China has become the world's largest unmanned aircraft developer and manufacturer, but the nation needs more specific industry standards to regulate the booming industry of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), experts said on Thursday.
"As the largest UA manufacturer and developer as well, Chinese authorities may not be ready to deal with the rapid development of UAS, which will generate innovations," Liu Hao, a deputy director of the National Research Center of Air Traffic Management Law and Standard, said at the 2015 China UAS Innovation and Development Forum.
At the same forum, Meng Youwei, an expert at the China Aero-Polytechnology Establishment, said that Chinese-made UAS control up to 70 percent of the global market, but product quality cannot be guaranteed at all the 300 UAS companies, most of which are based in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.
One of the best-known Chinese UAS-makers, DJI, foresees $1 billion in sales in 2015, compared with $500 million in revenue last year and a profit of $120 million, The New York Times reported earlier.
"However, many companies have no experience in aviation product manufacturing," Meng said.
In China, anything involving aircraft requires official permission, but most commercial drones operate without permission, leading to possible UAV abuse and social problems, including invasion of privacy, according to Liao Xiaohan, director of China's National Remote Sensing Center.
Liu said that China is drafting its first regulations on UAS and has created a mechanism involving 23 government departments outlining their responsibilities as a regulator or supervisor.
"It is also important for authorities to understand the UAS industry and organize workshops to better guarantee product quality," Liu said.
