South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is playing a leading role in the country’s efforts to expand cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the low-altitude economy.
The low-altitude economy refers to activities involving both manned and unmanned aircraft typically operating in airspace ranging from 1,000 meters and 3,000 meters above the ground.
China’s government work report this year spotlighted the low-altitude economy as a strategic emerging sector which has the huge potential to transform urban mobility with air taxis, vertiports and drone deliveries, becoming a new engine of economic growth.
As China’s key gateway to ASEAN, Guangxi has already fostered close cooperation and exchanges with ASEAN members across various fields over the years. The Chinese region is now doubling down on collaborating with ASEAN nations in developing the low-altitude economy, such as by helping domestic firms tap into the Southeast Asian markets and working with ASEAN nations on scientific and technology innovation and applications.
A delegation of Thai entrepreneurs recently visited a low-altitude industrial base in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi, to participate in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-related training program.
“In Thailand, we have also launched the business of issuing UAV operator licenses. We’ve organized a team to come here for a brief training session to help our members take the examinations for the drone operator licenses after we head back,” said Banyat Boonya, president of the Thailand ASEAN Business Association, in an interview with China Guangxi Television.
The Guangxi Beitou Low Altitude Economy Investment Co., Ltd., which established the base, sees a burgeoning market for drone technology adoption across Southeast Asia.
“For ASEAN, we mainly provide technology and products. Based on our primary investigation of the ASEAN markets, such as Malaysia and Thailand, they have significant demand for drones used in agricultural and forestry plant protection and in transportation in the logistics sector,” said Yang Yuhou, who leads the company’s investment development department and operations department.
Zheng Fangfang, president of the Guangxi Chaoda Tianke Drone Technology Co., Ltd., also observed that the use of drones is emerging as a potent competitor to traditional delivery methods in Southeast Asian countries, as the region’s vital agricultural and tourism sectors as well as the need for efficient disaster response in diverse landscapes are driving growth in the use of UAVs.
“Many Southeast Asian countries, like Indonesia, are archipelagic nations, which makes drone delivery much more convenient than traditional land or air transportation. And this is why in a next step, drone delivery will be one of the projects we launch,” she said.
To give full play to the synergy of industry and integrate upstream and downstream industrial chains, the Nanning Low Altitude Economic Industry Association was inaugurated in August last year, which shows the importance Guangxi attaches to the development of the emerging sector.
“Nanning can also establish an international exchange and cooperation platform by holding events such as the Low-altitude Economic Industry Development Forum to attract more ASEAN enterprises to participate in project cooperation in the sector, and help domestic companies better understand the demands in the ASEAN markets,” said Yan Yanghuan, a senior engineer and member of the expert team at the association.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, China’s low-altitude economy is expected to reach a market size of 1.5 trillion yuan (about 210 billion U.S. dollars) by the end of the year and soar to 3.5 trillion yuan (487 billion U.S. dollars) by 2035.
Source: Bastillepost