China bans drones and pigeons in Beijing ahead of 70th anniversary
The move comes as rehearsals for an enormous military parade and celebration to mark 70 years of communist rule are carried out.
Sunday 15 September 2019 12:25, UK
Drones and pigeons have been banned from central Beijing as China prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule.
The ban means drones, kites and captive pigeons are blocked from being flown over the capital for more than two weeks.
A grand military parade and other celebrations are currently being rehearsed, with military planes, tanks and other vehicles being spotted tracing the parade route ahead of the official event on 1 October.
During the preparations, onlookers were kept away behind barriers.
The activities, which could affect flight safety, are being banned in seven of the capital city's 16 districts from 15 September to 1 October, the Beijing municipal government's website said.
Flying balloons and lanterns are also prohibited.
The ceremony will take place at Beijing's Tiananmen Square and will mark the founding of the People's Republic of China on 1 October, 1949.
Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist army were defeated by communist forces and retreated to the island of Taiwan, where they established a rival government.
President Xi Jinping is expected to make a speech at the upcoming celebration and more than 100,000 people will take part.
Joseph Dempsey, a defence and military researcher, shared images of the secretive rehearsals on Twitter. Access to the social media site is blocked in China.
The images showed large missiles and military vehicles being transported.
Training pigeons is a traditional pastime in China, with pigeon coops visible on top of buildings in parts of Beijing.