Drones barred from Beijing sky during key conferences

Beijing police on Tuesday vowed to strengthen supervision of "low-level, slow and small" aircraft including drones, sky lanterns and model airplanes during the annual national conferences that start Saturday.

No departments, organizations or individuals should launch balloons or conduct entertainment, sports events or commercial flying activities over the city during the annual two sessions of China's top legislative and political advisory body, according to a notice released by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Other kinds of flying must be approved by military, civil aviation and traffic management departments.

The ban starts midnight Thursday and ends noon after the closing day of the two sessions.

"Low-level, slow and small" aircraft means aircraft flying lower than 1,000 meters at a speed less than 200 kilometers per hour in a radar cross-section smaller than 2 square meters, according to the notice.

Twelve kinds of forbidden aircraft are listed including drones and model airplanes.

Beijing police called on residents to obey the regulation and vowed to punish those who violate related rules and laws. Where circumstances are serious enough to constitute a crime, criminal responsibility shall be investigated.

A man in Changping district, Beijing was detained for 10 days for launching a drone during the forbidden period in May, Beijing police said.

Police reiterated that sky lanterns have been forbidden since 2014.