Chinese Radio, Drone Export Restrictions Starting Sept. 1

Starting Sept. 1, China will prohibit the export of numerous radio and drone components through standard parcels delivered by air and sea.

The ban includes components used to build drones, such as motors and cameras for quadcopters, as well as radio systems, portable walkie-talkies and hunting knives.

Meest, a postal company in Ukraine involved in international shipping, provided a detailed list of newly prohibited items in its announcement.

Meest said the ban doesn’t apply to commercial cargo. It said the newly prohibited items arriving in the warehouse through standard parcels by Aug. 31 would still be sent to Ukraine, after which they would be returned to the supplier and the customer would need to pay for the associated fees.

Presumably, the export restrictions would also apply to exports to Russia, though locals can likely smuggle the items across the land borders between China and Russia.

The company said the decision came from Chinese authorities.

“Importantly! This is a requirement of Chinese legislation, not of plants, factories, marketplaces, carriers, or the Ukrainian side. The decision was made at the state level in China,” the announcement read. 

An AP News report in early August said certain features on civilian drones will also be restricted as part of Beijing’s initiative to prevent “the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction” likely in response to Western criticisms of its complicit role in the war in Ukraine.

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