It's always surprised me how available DJI drones are in the US, you can easily find them at Best Buy. What are the odds they aren't being used to spy on Americans?
The primary reason for the sanctions is the economic war.
The US wants to hurt China financially.
I understand that as being the main motivator but in light of the recent Supermicro and Huawei incidents, and the recent escalations between the US and China, I can't help but wonder if lots of electronics manufactured in China are being "bugged" and drones would seem to hold high potential value for surveillance
China is hurting themselves financially just fine (see Evergrande). If anything, the US and other economies are trying to mitigate their damage (no longer invest in bad actor companies and hopefully lock down tether). These other countries arent perfect but China is actively gaming the system to get a better position. I dont blame China, we all are of course, but I dont favor them either.