“I am a professional in flying drones for photography. I have recorded many TV commercials,” said Liu Hao Mu, a drone operator in Beijing. “Previously, we used to fly them with a permit, but now it is completely banned.” He has moved his drones to another city. “We have no other options,” he told Rudaw.
Revised regulations announced in September ban the sale, operation, storage and transport of drones and certain key components in the Chinese capital. They apply from 15 November, Rudaw reported, and the government cites security. Exceptions exist for authorized government activities: emergency rescue, disaster relief, counterterrorism and scientific research.
What owners face
Owners have until 15 November to take their equipment out of Beijing or hand it to the municipal authorities under a compensation scheme. Rudaw says, citing reports, that it pays 30 percent of the original purchase price.
An earlier set of rules took effect on 1 May and made the whole city restricted airspace, according to Vision Times. Any outdoor flight needed advance approval. Carrying a drone or its core components into Beijing became illegal, whether a traveller came by high-speed rail, intercity bus, plane or private car. Selling or renting drones and parts was banned in shops and online alike.
People who obtained a drone another way had to register and activate it on a government drone management platform before use. Violations bring fines and confiscation. The only exemptions covered counter-terrorism and public-security operations, sports training events and other activities cleared by a public security review. Across China, operators must also send real-time flight data to authorities, and an unauthorized launch can mean up to 15 days in detention.
Shops and sellers
DJI began pulling its products from Beijing stores on 29 April, the South China Morning Post reported. By 4 p.m. that day, only the flagship store at the China World Trade Center mall still had stock on display, and only select models, sold at standard online prices. Staff told customers the inventory had to be cleared by 30 April. Online orders to Beijing addresses were suspended. DJI’s Beijing stores also stopped repairs, so owners must send devices to other provinces.
Online platforms were messy in the last hours. JD.com was still taking some DJI orders on the evening of 29 April for delivery before midnight. On Tmall, most listings in DJI’s flagship store carried a notice that the product “does not support sales in the current region (Beijing).”
A Xiaomi sales specialist, Li Jia Xin, offered his own explanation: “Beijing has many military bases, and the issue has security dimensions.”
Professionals adjust
The rules hit filmmakers and others who relied on aerial footage. Film director Bai Xian said he backs the decision because “the government takes safety factors into consideration.” The ban will affect his work, he said, but “we can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to create aerial scenes of Beijing.”
DJI was founded in 2006 by Frank Wang and is headquartered in Shenzhen. Vision Times puts its share of the global civilian and commercial drone market at between 70 and 83 percent as of 2025. The US military banned DJI products in August 2017 over security concerns, including fears of backdoors. DJI has consistently denied the allegations.
Sources
- Beijing bans drone flights over security concerns
- Beijing Bans Drone Sales and Flights as DJI Pulls All Products From Capital Stores – Vision Times
