Display at a DJI drone store in Shanghai, China, on December 18, 2021. Photo: CFOTO / Future Publishing (Getty Images)
DJI, the world’s largest hobby drone maker, will stop selling drones in Russia and Ukraine due to concerns “about the reported military use of its products,” according to the company. This move will come as a surprise to many, if only because China, where DJI is based, is an ally of Russia.
At least 750 companies have withdrawn from Russia or cut back there since the country first invaded Ukraine on February 24, but DJI is the first major Chinese company believed to have left the Russian market – at least temporarily. .
DJI was quick to point out that its drones were intended for civilian use only, but also said the drone manufacturer was conducting a “compliance check” that included potential sanctions violations. The United States and many other Western companies have imposed harsh sanctions on Russia, which is still at war with Ukraine, leaving thousands dead and millions displaced.
“DJI is temporarily suspending its operations in Russia and Ukraine before the compliance review is completed,” a DJI spokesman said in an email early Wednesday.
DJI went on to say it was “concerned about the reported military use of our products,” something the company first noted last week on April 21 when it said in a statement online that any attempt to attach weapons to DJI drones was contrary to its basic principles.
“DJI used to make products only for civilian use; they are not intended for military applications. Such use is against our principles and has potential consequences for compliance with the law, “the company said in a statement to Gizmodo.
“Our compliance review covers a number of aspects. One of them concerns the applicable export control laws in different jurisdictions, “DJI continued.
DJI has been criticized by some in the United States who believe the company’s products pose a threat to national security. Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr even called for DJI drones to be banned from the United States last year over fears the company was “collecting huge amounts of sensitive data” that could be passed on to the Chinese government, a claim for which there is no solid evidence.
As Reuters notes, China’s Didi driving app, Udi, almost left the Russian market shortly after the start of the war, but gave up after receiving warmth from Chinese citizens. In an unscientific assessment of Chinese websites, The Diplomat found that approximately 40% of people are neutral about the invasion of Ukraine, while 30% support Russia and 20% support Ukraine.
More than 5.2 million people have fled Ukraine as refugees, according to the latest data released by the United Nations, with most asylum seekers currently in Poland. The UN estimates that more than 8 million Ukrainians will leave the country before the end of the war. However, it is still unclear what Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal is in Ukraine. Putin still insists that the invasion of Ukraine is nothing more than a “special operation”, but it increasingly seems that the goal is to capture at least the eastern region of the country.
If more Chinese companies start withdrawing from Russia, either in principle or out of a desire to stay on the good side of US sanctions, it will hurt Russia’s already bleeding economy. DJI may be the first in a very long exodus of Chinese companies that simply prefer to do business in the United States and do not want to be blocked by the lucrative US market.
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