Chinese drone maker DJI fights to shake off ‘military’ tag

DJI was featured in a video published by The Financial Times on November 22, titled ‘Should the US ban Chinese drones’

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Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang visits DJI Technology in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Oct. 13, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Iris Dengin ShenzhenandYi Luoin Hong Kong

Published: 9:00am, 4 Dec 2024Updated: 11:21am, 4 Dec 2024

Chinese drone maker DJI is fighting to prove that it is not linked to the country’s military, an allegation that has resulted in US sanctions, as it continues to wage a legal and public image battle amid US-China geopolitical rivalry.

Although the world’s largest drone maker has denied that its products are intended for military use after reports of its drones being used on the Ukraine battlefield, and has denied any links to China’s People’s Liberation Army, the Shenzhen-based company has remained under intense scrutiny.

In October, DJI, which was founded by Chinese entrepreneur Frank Wang in 2006, filed a lawsuit against the US Defence Department over its addition to the list of companies working with Beijing’s military, saying the designation was wrong and has caused it significant financial harm.

DJI was featured in a video published by the Financial Times (FT) on November 22, titled “Should the US ban Chinese drones”. It showed a group photo of DJI employees posing in front of “a military training camp”, citing it as a red flag for Washington.

A DJI Phantom 3 drone during a demonstration flight at a farm and winery in the US, on June 11, 2015. Photo: AP

A DJI spokesperson said in a statement on Monday that it was just a team-building event, similar to how many Western firms send executives for military-style training.

In the 23-minute video posted on YouTube, Adam Welsh, head of global policy at DJI, is quoted on camera as saying it was a corporate outing and not an indication of military cooperation.