Chinese Drone Maker DJI Joins Huawei in Pentagon’s Blacklist

Shenzhen-based DJI Technology Co, the world’s largest maker of consumer drones, has been added to the Pentagon’s list of over ten Chinese companies that it deems to be connected to Beijing’s military.

The Pentagon said it “is determined to highlight and counter the … military-civil fusion strategy, which supports the modernization goals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by ensuring its access to advanced technologies and expertise are acquired and developed by People's Republic of China (PRC) companies, universities and research programs that appear to be civilian entities.”

This list includes BGI Genomics, China’s largest genomics firm, as well as infrastructure project giant China State Construction Group.

The list was required by last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), annual must-pass legislation that guides funding for the U.S. military.

The move clears the way for the U.S. Commerce Department to enact restrictions on American business transactions with the companies, including investments.

This follows the publication of an initial blacklist last year which included Huawei Technologies, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Ltd. (AVIC), China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited (CASIC), NORINCO, China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), etc. Huawei was already on the Commerce Department’s Entity List which prohibits the company from acquiring U.S. technology.