US to ground civilian drone programme on concerns over China tech

The Trump administration is set to ground one of its biggest civilian drone programmes permanently because the devices have been made at least partly in China, in the latest sign of concern in Washington about US exposure to Chinese technology. The Department of the Interior is planning to halt the use of its nearly 1,000 drones, according to two people briefed on the plans, after concluding there was too high a risk that they could be used by Beijing for spying. The decision is being made despite widespread concerns among department staff that taking the fleet out of action will cost the government significant time and money. Documents seen by the Financial Times reveal that staff at various agencies have protested against the proposals.