Beijing residents dispose of drones ahead of ban on ownership

Beijing has passed a new law of owning and using drones being illegal.

Before the new rules take effect on November 15, drone owners must move their aircraft out of the capital or dispose of them through government-approved buyback and recycling programs. This has led to Chinese citizens sending their drones overseas for their families and friends to prevent them from going to waste.

Most of China’s major cities have introduced civilian drone no-fly zones in sensitive areas, including airports, military zones, core commercial districts and government buildings. But Beijing will be the only city in China to ban the ownership of drones ; The city had already banned unapproved outdoor drone flights in August 2025, but recently stepped up its security measures after a small plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest building in June.

Hsiao-Huang Shu, a researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research, said it was “deeply ironic” that a city in the world’s biggest consumer drone-making country was banning drone ownership. He said Beijing had already developed counter-drone systems, including electronic jamming, electronic fences and measures to destroy them, such as lasers, stating that Beijing is taking preventative action or precautions when it is already too late because the damage has already been done.