Beijing Bans Private Drones, Orders Owners to Scrap or Remove Devices

Beijing is set to ban residents from possessing or storing drones within the Chinese capital from November 15, in a major tightening of restrictions authorities say are aimed at safeguarding the city’s security.

The new regulations, announced Sunday by the Beijing municipal government, will prohibit the possession and storage of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, within the city. Drone flights in Beijing airspace will also remain prohibited without official authorisation.Beijing drone ban

The rules will further bar residents and businesses from transporting drones or their components into the capital. Existing owners have been given until November 15 to dispose of their devices or move them out of Beijing.

Authorities said owners who comply with the new measures may receive financial assistance. Subsidies will be offered to people who scrap their drones, while registered owners may also have their devices bought back. Alternatively, owners can make use of free shipping arrangements to send the drones out of the city.

Those who fail to comply could face confiscation of their devices and fines after the November deadline.

The restrictions build on rules introduced in May that already banned the sale of drones in Beijing. Under those measures, existing owners were required to register their devices but were still permitted to keep them.

The latest regulations cited the need to “safeguard the security of the capital.” Security concerns were heightened in June after a small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people, although the incident involved an aircraft rather than a drone.

Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the sweeping ban reflected the political sensitivity surrounding security in Beijing, the seat of China’s Communist Party government.

Thompson said the policy was not solely about potential terrorist threats, arguing that drones can also be used for surveillance and counter-intelligence purposes. Beijing has previously required official permission for drone operations within its airspace.

The new rules will allow possible exemptions for specific activities, including counter-terrorism operations, agriculture, disaster relief and scientific research.

With a population of about 22 million, Beijing is one of the world’s most heavily controlled major cities. The drone restrictions represent another step in authorities’ efforts to maintain tighter control over activity within the capital.