The US Commerce Department said on Thursday it is considering new rules that would impose restrictions on Chinese drones that would restrict or ban them in the United States citing national security concerns.
The department said it was seeking public comments by March 4 on potential rules to safeguard the supply chain for drones, saying threats from China and Russia “may offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive US data.”
China accounts for the vast majority of US commercial drone sales.
In September, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the department could impose restrictions similar to those that would effectively ban Chinese vehicles from the United States and the focus would be on drones with Chinese and Russian equipment, chips, and software.
She told Reuters in November she hopes to finalize the rules on Chinese vehicles by Jan. 20.
A decision to write new rules restricting or banning Chinese drones will be made by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over on Jan. 20.
Washington has taken a series of steps to crack down on Chinese drones over the last year.
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