China's tech hub Shenzhen operates over 300 low-altitude logistics routes

A staff member tests an unmanned aerial vehicle at the base of the United Aircraft Group in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, June 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Li An)

SHENZHEN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- South China's tech hub of Shenzhen, home to the leading global drone maker DJI, has to date opened a total of 310 low-altitude logistics routes, with 82 new routes added in 2025, according to the ongoing annual session of the municipal people's congress.

Official data published during the meeting on Monday shows that Shenzhen has built more than 1,200 low-altitude takeoff and landing facilities as the city accelerates the development of its low-altitude economy.

The city in Guangdong Province now stands as a leading manufacturing base for unmanned aerial vehicles, producing 70 percent of China's consumer drones and 50 percent of its industrial drones.

The expansion of Shenzhen's low-altitude sector is fueled by the city's increasing investment in sci-tech innovation. From 2020 to 2024, Shenzhen's total R&D investment grew from 151.08 billion yuan (about 21.73 billion U.S. dollars) to 245.31 billion yuan, representing an average annual growth of 12.9 percent.

China's low-altitude economy has gained substantial momentum since being recognized as a new growth driver in the 2024 government work report.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has projected that the country's low-altitude economy reached a market scale of 1.5 trillion yuan last year and will climb to 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035.