On 31 May 2023, the Chinese government released the “Interim Regulations for Managing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flight ”Chinese government released the “Interim Regulations for Managing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Flight” (hereinafter the “Regulations”, 无人驾驶航空器飞行管理暂行条例).
The Regulations was jointly issued by China’s State Council and the Central Military Commission, and will take effect from 1 Jan. 2024.
The Regulations applies to UAV flight and related activities within the territory of China. UAVs are defined as aircraft without onboard pilots and with independent power systems.
Key points in the Regulations include:
- Any entities engaged in the design, production, import, flight, and maintenance of medium and large civil UAV systems are required to apply for an airworthiness permit from the civil aviation authority of the State Council.
- Any entities engaged in the design, production, import, flight, maintenance, fabrication, and assembly of micro, light, and small civil UAV systems are not required to apply for an airworthiness permit. However, their products shall comply with relevant provisions of product quality laws and regulations and relevant national mandatory standards.
- Any entities engaged in the design, production, and use of civil UAV systems must comply with regulations on real-name registration and activation, flight area restrictions, emergency response, cybersecurity, and information security, and take effective measures to reduce air pollutants and noise emissions.
- Manufacturers of civil UAV systems shall assign a unique product identification code to each UAV they produce.
- Any entities using civil UAVs, excluding micro ones, for flight activities shall apply for a certificate of competence in operating civil UAVs from the civil aviation management department.
- The government has the authority to designate controlled airspace for UAVs as needed.
- When operating UAVs other than micro ones, operators shall ensure that the UAVs are capable of transmitting identification information to the regulatory platform.
Photo by Noppon Meenuch on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
