As personal drone usage becomes increasingly popular in China, the government is faced with a tough decision: regulate the market and risk losing out on a growing industry or remain laissez faire and run into problems of drones not obeying air space laws.
Currently, there are few laws restricting the use of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in China. In three recent guidelines, China has prohibited UAVs from flying in designated zones, including near densely populated cities, military bases and airports, and has stated that drone pilots must receive training before sending their instruments-for-gaining-more-Instagram-and-Weibo-followers into the sky. There are also rules that forbid drunken drone flying.
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Statistics from market research firm IDC show that over 80,000 drones were sold in China in the first quarter of 2016, but the problem is not with the volume of people buying the drones, but with the lack of registration tied to them.
There have been increasing instances of UAVs disrupting air space, despite the vaguely worded guidelines. As a solution, China is considering introducing real-name registration for all drones as well as other more stringent regulations.
“This is the price for safe and orderly skies, and there’s a lot more to be done,” said Liu Yang of the Civil Aviation Management Institute of China. “Drones should be treated like any other aircraft, not like toys, so safety should always come first.”
[Image via Caixin Global]
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