The US Commerce Department is considering new rules for Chinese drones that would restrict or ban them in the country, Reuters reports.
The measure is for national security reasons.
The department said it will hold a public hearing until March 4 on potential rules to protect the drone supply chain. It said threats from China and Russia "could offer our adversaries the ability to remotely access and manipulate these devices, exposing sensitive U.S. data."
The vast majority of commercial drone sales in the United States come from China.
In September, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the department could impose restrictions similar to those that would effectively ban Chinese vehicles from the United States, and would focus on drones with Chinese and Russian equipment, chips and software.
In November, she said she hoped to finalize rules for Chinese vehicles by Jan. 20.
A decision on whether to introduce new rules restricting or banning Chinese drones will be made by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20.
Over the past year, Washington has taken a series of steps to address Chinese drones.
Last month, President Joe Biden signed legislation that could ban China-based DJI and Autel Robotics from selling new drone models in the United States. An unspecified US agency must determine within a year whether drones from the two companies pose unacceptable national security risks.
DJI, the world's largest drone maker and one that sells more than half of all commercial drones in the US, said that failure by any agency to complete the investigation would prevent the company from launching new products in the US.
In September, the House of Representatives voted to ban new DJI drones from operating in the US.
In October, DJI sued the Department of Defense for including it on a list of companies that allegedly work with the Chinese military, saying the designation was misleading and had caused the company financial harm.
In October, the company said that Customs and Border Protection was halting the import of some of its drones into the United States, citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. No forced labor is involved at any stage of the drones' production, DJI insists.
US lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns that DJI's drones pose risks to data transmission, surveillance and national security - something the company denies.
In 2019, Congress banned the Pentagon from buying or using drones and components made in China.