US lawmakers ask Biden administration to raise tariffs on Chinese drones By Reuters
© Reuters. U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) attends a press conference at the Taipei Guest House in Taipei, Taiwan, February 22, 2024. REUTERS/Ben Blanchard/File Photo
David Shepherdson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday called on the Biden administration to impose higher tariffs on Chinese drones, including those shipped from other countries, and new incentives to boost U.S. drone manufacturers. I did.
House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, the panel’s top Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and 11 other lawmakers called on the government to take immediate action against Chinese drone manufacturers, including DJI and Autel. urged.
They said in a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Commerce, and Department of Homeland Security that the tariff increases were included “to prevent the mass proliferation of technologies in U.S. markets that pose clear national and economic security threats.”
USTR and the Commerce Department said they had received the letter but declined to comment.
DJI says it opposes restrictions based on country of origin and strictly adheres to “all applicable data privacy laws, regulations and norms in the United States and everywhere else we operate.” DJI added that its drones are “helping American businesses operate more efficiently and solve problems.”
Autel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The additional 25% tariff currently imposed on Chinese drones is “insufficient to stem the surge in imports,” the letter said.
The push for drones comes after several lawmakers urged the Biden administration to increase tariffs on Chinese-made vehicles.
Lawmakers said Chinese drone companies control more than 77% of the U.S. hobby drone market and more than 90% of the commercial drone market.
The letter pointed out that Malaysia’s drone exports to the United States, which were minimal until 2019, surged to 242,000 units in 2022 and exceeded 565,000 units in the first 11 months of 2023.
“These figures raise concerns that China may use Malaysia to evade U.S. law through transshipment,” the letter said, referring to the initials of the People’s Republic of China.
The letter also raised national security concerns, saying Chinese drones “risk endangering Americans.”
“The data is in the hands of the Chinese military and intelligence agencies.”
Last November, the committee and other lawmakers asked the Biden administration to investigate and potentially sanction Autel Robotics. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi have introduced legislation to ban the U.S. government from purchasing Chinese drones.
In 2019, Congress banned the Defense Department from purchasing or using drones and components manufactured in China.
