The world’s largest commercial drone manufacturer is taking on the Defense Department in a courtroom “Clash of the Titans” over a 2022 decision to put Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co. — better known as DJI — on the Pentagon’s list of restricted companies that have links to China’s military and its Communist government.

DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer that sells more than half of all U.S. commercial drones, asked a U.S. District Judge in Washington to order its removal from the Pentagon list designating it as a "Chinese military company," saying it "is neither owned nor controlled by the Chinese military."

SZ DJI Technology Co. said it has sued the US Department of Defense for adding the Shenzhen-based drone maker to a list that designates it as a Chinese military company.

Chinese drone maker DJI, which dominates the global consumer market, said Saturday it was suing the US Department of Defense, complaining that Washington had "erroneously" included the company on a Chinese military company blacklist.

The moves have hit China’s tech sector, giving new impetus to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s push for technological self-reliance. While inclusion on the defence department blacklist does not stop Hesai from selling products in the US,