The 4th Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China will be held in Beijing from October 24th to 28th. In order to ensure the safety of the airspace in Beijing during the session, the Beijing police have announced measures to control drones and prohibit the release of balloons, sky lanterns, and other objects that may affect flight safety from midnight on October 19th to 24:00 on October 23rd.
This announcement emphasizes that the entire administrative area of Beijing is a controlled airspace for unmanned aerial vehicles. Without approval from the air traffic control authorities, no drone flights are allowed within the controlled airspace.
The Beijing police mentioned that according to the “Interim Measures for the Administration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations,” owners of drones must register their real names in accordance with the law. Those who conduct flight activities without real-name registration will be ordered to make corrections by the public security organs and may face fines of up to 200 yuan. In serious cases, fines ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 yuan can be imposed.
It is worth noting that in the lead-up to the 4th Plenary Session, there is an unusually tense political atmosphere among the top Communist Party leaders. Just a day before the Beijing police issued the above announcement on the 17th, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense suddenly announced the expulsion of party and military membership of 9 senior generals. They are Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission He Weidong, former Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission Miao Hua, Executive Deputy Director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission He Hongjun, Executive Deputy Director of the Joint Operations Command Center of the Military Commission Wang Xiubin, Commander of the Eastern Theater Command Lin Xiangyang, Political Commissar of the Army Qin Shutong, Political Commissar of the Navy Yuan Huazhi, Commander of the Rocket Force Wang Houbin, and Commander of the Armed Police Force Wang Chunying.
Except for Wang Houbin, who was promoted to Commander of the Rocket Force in 2023, the other 8 individuals were all members of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. With the absence of these high-ranking officials, including members of the Central Military Commission, Vice Chairmen, and members of the Politburo, due to this major purge, it indicates that the upcoming 4th Plenary Session is likely to witness unprecedented senior personnel changes.