Chinese drone maker DJI filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Defense on Saturday, challenging its inclusion on a blacklist of “Chinese military companies” (CMC) and asking to be removed from it, Radio China reported.
In a statement sent to the Global Times, DJI called its blacklisting “wrong” and noted that it had made multiple attempts over 16 months to contact the relevant department before going to court.
“The Ministry of Defense itself recognizes that DJI manufactures consumer and commercial drones, not military drones,” the company said in a statement, quoted by the Xinhua news agency.
DJI was blacklisted by the US Department of Defense in 2022. In response, the company released a statement on its website emphasizing that it is “the only drone company that clearly condemns and actively discourages the use of our products for military purposes.” . DJI also highlighted the suspension of its operations in Russia and Ukraine to prevent its drones from being used in the ongoing conflict.