China

Export controls, the Shenzhen supply chain, and the geopolitics of the world’s drone-manufacturing superpower.

575

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Reporters on beat

Sep 30

Last updated

A DJI Mavic 4 Pro hovering between pine trees, the class of consumer drone Beijing residents must give up before November 15

China

Beijing Bans Owning A Drone, Then Offers To Buy Yours Back

Beijing bans drone possession citywide on November 15, voiding the May registration deal and paying owners subsidies to sell at designated buyback sites.

Haye KestelooSep 13

DJI FlyCart 100 drone prepared by ground crew and a Nepal Army soldier on rocky terrain for flood relief supply delivery

Disaster Response

DJI FlyCart 100s Feed Nepal Flood Survivors As US Taxes Them 100%

China answered Nepal's plea with four DJI FlyCart 100s flying up to 16 relief runs a day. The US put the same aircraft in a 100% tariff bracket on Sept. 3.

Haye KestelooSep 11

A heavy-lift cargo drone hangs in a gray sky above Devighat, Nepal, with a bundle of relief supplies suspended on a long line beneath it

Disaster Response

Nepal Asks Abroad For Cargo Drones As China Flies 47 Next Door

Nepal ran its first 220-pound cargo drone test four days after the flood and asked other countries for heavy-lift drones. China had 47 flying by Thursday.

Haye KestelooAug 30

A white jet-powered unmanned aircraft with red accents and Kratos and NCSIST co-branded logos on its fuselage, displayed on an exhibition stand in Taipei

Industry

Taiwan Approves $7.6 Billion Drone Buildup, Rejects Lai's Own Plan

Taiwan's legislature passed a NT$240 billion (US$7.56 billion) drone act 60-50 and killed President Lai's special budget. The military says it falls short.

Haye KestelooAug 27

DJI teaser image showing a dome-shaped 360 camera lens in dim light with the date September 3, 2026 at 7 AM EDT

DJI Rumors

DJI Sets September 3 Osmo 360 II Launch, No US Price Announced

DJI's 15-second teaser dates the Osmo 360 II for September 3 at 7 AM EDT, three weeks after a China-only launch that skipped an American price.

Haye KestelooAug 25

Onboard camera view looking down the red-and-silver body of a rocket high above the ground, with Earth's curved blue horizon and dark sky beyond

Osmo Action 6

DJI Osmo Action 6 Rides LandSpace Rocket From Liftoff to Landing

DJI strapped its Osmo Action 6 to LandSpace's Zhuque-3 booster and published the full uncut ride, from ignition to a vertical landing in northwest China.

Haye KestelooAug 24

Hundreds of illuminated drones form glowing purple clusters in the night sky above the treeline of Central Park in New York, with rows of lit launch pads and spectators in the foreground.

FCC BAN

FCC Labels Drone Light Shows Military-Grade While US Operators Fly Korean And Chinese Fleets

The FCC's swarm rule names drone light shows as military-grade. The US industry flies Korean and Chinese hardware. Comments close September 2.

Haye KestelooAug 22

United States Drone Dominance Program seal showing a bald eagle clutching arrows in front of a globe with three quadcopters above it

US Government

White House Summons 40 Drone Companies As Tariff Deadline And Beijing Loom

The first White House Drone Dominance event packed roughly 40 drone makers into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, two weeks before Section 232 tariffs hit and hours before Beijing demanded their withdrawal.

Haye KestelooAug 20

China

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