‘Braving uncharted territories’
Xiang Zheng, deputy secretary general and director of Beijing Liaison Office of Shenzhen Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Industry Association, told Beijing Review. “The rapid technological iteration, coupled with a multitude of versatile use cases, bestows upon the low-altitude economy enormous potential and a vast realm of imaginative possibilities.”
The development of major cities is increasingly constrained by ground-level limitations, prompting a growing trend towards exploration and extension into the airspace. Low-altitude regions represent an incremental space within the geographical spectrum, he said.
Industry insiders suggested that the low-altitude sector may become a trillion-dollar industry earlier than the autonomous driving industry.
“In contrast to autonomous driving cars, low-altitude vehicles do not pose conflicts with existing traffic structures,” Xiang said. “And many countries demonstrate a relatively open attitude towards them. Consequently, the industry is experiencing rapid momentum.”
According to a white paper published last November by the International Digital Economy Academy in Shenzhen, the low-altitude economy could contribute 3-5 trillion yuan ($419.9-699.8 billion) to China’s economy by 2025.
The white paper also highlighted that the return on investment for projects within this sector will be notably high. Currently, traditional infrastructure investment faces growth constraints. In this context, low-altitude infrastructure construction is expected to stimulate effective investment. The low-altitude economy has emerged as a new arena for competition among the world’s major economic players.
“China holds an unequivocal leading position internationally in the field of new low-altitude economic products and technologies, represented by drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles,” Xiang said. “They are emerging as China’s new ‘technological signature’.”
China currently commands a market share of over 70 percent in the global drone market. Chinese eVTOL companies, represented by EHang and Autoflight, are setting industry benchmarks in the global market.
China has placed significant importance on developing the low-altitude economy in recent years, and, in 2021, the concept of the low-altitude economy was formally integrated into the country’s development plan.
Since then, the low-altitude economic sector has experienced rapid growth. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, as of August 2023, the country had over 1.11 million registered civilian unmanned aerial vehicles, increasing nearly 16 percent from 2022. The number of drone pilot licenses issued
Low-altitude vehicles do not pose conflicts with existing tra#c structures, and many countries demonstrate a relatively open attitude towards them. Consequently, the industry is experiencing rapid momentum.
XIANG ZHENG Deputy Secretary General and Director of Beijing Liaison O"ce of Shenzhen Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Industry Association
has reached 182,000, and there are more than 17,000 registered drone-operating enterprises.
During the recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference, held in December last year, the low-altitude economy was listed as one of the strategic emerging industries alongside bio-manufacturing and commercial aerospace.
Last year, 16 provinces included the low-altitude economy, general aviation and other related concepts in their government work reports. Cities including Shenzhen, Hefei, Guangzhou and Chengdu are rolling out policy incentives, vying for the prestigious title of “leading city in the low-altitude economy.”
In addition to drone and eVTOL enterprises, companies with an Internet-based DNA are also accelerating their efforts to establish a footprint in the low-altitude economy. In 2022, logistics firm SF Express became the first in China to obtain a license to test regional unmanned aerial vehicles; online delivery platform Meituan won approval to start commercial drone delivery operation in 2023; and e-commerce giant JD.com’s drones are already operational in many regions in China.
“The low-altitude economy is experiencing a rare strategic opportunity. Favourable policy support, accelerated corporate convergence, diverse application scenarios, robust market demand, mature technological foundations and evident core advantages all contribute to this opportune period,” Xiang said.
However, the development of the low-altitude economy is challenged by a complex and underdeveloped regulatory system, a need for strengthened supply chain development, urgent requirements for infrastructure improvement and the necessity to enhance regulatory standards, he said.
“The large-scale application of the low-altitude products and technologies is a complex process, which may take at least three to five years,” Xiang said, adding that fine-tuned airspace management, networked route construction, standardised institutional mechanisms and systematised regulatory standards are all necessary conditions for achieving scalable development.
KENYA Tea Production Up
Kenya’s tea output in the first 10 months of 2023 rose 8.58 percent, partly boosted by the ongoing El Niño rains, the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) said in a report released in January in the capital of Nairobi.
The TBK said the output increased to 412 million kg during the period, from 379.64 million kg in a similar period in 2022, with most of the production happening between April and October 2023.
“Due to continued good weather conditions during the period, cumulative output for the first 10 months of the year 2023 was higher by 32.58 million kilos to stand at 412.22 million kilos,” the TBK said. From March to May, Kenya usually experiences its long rainy season, and a short rainy season follows from October to December. According to the TBK, the country recorded the highest tea production in last May and October, when output averaged 54.8 million kg.
Tea is the East African nation’s main cash crop, which is exported to main markets that include Russia, Pakistan, the UK, Afghanistan, Sudan and Egypt. Kenya’s tea earnings rose to $993 million in 2022, an increase from $979 million in 2021.
CHINA Facilitating Private Business
China will continue to help solve difficulties faced by private enterprises and create a sound environment for the development of the private economy, a government official has said.
Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, made the remarks during a symposium attended by executives of private enterprises on 9 January.
Private enterprises’ economic sentiment and assessments provide important reference for policymakers in their analysis of the economic situation, formulation of policy measures and
8.03
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