China's Ministry of Commerce, General Administration of Customs, and the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission today issued an announcement optimizing and adjusting export control measures for certain unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related items, in order to safeguard national security and interests. The new regulations will officially take effect on November 18, 2026.
The announcement clarifies that complete UAVs meeting specific characteristics (such as beyond visual line of sight controllable flight, endurance ≥ 30 minutes, or range ≥ 300km), core components (such as turbojet engines with thrust ≥ 400N, brushless motors with rated power ≥ 3kW, carbon fiber propellers), communication equipment, flight control and autonomous navigation software and technology, may not be exported without a license. At the same time, the new regulations also provide licensing facilitation measures, allowing enterprises with established internal compliance systems to apply for general licenses, and permitting self-export of some low-risk items and items for exhibition purposes through registration and declaration.