On September 30th, the Ministry of Public Security unveiled the "Legal Benchmarks for Administrative Penalty Discretion in Handling Violations Related to Unmanned Aircraft Systems" with the aim of standardizing the exercise of discretion by public security authorities when imposing administrative penalties for such violations. This benchmark document is structured into four key sections: General Provisions, General Application Rules, Discretion Benchmarks for Specific Violations, and Associated Regulations.

Specifically, the section on Discretion Benchmarks for Specific Violations delineates penalty criteria for five distinct categories of infractions. These include flying unmanned aircraft systems without undergoing real-name registration, operating micro, light, or small civil UAS in controlled airspace without obtaining the requisite approval, and flying model aircraft in airspace not designated for such activities.

Public security organs will now levy administrative penalties in accordance with these benchmarks for violations of the "Interim Regulations on the Flight Management of Unmanned Aircraft Systems" and Article 46, Paragraph 1, of the "Public Security Administration Punishment Law of the People's Republic of China". In instances where the violation amounts to a criminal offense, the responsible parties will face criminal prosecution in accordance with the law.