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| Biden government imposes more sanctions on DJI |
The US Treasury imposed new sanctions on DJI and added it to the list of companies in the Chinese military industry among eight Chinese companies.
DJI is one of the largest drone companies in the world. Last year, the US government added it to the Commerce Department's Entity List, making it a national security issue and banning US companies from exporting technology to it.
The US Treasury announced: The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has identified eight Chinese technology companies. These eight units actively support the comprehensive surveillance and monitoring of China's ethnic and religious minorities, particularly the predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. As a result of the procedures in place, Americans are prohibited from buying and selling certain publicly traded securities of these companies.
"DJI is engaged in surveillance technology for the economy of the People's Republic of China. These drones have been submitted to the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau to monitor Uyghurs in Xinjiang. The public security in Xinjiang has previously been certified as foreigners' identifier," the ministry added. Engaging directly or indirectly in gross violations of human rights.
The US government said the companies support efforts to monitor and persecute Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
DJI helps China monitor Uyghurs
The White House announced a diplomatic boycott of such activities at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics last week.
During the press conference, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman was asked about the ban, and he replied: We have noted the relevant message. What I want to stress is that China has always spoken out against the US expansion of the concept of national security and the unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies. China has repeatedly revealed the truth on issues related to Xinjiang. We are closely monitoring the situation and firmly protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.
A DJI spokesperson does not want to comment on the new procedure. But he noted the company's response to sanctions over the past year. The answer was: DJI has taken no action to establish its position in the Entity List. We have focused on creating products that save lives and benefit society. DJI and its employees have always strived to bring the most innovative technology in the industry to our customers. We consider many options to ensure that our customers, partners and suppliers are treated fairly.