huang.