Ongoing Efforts to Restrict Use of Chinese language Drone Know-how within the U.S. Intensify
Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Rating Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the Home Choose Committee on the Strategic Competitors Between the USA and the Chinese language Communist Occasion have taken a brand new step of their ongoing efforts to handle nationwide safety considerations associated to Chinese language drone know-how. In letters to Anzu Robotics’ CEO, Randall Warnas, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the lawmakers demanded readability on Anzu’s relationship with SZ DJI Know-how Co., Ltd. (DJI), the Chinese language drone firm that holds roughly 80% of the worldwide drone market share.
Considerations Over Anzu’s Relationship with DJI
Of their correspondence to Anzu’s CEO, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi raised considerations about Anzu’s enterprise practices, citing safety researchers who found that Anzu’s Raptor T drone is actually a rebranded DJI Mavic 3. The letter said, “[S]ecurity researchers have confirmed that Anzu’s Raptor T is actually a DJI Mavic 3 painted inexperienced, with its distant management and utility all working on DJI know-how.”
The lawmakers questioned whether or not Anzu is performing as a “passthrough firm” for DJI, geared toward circumventing U.S. restrictions on DJI merchandise.
The letter questions the unconventional nature of the DJI-Anzu relationship. Anzu claims that DJI gives industry-leading drone know-how by way of a license that enables Anzu to change and manufacture the know-how with out sharing royalties or possession, and with no requirement to report buyer information. The lawmakers remarked, “Given these information, it’s exhausting to know the enterprise rationale for DJI to enter into this relationship other than utilizing it as a passthrough to bypass authorized restrictions (present and potential) positioned on its merchandise.”
Questions for Anzu Robotics
Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi requested solutions from Warnas on a number of factors, together with the date Anzu first disclosed that its drones had been rebranded DJI merchandise, the character of the contractual preparations with DJI, and particulars of any factories concerned within the manufacturing of Anzu’s drone elements. Additionally they requested why Anzu didn’t disclose its relationship with DJI till after public stories confirmed that Anzu was successfully promoting rebranded DJI merchandise.
In step with lawmakers ongoing said considerations about Chinese language manufactured drone know-how, the letter additionally questioned the safety of Anzu merchandise, notably concerning the involvement of DJI in offering technical help. Lawmakers questioned the steps Anzu has taken to make sure that DJI doesn’t extract information from U.S. clients when offering this help.
Broader Context and Subsequent Steps
This inquiry comes amidst broader efforts by Congress and federal regulators to counter the nationwide safety menace posed by Chinese language drone corporations. DJI has been a focus of those efforts.
Earlier this yr, the Home handed the Countering CCP Drones Act, which might prohibit DJI know-how from accessing U.S. communication networks if signed into legislation. Moreover, DJI has been positioned on numerous U.S. authorities restricted lists, together with the Pentagon’s blacklist as a ‘Chinese language navy firm’ and the Commerce Division’s Entity Checklist.
Lawmakers are actually questioning whether or not Anzu Robotics and one other drone maker, Cogito Tech Firm Ltd., are serving as cut-outs for DJI. They’ve requested that the Division of Commerce contemplate steps to handle these considerations and take applicable motion towards these corporations if essential.