Shanghai has banned the release of unmanned free balloons and tethered balloons within the administrative area of the city, local meteorological authorities said.

Shanghai is the first city in China to prohibit the release of these balloons, they said.

Punishment will be issued in accordance with the law for promotion activities that violate relevant laws and regulations.

The announcement was jointly issued by the city’s meteorological bureau, the public security bureau, the emergency management bureau and the East China Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The safety and stability benefits brought by prohibiting the release of balloons far outweigh the balloons’ commercial and economic benefits, a meteorological bureau official said.

An unmanned free balloon is an inflatable object that is non-powered, unmanned, and lighter than air with a total mass of over 4 kilograms.

A tethered, moored or captive balloon refers to a balloon that is restrained by one or more tethers attached to the ground and is lighter than air.