Gallagher, Krishnamoorthi, Stefanik Urge Biden Admin to Investigate PRC Drone Maker Autel
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party alongside Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and a host of bipartisan lawmakers urged the Biden administration to open investigations into Autel Robotics, a People's Republic of China (PRC) drone manufacturer.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the lawmakers unveil that Autel Robotics and its U.S. subsidiary, Autel Robotics USA LLC, maintain deep connections to the Chinese military, known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA). This poses a direct threat to U.S. national security as U.S. state and local governments operate Autel drones that could transmit sensitive data to the PLA. The lawmakers cite additional concerns regarding Autel's PRC state-backed subsidies, Autel's presence and technology potentially enabling the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, Autel drone components containing chips from blacklisted PRC companies ZTE and HiSilicon, and reports that Autel has continued its operations in Russia under a pseudonym.
Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Andre Carson (D-IN), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Neal Dunn (R-FL) also signed the letter.
The bipartisan coalition writes, "Autel is openly affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and poses a direct threat to U.S. national security as local law enforcement and state and local governments are purchasing and operating Autel drones, potentially exposing sensitive data across the country... Autel and its affiliates present themselves as a commercial-oriented business, but Chinese-language web postings reveal that the company is an active PLA supplier, as indicated by Autel job ads recruiting for a military industry sales director, while also publicly working alongside a PLA militia."
The lawmakers continue, "Recent ventures for Autel have included the issuing of new products and drones marketed as 'aircraft manufactured in the USA with foreign and domestic parts and labor.' Closer inspection reveals that Autel’s supposedly 'made in USA' drone is comprised of microchips and components from PRC technology companies ZTE and HiSilicon, the latter of which was added to the Commerce Entity List in 2019."
The lawmakers request that the cabinet secretaries investigate whether Autel Robotics meets the requirements for agency blacklists. They also request a briefing if the secretaries determine that Autel does not meet the criteria.
View the lawmakers' letter HERE or read below.