Civilian drones' export volume in Shenzhen has increased seven times, with a year-on-year rise at more than 3 billion yuan (over $470 million) in 2015, according to the customs office.

The Shenzhen customs agency further revealed that these civilian drones were mostly sent to North America, Hong Kong region and Europe. Monthly export reports reveal a high jump from 130 million at the start of 2015 to 450 million by the end of the year.

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The drone industry is among Shenzhen city's top priority, as it produces 99 percent of the civil drones for export. Meanwhile, Shenzhen-based DJI accounts for nearly 70 percent of the global market share, with North America and Europe as its biggest consumers. 

DJI is one of the leading makers of unmanned aerial vehicles in the world. The company was established a decade ago and is manufacturing drones for commercial and recreational purposes including aerial videography and photography.

Early this month, the civil aviation regulator of China released its first "traffic rules" for light-duty drone operation. The policy was released on a trial basis.

The new legislation released by China's Civil Aviation Administration classifies different drones into seven categories according to their weight and function. Big, heavy and for business-use drones will reportedly receive heavier sanctions compared with the light and smaller ones.

Currently, there are around 20,000 drones being operated in China. However, qualified drone pilots only exceed 2,000. With its increasing popularity, safety of civilians is nonetheless a growing concern. For instance, last November, a private drone captured a video of another drone nearly hitting a Chinese fighter jet while making its landing.

Li Bin, a Beijing Tiantu Aviation Technology Company coach, explained that "If people fly drones wherever and whenever they want, it will be a mess."

TagsShenzhen, civilian drones, DJI, Civil Aviation Administration