China Built the World’s Drone Industry. Now It’s Locking Down the Skies. - The New York Times
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China, which built the world's drone industry, is now restricting access to its own airspace.
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China, which dominates global drone manufacturing through companies like DJI, is implementing stricter regulations on civilian drone operations within its own borders. The controls include new licensing requirements, geofencing restrictions, and increased surveillance of drone activities—measures that limit the very technology Chinese companies have perfected and exported worldwide. This regulatory tightening reflects Beijing's security concerns about domestic surveillance and potential military applications, even as it creates a competitive advantage for Chinese drone makers by establishing standards they helped shape. The restrictions also underscore a broader pattern of China controlling advanced technologies at home while allowing their export abroad. For the global drone industry, China's internal lockdown could reshape how international markets operate while leaving foreign competitors at a disadvantage in one of the world's largest potential drone markets.
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