Disrupting market under fabricated veneer of 'national security' hurts US' own interest

Healthy trade relations between China and the United States are beneficial for the development of the economies of both countries. The same is true of cooperation in science and technology between the two countries.

However, what Washington is doing with its recent ban on imports of foreign-made drones and related components, including drones from China's DJI, and the announcement of future tariffs on Chinese semiconductor imports signal Washington is still pursuing its long harbored desire to decouple the US from China in such high-tech areas.

China has repeatedly reminded the US side that such actions represent typical market distortion and unilateral bullying practices.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry did so again on Tuesday, stating that China will be resolute in taking necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises if the US insists on going about the matter the wrong way.

The US Trade Representative Office justified its new trade move against China's semiconductor industry by duplicitously claiming that Beijing's drive for dominance in the sector is "unreasonable and discriminatory" and poses a direct threat to US commerce. While no immediate duties were announced, they are to be increased on June 23, 2027, "to a rate to be announced not fewer than 30 days prior to that date".

The development of high technology and related sectors over the past decades clearly demonstrates that collaborative international efforts have led to breakthroughs that might not have been possible in isolation. That trend has only been further reinforced with the deepening of economic globalization and the advancement of the global division of labor. In contrast, unilateralism and protectionism can hinder a country's scientific and technological growth by limiting access to global expertise, diverse perspectives and cutting-edge research.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday rightly urged the US side to stop overstretching the concept of national security and making discriminatory lists to go after Chinese companies. He called on it to stop its wrong practices and create a fair, just and nondiscriminatory environment for Chinese companies.

The US policies, which are protectionist in nature, will ultimately be detrimental to its own tech progress. By politicizing and abusing the concept of national security in the high-tech field and restricting international cooperation and exchange, the US ironically risks falling behind in the global race for technological leadership.

DJI products are among the safest and most secure in the market, supported by years of reviews conducted by US government agencies and independent third parties. Concerns about DJI's data security are not grounded in evidence and instead reflect protectionism, and are contrary to the principles of an open market.

By blocking one of the world's most popular drones from entering the US market, it is not DJI and other foreign major manufacturers that will suffer. Rather, it is the US, as it will be isolated from this arena of technology development.

China's DJI has advocated an open, competitive market that benefits all US consumers and commercial users. Its products will continue to be welcomed elsewhere, and it will continue making breakthroughs and manufacturing more advanced models.

The same is true with semiconductor products. No matter what Washington does to try and put a stranglehold on China's development of semiconductors, the country has been constantly making advances. Open to cooperation in science and technology, it has reiterated time and again that it will never shut its door, but will only open it wider.

By imposing tariffs on imports from other countries and using national security as a pretext to ban imports of products from other countries, Washington may think that it is making efforts to maintain its status as a country with the most advanced science and technology.

Policymakers in Washington should heed the call of US drone users and chip customers at home. As they have said, the cost performance of Chinese drones and semiconductors makes them almost irreplaceable in the market. Banning Chinese drones or making Chinese chips more expensive would only increase the operation cost of related industries in the US.

What China has achieved from its reform and opening-up in the past more than four decades indicates that openness is the right approach for a country to prosper and for the world to develop.