BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese drone maker DJI said Saturday it has sued the U.S. Defense Department for designating it as a military company and adding it to a blacklist. This move on the part of DJI deserves support as all enterprises are entitled to challenge unreasonable and unjust treatment through legal means.
In recent years, the United States has notoriously and repeatedly suppressed Chinese companies under the pretext of national security concerns. Such tactics employed by some American politicians gravely undermine normal trade and cooperation between China and the United States, while also disrupting the market order.
For example, using the same excuse, the United States has pushed the exclusion of telecommunications equipment from Chinese telecom firms Huawei and ZTE. TikTok, an online video entertainment platform used by 170 million Americans, faces either a sell-off or ban in the United States. TikTok has also launched a legal challenge. Ironically, there are U.S. politicians who are using TikTok for presidential election purposes.
Measures such as these clearly discriminate against Chinese companies, and damage relations between the world's two largest economies. In addition, they also significantly harm the interests of American people and businesses.
According to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, nearly three years after the launch of a replacement program, only 12 percent of local telecom companies have completed the removal of Huawei and ZTE network equipment. Notably, some U.S. rural telecom providers are "on the verge of bankruptcy" due to this replacement drive.
The U.S. defense department added DJI to its blacklist in 2022. In September 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill which will further restrict imports of DJI drones. Yet many companies, organizations and industry leaders in the United States oppose the bill. The California Fire Chiefs Association said that a ban on DJI drones would severely impact local public safety operations.
For quite a while now, some U.S. politicians have clung to an outdated Cold War mentality and resorted to various means, including unilateral sanctions, trade restrictions and legislation, in a bid to constrain the development of China's key industries and serve U.S. hegemony. Their national security threat rhetoric is nothing but a pretext, dressed up to look like genuine concern that is, in fact, counterfeit.
Chinese firms certainly have the right to protect their legitimate interests. Initiating a lawsuit may well be the last resort, as no enterprise really wants to sue a government, particularly while doing business in a foreign country. Such a step can be prevented if companies are provided with a fair and reasonable business environment based on the rule of law. In such an environment there would be no incentive for the type of legal action Chinese firms are having to resort to.
Clearly, there are U.S. politicians who have gone beyond acceptable boundaries in terms of their treatment of some Chinese companies, thereby forcing such companies to turn to legal weapons in a quest to protect their interests. These companies deserve applause and it is hoped they can secure justice via their lawsuits. ■
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