China to Impose New Export Controls on Drones, Equipment

China will soon impose export controls on certain unmanned aerial vehicles and related equipment in what is said is an effort to safeguard its national security. The restrictions, effective Spet. 1, will cover certain UAVs and their engines, infrared imaging equipment, radars, lasers, radio communication equipment, jamming equipment and more, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced July 31, according to an unofficial translation. It added that “all other civilian drones that are not included in the control are prohibited from being exported for military purposes.”

The export controls are meant to target drones that “have certain military attributes,” the ministry said, adding that “it is an international practice to impose export controls on” those technologies. “In recent years, with the rapid development of UAV technology and the continuous expansion of application scenarios, the risk of some high-specification and high-performance civilian UAVs being converted to military use continues to rise,” the ministry said. “As a major producer and exporter of drones, China has decided to moderately expand export controls on drones on the basis of full assessment and demonstration, without targeting any specific country or region.”

Chinese exporters will have to apply for and receive a license from the Commerce Ministry before shipping the controlled items. Items that have a “major impact on national security” will go before China’s State Council for approval, the ministry said. The agency added that it will “impose administrative penalties in accordance with relevant laws and regulations” on exporters that violate the controls, who may be “held criminally responsible.”