appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Dannie Peng

Beijing has introduced stricter drone regulations, banning all uncrewed flights as well as the possession and storage of existing devices, while detailing disposal methods for the first time in an effort to strengthen security in the capital.
The new rules, which will take effect on November 15, follow an incident in June, when a small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s tallest building, the Citic Tower – also known as China Zun – leading to the death of the pilot.
The newly revised regulations on the management of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were announced on Sunday on the municipal government website. They will apply across the city.
The authorities will also establish a no-fly zone in the capital and its surrounding areas, effective from September 20, primarily restricting non-essential flights, official media in Beijing said on Sunday. Commercial aviation and emergency rescue operations will be exempt.
According to the document, Beijing’s entire administrative area is designated as restricted airspace for UAVs. It is forbidden not only to fly drones but also to possess, store, transport or bring them and their core components into the city, except in exceptional circumstances.


The new rules, which build upon the original framework approved in March, state that the revisions are to “adapt to the new situations, tasks and requirements” of UAV management and “to effectively fortify the capital’s security defences”.
The city will “further tighten control measures and comprehensively investigate hidden safety hazards … to strengthen airspace security management”, the government notice said.
For drone owners, the regulations eliminate any remaining loopholes regarding possession of the devices and are widely considered to be “the strictest to date”.
One social media user commented: “From now on, drones in Beijing have been ‘reduced to zero’. Possession is completely prohibited, and existing ones must be ‘relocated out of Beijing’.”
“In Beijing, drones are now being regulated like firearms,” the commenter added.
Another online comment, from someone working in the media industry, noted that previously, registered drones could be stored. Following the new regulations, people can neither fly nor keep existing devices.
This would affect their industry, as “aerial photography will be entirely out of the question”, the commenter said.
The original regulations, approved by the municipal legislative body, formally came into force on May 1. They declared Beijing’s entire airspace a restricted zone, requiring approval for all drone flights before take-off.
However, the revised regulations impose a blanket ban on all UAV flight activities, except for special safety or security operations.

The earlier rules also permitted the establishment of storage facilities for UAVs and their core components outside Beijing’s sixth ring road.
Once the new rules take effect, all organisations and individuals – unless otherwise specified by law – will be prohibited from setting up storage facilities anywhere within the municipality.
The document also outlined disposal methods for the first time for existing drone equipment in the city. Owners must transfer their drones out of Beijing via the specified official channels before mid-November, it said.
Aside from owners physically removing the devices themselves, the municipality is offering three disposal routes: on-site buy-backs, scrapping and recycling, or sending them outside Beijing via courier.
The city will provide various subsidy schemes and postage fees will be waived for drones mailed out of the capital, the municipal authority said.
Interviews and research by the South China Morning Post earlier revealed that nearly 20 of China’s biggest cities had put in place a blanket ban on civilian drone flights in central areas, with some changes implemented without policy announcements.
The national capital is by far the most thorough and rigorous in its control of drones.


Huawei’s US trial puts jury to the test amid China, Iran links

Beijing puts a total ban on drones in update to regulations after deadly tower crash

China’s intelligence chief warns of risks from AI as ‘new arena for strategic rivalry’

AI fight shadows final preparations for Xi Jinping’s White House visit to meet Donald Trump

China’s Communist Party

UAVs will be banned entirely throughout the Beijing metropolitan area, in a response to the incident in June when a small aircraft damaged the Citic Tower, also known as China Zun. Photo: Reuters

Drone owners in Beijing must move their devices out of the city via one of the specified official channels before mid-November, according to the updated rules. Photo: Xinhua

Chen Yixin has called to establish "a fair and open international AI rules system”. Photo: Weibo

US drone ban proposal to combat China’s dominance concerns American police, farmers

DJI products like the Mavic 2 Pro have proven popular in the US. As a result, a US government proposal to restrict foreign-made drones has faced a backlash. Photo: Getty Images

Founded in Shenzhen in 2006, DJI has become the world’s No 1 drone manufacturer. Photo: Reuters

China’s Communist Party quietly signals social stability push with new high-level body

The Central Committee’s Leading Group for Social Governance underscores the growing focus on internal security and grass-roots governance ahead of the 21st Communist Party congress expected to be held next autumn. Photo: AFP 

J-50 designers reveal leapfrog tech for China’s next-gen stealth fighters

An image of what appears to be one of China’s sixth-generation fighters, sometimes referred to as the J-50 and consistent with designs developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, surfaced on Chinese social media late last year. Chinese authorities did not confirm the authenticity of the images. Photo: Handout

Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation is also developing a jet unofficially referred to as the J-36. Photo: Weibo

News

China

Politics

China’s capital will enforce the country’s toughest rules on UAVs from November 15 but a no-fly zone will be in effect from Sunday


China’s capital will enforce the country’s toughest rules on UAVs from November 15 but a no-fly zone will be in effect from Sunday.


Drones

Beijing puts a total ban on drones in update to regulations after deadly tower crash

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}China’s capital will enforce the country’s toughest rules on UAVs from November 15 but a no-fly zone will be in effect from Sunday

China’s capital will enforce the country’s toughest rules on UAVs from November 15 but a no-fly zone will be in effect from Sunday