China will adjust its civilian drone export rules on September 1, reports the Associated Press. Starting from that date, policy changes will prohibit the export of civilian drones that can be used for military or terrorist aggression. China’s Ministry of Commerce says it hopes the new controls will also prevent the use of drones in “the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
It is difficult to know precisely how Chinese officials will decide which drones are potentially valuable for foreign military or terror organizations—wouldn’t they all be helpful to some degree? However, the source indicates that export control lists will feature IR imaging, laser guidance, and high-precision inertial measurement devices.
