AIBRIEF
The Beijing municipal government announced a total ban on private drone possession, set to take effect November 15, with a subsidy and free shipping for owners to dispose of devices.
Beijing's municipal government on Sunday announced a total ban on private drone possession, effective Nov. 15, with a buyback program and free shipping for current owners (Hong Kong Free Press; regulation: bjrd.gov.cn).
Under the new rules, individuals cannot possess, store, or transport drone components into Beijing. Flying is permitted only in narrow cases: emergencies, rescue operations, or what the regulation calls "counter-terrorism" work. Commercial aviation is unaffected.
Owners have until Nov. 15 to scrap their devices for a government subsidy, mail them out of the city at government expense, or face fines and confiscation.
A separate no-fly zone covering Beijing and surrounding areas takes effect Sept. 20, restricting non-essential flights while exempting commercial aviation and emergency rescue (Guancha). The two effective dates cover different things: the September order limits where drones can fly; the November ban makes owning one in the city a punishable offense.
The move tightens a March-approved, May-effective sales ban that already required device registration. The South China Morning Post, cited in regional coverage, reported sharp netizen criticism of the new rules.
Backdrop is a June 27 crash in which a small manned aircraft struck the Citic Tower, Beijing's tallest building, killing the pilot and injuring others (Reuters, AP, BBC Chinese). The crash did not involve a drone, and the government has not publicly tied the new drone rules to the incident.