The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Friday issued the first batch of certificates for autonomous passenger drone operation to two Chinese companies, marking China's entry into the commercial operation stage of autonomous passenger drones.
The two certificates were granted to Chinese drone makers EHang Holdings Limited in south China's Guangdong Province and Hefei Hey Airlines Co., Ltd. in east China's Anhui Province.
The operation certificate is used to confirm that the autonomous passenger drone service meets the safety operation standards and operation requirements. The companies with an operation certificate can carry out commercial operations in approved areas, provide paid passenger services and other low-altitude economy-related services.
With the operation certificate, consumers will be able to purchase tickets at operating spots in Guangzhou and Hefei to experience low-altitude tours, city sightseeing and a variety of commercial passenger transport services.
China issues first batch of passenger drone operation certificates
The European Commission's proposal to use frozen Russian assets as collateral to finance Ukraine "cannot deprive Russia of ownership of these assets", European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.
Lagarde stated that this proposal is the closest one so far to complying with international law. She added that to address investor concerns, the European Union (EU) needs to explain that it is not "trying to seize Russian sovereign assets for its own benefit".
Lagarde has long expressed concerns about using frozen Russian assets. She said the ECB is keen to ensure that any outcome respects international law, otherwise the global reputation of the euro could be damaged.
In response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday local time that Russia has no plans or intention to go to war with Europe, but Russia will respond to any deployment of European military forces in Ukraine as well as to attempts to seize Russian assets in Europe.
Following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Western countries froze approximately 300 billion U.S. dollars in Russian overseas assets. Among these, the EU froze about 200 billion euros (about 232 billion U.S. dollars) worth of assets belonging to the Russian central bank.
Approximately 90 percent of the frozen Russian assets within the EU are held by Euroclear Bank, based in Brussels, Belgium. Russia has repeatedly emphasized that, under international law, any seizure of its assets by Western governments constitutes "theft".
In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed establishing a "reparation loan" mechanism, intending to use frozen Russian assets as collateral to provide Ukraine with a total loan of about 140 billion euros (163 billion U.S. dollars).
However, Belgium and the ECB believe this plan carries significant risks in terms of international law and the financial stability of the eurozone.
ECB chief urges caution in using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine
