Opinion | Is China out to spy on Australia with drones and other tech? Maybe that’s the wrong question

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Protecting Australia’s national security interests will need security reviews of all foreign technology involved, as well as a review of overall security strategy

Imported tech could be vetted, rather than just counting Chinese devices and debating issue. And what about potential harm from the likes of Russia, Iran?

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Chinese drones and other technology have been worrying the Australian government. Photo: Shutterstock

Ausma BernotandPatrick F Walsh

Published: 9:00pm, 19 May 2023

Australian government agencies’ use of Chinese-made technology has been making headlines again. This time, the potential threat comes from DJI drones produced by the Shenzhen-headquartered company Da Jiang Innovations.

A cessation order signed earlier this month will see the Australian Defence Force (ADF) suspend its use of DJI products, pending a six-month security audit of the force’s supply chain. DJI drones were being used for training and military exercises.

DJI joins a growing list of Chinese technology producers spurring anxiety in Australia and among allies. But the disproportionate focus on Chinese-made technologies might not be doing Australia’s national security much good.

A history of pointing the finger at China

It is important to note DJI does have links with China’s ruling political party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which has its own branch within the company. DJI also supports public security efforts in Xinjiang. Recent research has demonstrated how private surveillance companies in China will keenly adopt the CCP’s language to position themselves advantageously in the domestic market.

All of the above has raised national security concerns in Australia – and not for the first time. In 2018, Malcolm Turnbull’s government blocked Huawei from supplying Australia’s 5G infrastructure, to ensure the security of critical infrastructure. Turnbull said Australia must “defend our sovereignty with the same passion that China seeks to defend its sovereignty”.

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Ukraine denies Russia’s claim it tried to assassinate Vladimir Putin with drone attack on Kremlin

An ongoing case is also being made against TikTok, with critics pointing to the potential for the CCP to use the app to harvest data. The platform was banned from Australian government devices in April.

In another example, the shadow cybersecurity and home affairs minister, James Paterson, earlier this year called for the removal at government sites of all CCTV cameras supplied by China-based companies Hikvision and Dahua. This came after an audit that involved counting the number of their cameras being used on government premises – there were more than 900.