Beijing is set to impose some of China’s strictest restrictions on drones, with possession and storage of the devices across the capital to be prohibited from 15 November, authorities announced on Sunday. The city government said the new regulation was intended to ensure security in the Chinese capital.
The ban will apply to tourists as well as residents, extending restrictions that Beijing introduced roughly six months ago on bringing drones into the city. Under the previous rules, possession was still permitted provided the drone was officially registered and linked to its owner’s identity. The new measures remove that possibility, making the possession and storage of drones within the capital subject to the prohibition.
The decision highlights the particularly stringent security environment in Beijing, home to the power centre of China’s ruling Communist Party. The capital, with more than 20 million inhabitants, already operates under tighter security regulations than many other parts of the country. The new restrictions stand in notable contrast to China’s broader promotion of its growing drone economy.
Elsewhere in the country, drones are increasingly being incorporated into everyday commercial activity. In the high-tech metropolis of Shenzhen, for example, people can already have coffee and meals delivered by drone at selected locations. Beijing’s decision therefore represents a significant tightening of restrictions within a city where security considerations carry particular weight.
The announcement comes after a dramatic aviation incident in the capital in June. A small aircraft flew into the city’s tallest skyscraper in the centre of Beijing, despite strict flight regulations already being in place. The airspace over the city centre was effectively a no-fly zone under military control. The pilot was killed and 13 other people were injured in the incident.
It remains unclear, however, whether the June aircraft accident played any role in the decision to tighten the existing rules governing drones. Authorities have not established such a connection in the announcement of the new regulation.
The restrictions will also require existing drone owners in Beijing to dispose of their devices or move them outside the capital before the deadline. Current owners can, among other options, sell their drones through a buy-back programme or arrange for them to be transported to another location outside the city.
After 15 November, people found with drones in Beijing will face confiscation and a fine, with only a few exceptions. These include uses for research purposes or agricultural production.
The measures mark a further expansion of restrictions on drones in China’s capital, shifting the rules from controls on their entry and use towards a broader prohibition on possession and storage. For residents and visitors alike, the 15 November deadline will therefore bring a fundamental change to what they are permitted to keep within the city.
