China’s DJI has lost the ability to freely import its drones into the United States, and the manufacturer’s latest model, the Air 3S consumer drone, will not yet go on sale at retail, the company said.
Image source: dji.com
There is no talk of a ban on the import of DJI drones into the United States as such – the import restriction, according to the manufacturer, refers to “a broad initiative by the Department of Homeland Security to verify the origin of products, in particular in the case of drones of Chinese origin.” The company sent a letter to its distributors, according to which the US Customs and Border Protection refers to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) when blocking the import of its products, although DJI denies that it uses forced labor in the production of products.
The company posted a statement on its corporate blog describing the incident as a “misunderstanding” and said it had sent documents to U.S. Customs confirming that it does not have a manufacturing facility in China’s Xinjiang region, where the Uyghur population is persecuted. DJI has assured that it complies with international standards and US laws, and US retailers have already audited its supply chain. All of the company’s products are manufactured in Malaysia and Shenzhen, China.
It is worth noting that DJI is not currently listed on the Department of Homeland Security’s list of UFLPA violators; but earlier the company was added to the “black list” of the Ministry of Trade for allegedly supplying products to the Chinese authorities to monitor the Uyghurs. In June, the US House of Representatives voted for a bill that would ban the import of DJI drones, but it still needs to be approved by the Senate; The Senate has also prepared its own bill, which could result in a ban on the import of DJI products, but it has not yet been adopted.
«The customs issue, DJI said, had previously affected corporate and agricultural models, but now American consumers have lost the opportunity to purchase the Air 3S – it is only available on the company’s website. The manufacturer is trying to resolve the problem with the Border and Customs Service and hopes that this will be done quickly. But even in the worst case scenario, if the import of DJI products is prohibited by law, current owners of drones will retain the right to use them. But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will not be able to allow DJI devices equipped with radio modules to work in the country, which is tantamount to blocking imports.