From May 1, nobody flies a drone over Beijing without asking first. Every flight outdoors will need prior approval, and drones will no longer be sold in the capital, according to the BBC and the Straits Times (AFP).
The new rules, which take effect on Friday, also forbid renting drones or bringing them and their key components into the city. Owners must register their devices with the police. E-commerce platforms may not ship drones to Beijing, though people who completed real-name registration before May 1 can carry theirs in and out. In a city of 22 million, users get three months to register at local police stations.
Repairs get awkward. Anyone who sends a drone out of town for servicing has to collect it in person, since delivery is not allowed. Users must also finish an online training course and pass a test on drone regulations.
Penalties and limits
Flying without approval can bring a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (S$1,800) and possible confiscation of the drone. Sellers of drones or of 17 core components face fines too. Individuals may keep at most three drones at one location inside the sixth ring road.
The regulations allow exemptions for special purposes. The BBC listed counter-terrorism and disaster relief; the Straits Times named counter-terrorism, agriculture, education and sport.
The restrictions were approved in March. “As the capital, Beijing faces more challenges in low-altitude airspace safety, making it more urgent to strengthen the management of UAVs,” municipal official Xiong Jinghua said when they were announced. Xiong, a senior official in the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress, said the aim was to “strike the best balance” between safety and technological and economic progress.
The capital’s whole airspace was already designated a no-drone zone last year, with approval from air traffic authorities needed to fly. National law tightened this year as well. Illegal flights can now draw up to 15 days in detention, and drones must send real-time data to authorities in flight.
A big market, a smaller sky
Drones are a familiar sight in some Chinese cities, where they deliver food, spray crops and clean buildings. The BBC noted that Chinese companies dominate the global drone market, yet the country is becoming one of the hardest places to fly one. Government data show more than three million registered drones in China.
DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, has been sanctioned by the US government over security concerns. It now faces being shut out of its home capital. AFP saw several sellers pull drones from display on April 28, and a worker at a DJI outlet in central Beijing said units were being boxed up and sent to other cities.
Drones and flying taxis belong to what China calls the low-altitude economy, a strategic priority the BBC said is expected to generate more than two trillion yuan ($290bn; £217bn) by 2035.
Many users online called the rules onerous. “This is a crazy one-size-fits-all system,” one person wrote on WeChat. Staff at a drone-flying school in central Beijing told AFP they worry about getting new drones or parts when stock breaks, and they hope educational and sports facilities will eventually win an exemption.
Sources
- China to ban drone sales in Beijing citing security concerns
- China to ban drone sales in Beijing over security fears
