|
The House members, including Representatives Elise Stefanik,
Ashley Hinson and John Moolenaar, who chairs a select committee
on China, asked the Agriculture Department and Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency, in letters seen by Reuters, to
detail the administration's efforts to address risks posed by
aerosol-dispensing drones.
The lawmakers asked for a briefing by Sept. 30, citing the large
number of drones produced by Chinese drone manufacturer DJI as a
security concern.
DJI responded that it has no ties to the Chinese military,
saying in an emailed statement "the unfounded accusations
against our agricultural drone technology are putting U.S.
farmers at risk by potentially depriving them of the tremendous
benefits that DJI spray drones offer."
The company said its agricultural drone technology "supports
sustainable agriculture, allowing American farmers and business
owners to integrate additional precision farming practices into
their operations."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said China "firmly supports
Chinese companies in carrying out international trade and
cooperation in drones for civilian use, and opposes certain
countries' frequent illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and
individuals on the grounds of so-called national security."
The U.S. agencies declined to comment.
The congressional letter noted that the Commerce Department has
imposed export restrictions on aerosol dispensing drones that
have potential to be used as weapons delivery platforms.
"The risk of these DJI agricultural spray drones being
manipulated to carry out an attack in the United States cannot
be ignored," the letter said. "Relying on our greatest strategic
adversary for technology critical to the success of our
agricultural production endangers the resiliency of our food
supply."
Stefanik called on the Agriculture Department and the
cybersecurity agency to "take immediate action to mitigate the
risks of Chinese-manufactured drones to our agriculture
industry." She has proposed legislation seeking to bar new DJI
drones from operating in the United States.
DJI agriculture drones use advanced sensors that can collect and
interpret crop data that is "impossible for the human eye to
see", the lawmakers wrote, arguing that China could use the
sensors "to gain access into granular level detail on the
stability and condition of the U.S. agriculture sector."
In 2020, the U.S imposed export restrictions on DJI. Lawmakers
have said DJI accounts for more than 50% of all U.S. drone
purchases.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and
William Mallard)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All
rights reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
