China’s Economic Warfare Expands Beyond Earth’s Boundaries
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tentacles are infiltrating a growing number of crucial U.S. industries as part of a coordinated effort by China to undermine the U.S. economy.
The evidence is convincing. The CCP regards the theft of U.S. intellectual property as a “strategic resource,” and China remains the world’s leading source of counterfeit and pirated products. Chinese companies are constructing electric vehicle (EV) battery facilities near key U.S. military installations, and despite U.S. production investments, China still controls the global semiconductor market. In retaliation for U.S. trade policy, China is also asserting its dominance in the rare earths industry and is in negotiations to construct a new military facility just miles from the American homeland.
This is our current reality. China will continue its aggressive campaign to acquire more American industries and flood the U.S. market with cheap goods.
This campaign’s next front is unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones. Chinese drone manufacturers have inundated global markets with subsidized, low-cost drones thanks to nearly a decade of CCP support. Chinese-made drones account for more than 90 percent of the U.S. consumer drone market, more than 70 percent of drones used as industrial instruments, and the preponderance of drones used by first responders, according to some estimates.
The United States founded the aviation industry and is the aviation industry’s global leader. Not only does Chinese drone dumping pose a threat to U.S. competitiveness, but also to our national security. The CCP’s National Intelligence Law of 2017 requires drone companies to provide information to the government, such as flight logs, and a U.S. Homeland Security Intelligence bulletin revealed that China had targeted assets using data from Chinese drone manufacturer DJI.
Local fire and police departments in the United States use Chinese-made drones to map wildfires and enhance public safety, as well as to collect data on critical infrastructure such as transmission lines, power plants, roadways, bridges, airports, and hospitals. Key federal government agencies utilize them for a variety of purposes. Consider this information in the wrong hands.
The good news is that there is a lengthy list of policies and regulations that can be implemented immediately to protect our intelligence and domestic industries. Both the Biden administration and Congress must take action to reduce the threat posed by Chinese drones and foster the growth of the domestic drone industry.
For instance, manufacturing tax credits would incentivize domestic drone production, just as legislation has for semiconductors and other technologies. Loan guarantees to drone and component manufacturers would promote competition, and targeted legislation could help assure the availability of critical minerals required for UAS production.
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Securing the Skies: Proposals to Enhance U.S. Drone Production and Regulation
In addition to federal grants for first responders, infrastructure inspection, and Department of Defense (DoD) programs, the United States government should also consider federal grants for first responders. Since the majority of U.S. first responders currently utilize Chinese-made drones, Congress should create a well-funded program to assist these agencies in transitioning to American drone systems.
We are a nation of innovators, and there is an opportunity to incentivize the adoption of U.S.-made drones in infrastructure assessments by allocating hundreds of millions of dollars for critical infrastructure inspection with U.S.-made drones and supporting aviation workforce development through educational partnerships. Some domestic drone manufacturers are producing on a large scale, while others are ready and willing to build up production to provide our federal, state, local, and tribal stakeholders with secure and capable drone alternatives made in the United States.
Recognizing the strategic significance of unmanned systems in combat, the Department of Defense should collaborate with industry to overcome procurement obstacles. By identifying drones and their components as a critical technology, we can attract investment in this sector.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must also implement regulations to facilitate the assimilation of drones into airspace. In addition, the FAA should promote cybersecurity governance through industry standards in order to facilitate the highest possible standards for drone cybersecurity control assessments and vulnerability and penetration tests. Congress should collaborate with the FAA and industry to develop the necessary tools, authorities, and resources for this endeavor.
Chinese aggression in the drone space poses a potential threat to U.S. national security and economic dominance, but the solutions are within our control if we decide to act. The Biden administration and Congress must now take this action.
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Source: Fox News