DJI is suing the US Department of Defense to prevent the company from being seen as a tool of the Chinese government. The ministry placed DJI on a list of Chinese military companies because of its alleged ties to the Chinese government.
DJI claims it has no ties to the Chinese government and has suffered from the US department’s accusations. Since DJI was added to the list of companies in 2022, it says it has lost several business deals. The company is also said to have been stigmatized and DJI was prohibited from entering into deals with various government organizations in the US.
DJI further claims that the Ministry of Defense initially declined to explain why the company was added to the relevant list. That changed, according to the company, when it threatened to sue. The US Department of Defense has not yet responded to DJI’s complaint, it writes The Verge.
US government is not a fan of DJI
The Department of Defense is not the only US government agency concerned that DJI has ties to the Chinese government. In 2017, the US military asked some units to stop using DJI drones. In 2019, the US Department of the Interior grounded drones due to a risk of espionage.
DJI is also accused by the US of facilitating large-scale human rights abuses in China. It is also said to have supplied drones to the Chinese government, which then used them to monitor oppressed Uyghurs.
DJI always denied having ties with the Chinese government
DJI has always denied having ties to the Chinese government. The company also says it has nothing to do with China’s treatment of Uighurs. DJI says it simply sells drones that can be used for different purposes. What these are is beyond DJI’s control, according to the company itself.
In the indictment DJI admits that two Chinese state investment funds have had minority stakes in the company. But that wouldn’t have much influence. One of those funds is said to have sold its interests by now and the other is said to hold less than 1 percent of the shares.
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Source: www.bright.nl
