Guangdong leads China's low-altitude economy

Guangdong province has achieved positive and innovative results in low-altitude economic development with more than 700 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) routes and about 800,000 UAV logistics and distribution flights opened annually.

The Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai special economic zones, along with other cities have taken the lead in the province in building low-altitude takeoff and landing sites, accelerating the construction of a 30-minute aviation medical rescue network throughout the province, said Bai Yu, an inspector with the province's development and reform commission.

"The low-altitude economy has now formed a competitive pattern in multiple scenarios, including urban governance, air traffic, emergency rescue, and low-altitude cultural tourism," she said.

Bai made the remarks at a ceremony to open an extensive media coverage event in Guangdong on Monday, involving reporters from central and local media outlets on a tour to delve into the province's dynamic technological hubs and cutting-edge innovations.

This trip is part of the Vibrant China research and visit tour, extending through June 29.

According to Bai, Guangdong has fully leveraged the advantages of its strong manufacturing industry and diverse application scenarios and actively explored and taken the lead in promoting the low-altitude economy in recent years.

Guangdong's low-altitude economy scale now exceeds 100 billion yuan ($14.1 billion), attracting more than 15,000 low-altitude economy related enterprises, according to Bai.

"The low-altitude industrial chain covers the entire process of material research and development, component manufacturing, complete machine production, operation services, and industrial finance," she said.

Gathering 30 percent of the country's industrial chain enterprise, Guangdong leads the world in low-altitude manufacturing industrial development, Bai said, adding that the province has reached a market share of 95 percent for consumer drones and 54 percent for industrial drones.

"Both figures rank first in the country," she said.

By the end of 2024, Guangdong had established more than 11,000 5G-advanced (5G-A) base stations across the province, added Bai.