Thousands of lawmakers, officials, generals and businesspeople will gather in the Chinese capital next week for the country’s most important political event of the year.
The top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, will meet from Monday, while the annual session of the National People’s Congress, the top legislature, opens on Tuesday.
Last year’s meetings were longer than previous years – both ran for nine days – because of the five-yearly changes to senior government roles, including the president and the premier.
On Monday, Beijing’s municipal police department issued a notice saying all “low-altitude, slow-speed and small-sized” aircraft would be banned in the city from Friday until March 12.
That includes all flights for sport, entertainment and promotional purposes.
The police said the arrangement was “to maintain air safety in Beijing during the two sessions and to eliminate all kinds of illegal and unauthorised flights”.
Low-altitude aircraft on the restricted list include hot-air balloons, gliders, blimps, model aircraft and drones.
The ban applies to all organisations and individuals in Beijing and those who do not comply face a fine and possibly criminal charges.
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Other security measures are already in place in Beijing.
Last week the State Post Bureau, a government agency under the Ministry of Transport that oversees postal and express delivery, said all parcels entering Beijing would undergo extra security checks from Monday until the end of the two sessions.
The postal service will work with police and state security agencies to check parcels for weapons, explosives, pornography, drugs and dangerous goods.
It also called on postal regulators to step up law enforcement during the two sessions and said companies breaking the rules would be severely punished.
In addition, railway authorities in several regions have announced that train passengers entering Beijing will be subject to extra security checks from Wednesday.
Beijing is China’s most heavily policed city and security is tightened ahead of important occasions or political events despite its low rate of violent crime. Similar arrangements were in place for last year’s two sessions as well as the belt and road forum in October.
