China has released new guidelines on the civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry, with the sector's market value forecast to expand 40 percent year-on-year on average to 60 billion yuan ($ 9.1 billion) by 2020.

The value will triple to 180 billion yuan by 2025, according to the guidelines from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The estimate was much higher than a forecast by an iResearch report last year, which said the overall market of UAVs, commonly known as drones, could reach 75 billion yuan by 2025.

The country's UAV manufacturing industry has been expanding rapidly in recent years thanks to the extensive use of drones in fields such as surveying and mapping as well as rising individual consumption.

The ministry said that China is playing a leading role in the world in the consumer UAV product manufacturing.

The ministry will promote national unified management of the industry, strengthen its competitive edge and help foster several leading drone manufacturers by 2020, according to the guidelines.

Although the use of drones in agriculture, environmental monitoring and public entertainment has been largely positive, civilian drones have threatened safety of civil aviation on many occasions.

In late April, four drones flew illegally over Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. They forced 58 flights to land at alternative airports, four to return to their points of departure, and many more to be canceled.

China requires civilian drones weighing more than 250 grams to be registered under real names from June 1 to improve civil aviation safety.