AsianFin -- A federal judge has rejected Chinese drone maker DJI’s bid to be removed from the U.S. Department of Defense list of Chinese military companies.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled on Friday that the Pentagon had presented “substantial evidence” showing DJI contributes “to the Chinese defense industrial base.”

Citing the use of modified DJI drones in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Friedman noted, “Whether or not DJI’s policies prohibit military use is irrelevant. That does not change the fact that DJI’s technology has both substantial theoretical and actual military application.”

However, Friedman dismissed some of the Pentagon’s additional justifications for the listing.

DJI was added to the DoD list in 2022, after the U.S. Commerce Department and the Treasury Department had already placed the company on similar trade and investment restriction lists.