China will soon enforce rules regulating the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese hobbyists usually fly their UAVs without much care. Although this impresses onlookers, the safety risks associated with unregulated drone flying has alarmed airline operators and the government.

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The Civil Aviation Authority of China is therefore set to issue provisional rules and regulations governing the use of UAVs.

China Daily reported that Ke Yubao, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China executive secretary-general, said the regulations will be published early this month. He made the announcement during the China Aviation Development Summit in Beijing on Monday.

He said that the regulations will set clear rules to help close loopholes concerning the current UAV management practices. He added that this will give UAV owners some added convenience.

According to Ke, current small drone-detection and collision-avoidance systems are not enough to prevent accidents from happening in dense building clusters and electric wires. Thus, China's new regulation will prohibit the use of drones to deliver small packages to residents.

Drone delivery services are already being tested in used in other countries, like online shopping company Amazon in the U.S., as well as Uber in Singapore, reports CNET.

UAVs weighing less than 25 kilograms and fly at altitudes of 150 meters or lower need not receive airworthiness certification under the new regulations. Such drones, however, need to be registered with the CAAC.

UAVs weighing 25 to 150 kilograms, on the other hand, need an airworthiness certification before they will be allowed flight.

Ke revealed that under the new regulations, all drone flights will need to submit a flight plan before actual flight.

Reports indicate that in the mainland, currently there are about 20,000 drones used for civilian purposes such as businesses, farming, environmental monitoring, and geographic surveying.

Almost 90 percent of these said drones weigh less than 25 kilograms, and do not fly higher than 150 meters.

TagsChina Drones, China Drone Regulation, China Drone News, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), Civil Aviation Authority of China