Spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce on Responding to Journalist's Questions on Drone Export Control Policies Export | Drone | Spokesperson
On July 31st, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration of Science and Technology for National Defense, and the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission jointly issued two announcements on drone export controls. May I ask if the Chinese side has any consideration for the introduction of export control policies on drones this time?
Answer: With approval, on July 31st, the Ministry of Commerce of China, together with relevant departments, issued two announcements on drone export controls, implementing export controls on some drone specific engines, important payloads, wireless communication equipment, and civilian anti drone systems, and implementing temporary export controls for some consumer grade drones for a period of 2 years. At the same time, all other civilian drones not included in the control are prohibited from being exported for military purposes. The above policy will be officially implemented from September 1st. Previously, we have already informed relevant countries and regions.
High performance drones have certain military attributes, and implementing export controls on them is an international practice. Since 2002, China has gradually implemented export controls on drones, with control scope and technical standards consistent with international standards. In recent years, with the rapid development of drone technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, the risk of some high specification and high-performance civilian drones being converted to military use continues to rise. As a major producer and exporter of drones, China has decided to moderately expand its export controls on drones based on a thorough evaluation and demonstration, without targeting any specific countries or regions.
The Chinese government has always been committed to maintaining global security and regional stability, and has consistently opposed the use of civilian drones for military purposes. The moderate expansion of drone control by China this time is an important measure to demonstrate the responsibility of a responsible major country, implement global security initiatives, and maintain world peace.
China has always believed that technological progress should benefit people of all countries. The Chinese government firmly supports Chinese enterprises in conducting international trade and cooperation in the civilian field of drones. It should be pointed out that export controls are not prohibitions on exports. As long as it is used for legitimate civil purposes, it can be exported normally after fulfilling relevant procedures. In the future, for export enterprises with good internal compliance systems, regulatory authorities will actively adopt convenient measures such as general licensing to support compliant exports.