The US House of Representatives’ China Committee will introduce a bill to ban the US government from buying Chinese drones, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
Mike Gallagher, the Republican head of the committee, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking Democrat, will introduce the American Security Drone Act on Wednesday, the FT report said.
“This bill would prohibit the federal government from using American taxpayer dollars to purchase drones from countries like China,” Gallagher told the FT.
China recently announced export controls on certain drones and drone-related equipment, saying it wants to safeguard “national security and interests” in response to escalating tensions with the United States over access to technology.
The bill was co-signed by Republican Rob Wittman of Virginia and Democrat Joe Courtney of Connecticut, the FT said, adding that the bill would also ban local and state governments from purchasing Chinese drones with federal subsidies.
The U.S. House of Representatives China Committee did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
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