U.S. plans restrictions on imports of Chinese drones, heavy-duty vehicles

The Trump administration plans to issue rules to restrict or potentially bar imports of Chinese drones and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, citing national security concerns.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday said it plans to issue rules as soon as this month to targeting information and communications technology that is integral to drones and their supply chain, as well as vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds (roughly 4.5 tonnes) from countries like China and other foreign adversaries.

The planned restrictions on drones and heavy-duty vehicles follow on from similar rules already scheduled on imports of cars and other trucks. 

Chinese imports account for the vast majority of U.S. commercial drone sales. More than half come from DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer.

This follows similar measures finalized by the Biden administration in January that will effectively bar nearly all Chinese cars and trucks from the U.S. market from 2026, as part of restrictions on vehicle software and hardware from China.

The Commerce Department in January said it could also extend restrictions to drone systems like onboard computers, communications and flight control systems, ground control stations, operating software and data storage.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Mao Ning has previously stated that China firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security, which disrupts and restricts normal economic and trade exchanges, and undermines the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

"We will take all measures necessary to firmly safeguard its lawful rights and interests," said Mao.

(With input from Reuters)