As a well-known city of drones, Shenzhen is leading the way in the development of world's low-altitude economy.
By the end of 2023, Shenzhen had more than 1,700 drone companies, with an annual output value of 96 billion yuan (US$13.2 billion), up 28% year-on-year, ranking first in the country, according to the latest statistics.
The city's drones are continuously gaining traction overseas. In the sector of consumer grade drones, Shenzhen takes up 70% of the global market, while in the field of industrial-grade drones, it owns half of the global market share.
Besides drones, the city's low-altitude economy is also booming in low-altitude manufacturing, low-altitude flying, and integrated services, with various application scenarios such as tourism, logistics, tour-inspection, surveying and mapping.
By the end of 2023, Shenzhen had launched 126 low-altitude routes, and constructed 89 drone takeoff and landing points.
A drone works in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Xinhua
In recent years, Shenzhen has rolled out a series of policies to unlock the potential of low-altitude economy and formed a vibrant low-altitude ecosystem of industries.
In 2022, the city released a three-year implementation plan to promote the innovation and development of low-altitude economy.
The following year, developing low-altitude economy was written into the city's government work report for the first time.
Last December, the city rolled out 20 measures to support the high-quality development of low-altitude economy, including cultivating an industrial chain, promoting sci-tech innovation, and expanding application scenarios.
This month, Shenzhen unveiled a regulation, the first of its kind in the country, to promote the industries of low-altitude economy.
The regulation covers areas including infrastructure, flying services, industrial applications, and technological innovation.
It vows to deepen international cooperation in the field of low-altitude economy, and encourages local enterprises, research institutes, and industrial associations to participate in local, national and international standards.
Thanks to such a favorable environment, the annual output of Shenzhen's low-altitude economy is on the way to surpass 100 billion yuan soon.
The low-altitude economy has become a new driving engine of economic growth, said an official from Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Transport, adding that the city will speed up the fostering and opening-up of low-altitude application scenarios and strive to cultivate the most diverse application scenarios in the world.