Beijing’s city government has moved to tighten control over civilian drone activity by banning drone sales and flights within the city starting May 1, according to an Associated Press report. The change comes through ordinances the city government passed in late March, even though residents already faced blocks on flying drones inside Beijing.
Under the new rules, drone sales and operations within city limits will not be allowed starting May 1, AP reported. The report said the city’s regulations spell out that exceptions can be made for purposes including universities, research institutions and public safety use, but those exceptions require users to obtain permission from police.
For enforcement, the ordinances describe potential penalties for violations that include a fine of 500 yuan ($73) and the confiscation of drones, AP reported. The report also said individuals who run afoul of the rules could face those consequences even though drone users in China already operate under identity-based registration requirements.
AP reported that in China, drone users must register an account on a government portal using their real name and identity before they are allowed to fly. Against that backdrop, the Beijing rules add a city-specific ban on sales and flights that starts on May 1.
The report described how the sales restrictions were visible in at least one major online marketplace. A search on Taobao, one of China’s top e-commerce platforms, showed that users with a Beijing delivery address could not complete checkout for a drone in their cart, the report said.
AP also reported that an employee at a Beijing store of consumer electronics brand DJI told state-backed media outlet Jiemian that staff have been told to remove drones from store inventory by Thursday. The account was included to illustrate how the new citywide rules are being implemented at retail level rather than only through flight restrictions.
The AP report placed Beijing’s move in a broader international context, saying security concerns about consumer drones have affected markets beyond China. It cited scrutiny in countries including the United States, where the Federal Communications Commission has banned new models of foreign drones.
China’s internal enforcement approach, AP said, has sometimes been tighter around sensitive facilities. The report pointed to earlier restrictions, including limits on drivers of Tesla vehicles from parking in certain government compounds—such as at an airport—attributed to espionage concerns over cameras installed in the cars.