Vendors battle for the sky as regulators hover in China

Global Business

Vendors battle for the sky as regulators hover in China

Drones are winning widespread popularity in China.Three trade exhibitions to show them off have been held in June alone.

CCTV’s Mao Dan reports from Beijing.

The exhibition follows two similar ones which took place last week in Shanghai and Shenzhen. As small drones become more and more popular, concerns are rising over how they should be used.”

That’s why a debate on drone regulations is on agenda of the three-day exhibition.

Reports on small drone crashes due to unskilled handling, and the possibility of unlicensed usage has shifted attention to safety, privacy, and even national security.

Chinese authorities said they would ban drone delivery in crowded cities, and they have issued regulations to categorize the drones into seven types, according to their weight class, and local restrictions.

Guidelines are set around a threshold of seven kilograms (15 pounds). Currently, users who operate drones which are no heavier than that and fly within 120 meters (394 feet) in height do not have to register their aircraft.

But with the industry burgeoning, wider-covering regulations are needed.

Worldwide spending on drones is expected to more than double over the next decade and China is one of the major markets.

But the future of it in China hinges on these guidelines.


Jonathan Rupprecht on the global drone market and the future of unmanned flight

For more on the global drone market and the future of unmanned flight, CCTV America’s Michelle Makori spoke to Jonathan Rupprecht, a commercial pilot and flight instructor. Rupprecht’s also a lawyer who specializes in commercial drone law.