DJI Photo:VCG

A recent Pentagon report cleared two drones made by China's largest drone maker DJI for US government use, The Hill reported on Wednesday, citing a summary of the report they obtained.

The Pentagon reportedly said that it found "no malicious code or intent" in the two "Government Edition" DJI drones, which are "recommended for use by government entities and forces working with US services."

If the news turns out to be true, coming as good news for DJI, as it offers a glimmer of hope for the manufacturer to restore government use after the Pentagon has admitted that at least some of its drones are safe.

Despite the US government scrutiny, the fact that no US agency ever found any evidence to support the alleged security risk of potential spying by the Chinese government may be the best answer to question as to whether there is any data transfer from DJI drones to either the Chinese government or the company itself.

But still it is unlikely to fundamentally change the US government's vigilance toward DJI products. At the end of last year, the US Department of Commerce put DJI on its Entity List, which prevents US companies from selling their technology to DJI. Moreover, the US Congress is reportedly considering a bipartisan bill that would prohibit the federal government from buying drones made by countries deemed to be a threat to the US, such as China.

In fact, DJI is not the only Chinese company that has been blacklisted by the US government on national security grounds. Over the past years, Washington has attempted to lock Chinese telecommunications equipment makers out of its infrastructure by imposing various bans on companies including Huawei and ZTE.

To a certain extent, identifying China as a strategic competitor and pursuing a decoupling mindset have led to the growing US scrutiny over Chinese tech companies. But that doesn't necessarily mean there won't be some positive progress from time to time. Last month, the US removed Xiaomi from the so-called "Communist Chinese military companies list".

We hope that the US will offer these companies more equitable treatment and take a more rational view of Chinese companies through deeper understanding.

Meanwhile, Chinese technology companies also need to make adjustments and be prepared for potential challenges that may come amid increasing "China-US strategic competition".

On Wednesday, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He held a virtual meeting with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, marking the second conversation between senior trade and economic officials from the two countries in less than a week. The two dialogues marked the start of normal communications between the two countries when it comes to the economic and trade.

No one can deny the importance of China-US economic and trade ties. Therefore, we sincerely hope that more positive news will emerge on the economic and trade front in the future. The more positive the signals from both sides, the better the environment for China-US dialogue to return to a normal track of communications.