DJI: ‘DJI Is Not Controlled by the Government and Has No Ties to the Military’

In response to a court ruling last week, DJI has published a statement on its blog reiterating that it is not controlled by the Chinese government and has no ties to the nation’s military. It also argues that despite the ruling, the court actually largely agrees with them on this stance.

Last week, DJI lost a lawsuit it filed last year against the U.S. Department of Justice, arguing that it should not be listed as a Chinese military or military-associated company. On the Department of Defense’s list of “entities identified as Chinese Military Companies,” last updated in January, DJI is listed as Shenzen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (DJI). Following today’s ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman, DJI will remain on the list, despite the company’s insistence that it is “neither owned or controlled by the Chinese military.”

In a blog post published to DJI’s website today, DJI notes that while it lost its lawsuit, the judge actually agreed with DJI.

“The Court affirmatively rejected most of DOD’s allegations. It found no basis for DoD’s claims that DJI is owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, affiliated with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or affiliated with a military-civil fusion enterprise zone,” DJI writes.

“While the Court disappointingly permitted DoD’s designation of DJI to stand, the Court in so doing made several critical findings confirming DJI’s long-held position that DJI is not controlled by the government and has no ties to the military.”

The reason that DJI remains on the DoD’s Chinese military company list, despite seeming to agree with DJI’s case, is that the Court also found that the DoD has wide-ranging discretion to put whatever entities it wants to on that list. So while Judge came to different conclusions about DJI’s ownership and connection to the Chinese government or its military, he found that the DoD can still place it there since he agreed that it is possible that DJI may be a “military-civil fusion contributor, which is enough justification for the DoD to keep DJI on the list.

“DJI remains dedicated to advancing drone technology that benefits society, and we are evaluating avenues available to respond to this ruling. Our focus is, and will continue to be, on empowering creators, businesses, and public safety organizations worldwide with safe, innovative, and accessible technology,” DJI says.

DJI’s full statement can be read on its website.

Image credits: DJI