David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday asked the Biden administration to impose higher tariffs on Chinese drones, including those sourced from other countries, as well as new incentives to incentivize U.S. drone makers.
Representative Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House China Committee, top Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthy and 11 other lawmakers called on the administration to take immediate action against Chinese drone makers, including DJI and Autel.
That included raising tariffs “to stop the massive expansion of technology into the U.S. market that poses a clear threat to national and economic security,” they said in a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative and the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security.
USTR and the Commerce Department said they had received the letters but declined to comment.
DJI said it opposes restrictions based on country of origin and said it closely complies with “all applicable data privacy laws, rules and regulations in the United States and everywhere else we operate.” DJI added that its drones “help American businesses operate more efficiently and solve problems.”
Autel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The letter said the current additional tariff of 25% on Chinese drones is “insufficient to combat the increase” in imports.
The push on drones comes as several lawmakers called on the Biden administration to raise tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles.
Chinese drone companies account for more than 77% of the U.S. hobby drone market and more than 90% of the commercial drone market, lawmakers said.
The letter noted that drone exports from Malaysia to the US, which were minimal back in 2019, jumped to 242,000 units in 2022 and exceeded 565,000 in the first 11 months of 2023.
“These figures raise concerns that the PRC may be using Malaysia to circumvent US law through transshipment,” the letter said, referring to the initials of the People’s Republic of China.
The letter also raised national security concerns about Chinese drones, saying they “risk putting U.S. citizens at risk.”
the data is in the hands of the Chinese military and intelligence services.”
In November, the committee and other lawmakers asked the Biden administration to investigate and potentially sanction Autel Robotics. Gallagher and Krishnamurthy introduced legislation that would prohibit the US government from buying Chinese drones.
Congress in 2019 banned the Pentagon from buying or using drones and components made in China.