US plans restrictions on imports of Chinese drones and heavy-duty vehicles

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration plans to issue rules to restrict or potentially bar imports of Chinese drones and medium and heavy-duty vehicles after an earlier crackdown on cars and trucks, citing national security concerns.

AI Brief

The US Commerce Department will soon issue rules targeting drones and heavy vehicles from China over national security concerns.
These rules may restrict key drone components and follow earlier actions to block Chinese cars and trucks by 2026.
The US is increasing efforts to reduce reliance on Chinese tech and boost domestic drone manufacturing.

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

It did not give details on what the import rules would be.

The Commerce Department and Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.

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.

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

Democratic former President Joe Biden's administration finalized rules in January that will effectively bar nearly all Chinese cars and trucks from the U.S. market starting in late 2026, as part of a crackdown on vehicle software and hardware from China.

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

The department opened national security investigations into the import of drones and related components in July and into medium and heavy duty vehicles and parts in April, which could lead to higher tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump in June signed executive orders to bolster defenses against threatening drones and to boost U.S. drone manufacturing.

In December, Biden signed legislation that could eventually ban DJI and Autel from selling new drone models in the United States.