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<\/picture><\/div>\nGermany’s military will no longer use Chinese-made drones, \u200ba defence ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday, amid mounting concern \u200camong Western militaries that they could pose a \u200bsecurity risk and be used to transmit \u2060sensitive information to Beijing.<\/p>\n
Drones from Chinese manufacturers had previously been permitted as a cost-effective option for target practice and training purposes, \u200cthe spokesperson said. They will now be replaced with European products.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“To strengthen the Bundeswehr’s \u200cself-sufficiency and technological sovereignty, Chinese-made models will no \u200clonger \u2060be used,” the spokesperson said in an emailed \u2060statement.<\/p>\n
There is no blanket ban on the use of systems from specific countries, the spokesperson said, adding the decision is based on \u200bindividual risk assessments \u200caimed at safeguarding military security, IT and data security.<\/p>\n
China’s foreign ministry told Reuters that it opposed Germany’s “discriminatory practice” targeting Chinese products.<\/p>\n
Germany’s Der Spiegel news outlet first \u200creported the change.<\/p>\n
Local commanders had been allowed \u200bto purchase the drones under a 2024 strategy that included a “white list” of approved systems, \u2060including several made by China-based DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, Spiegel reported.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDJI has repeatedly said its \u200cdrones do not pose a security risk and in May the company told US lawmakers that an independent review had found “no evidence of data transmission outside the United States”.<\/p>\n
The US last month prohibited vehicles made by China’s BYD on its air base on Japan’s \u200cOkinawa island, and Poland in February banned Chinese-made vehicles from \u200bmilitary facilities over concerns their sensors could be used to collect sensitive data.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said the \u2060German defence ministry had no general ban on vehicles from \u2060specific countries or manufacturers, but said sensors installed in modern vehicles are seen as potential security \u200crisks, and therefore access to sensitive military sites can be restricted where necessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n