China opposes U.S. "national security" probe targeting Chinese drones

BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to a recent announcement by the U.S. Commerce Department that it is launching a so-called "national security" investigation into unmanned aircraft systems from countries including China.

"In the absence of factual evidence, the U.S. has unwarranted suspicions of information security risks in the unmanned aircraft systems of China and other countries, which is extremely irresponsible," the ministry said in a statement.

It said the move constitutes a blatant generalization of the national security concept and an abuse of state power to suppress other countries' industries, which will disrupt the stability and smooth flow of global industrial and supply chains and undermine the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, including U.S. users.

"China will closely follow the development of the situation, and we urge the U.S. side to respect objective facts and immediately stop its wrong actions," it said.