(Yicai Global) Nov. 16 -- A unit of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.Com has become the first company in the country to secure a license to operate drones for logistics on a provincial level.

CAAC Northwest Regional Administration issued a business license for civil unmanned aerial vehicles to Xi'an-based unit Tianhong Technologies, JD said on its WeChat account yesterday.

The move marks a major step for China in its exploration of using drones in the logistics sector. The landmark allows the further development of the industry in terms of standards and scale.

The company has set up logistics operations using unmanned aerial vehicles in seven Chinese provinces to date, namely, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Hainan, Qinghai, Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi. Their operation has helped with distribution challenges in rural and hard-to-get-to areas and has extended intelligent logistics to reach more regions and more people.