China's Guangdong sets up standardization committee for booming low-altitude economy

South China's Guangdong Province on Monday established the country's first provincial-level low-altitude economy standardization technical committee, further adding to growing positive developments for the booming sector in China.  

The committee, approved by the Guangdong Administration for Market Supervision, is tasked with managing the technical standardization efforts within the low-altitude economy across the province.

The committee aims to fast-track the formulation of national and local standards, covering areas such as low-altitude airspace management, flight rules, airworthiness certification, product service guarantees, and industrial measurement. The initiative is part of a broader effort to build a comprehensive standardization framework.

Standardization is essential for strengthening the resilience of industrial and supply chains and for establishing a new development framework. It is crucial to leverage standards as a foundational and leading tool to ensure the high-quality development of Guangdong's low-altitude economy, said Guo Yuhua, a senior official of the Guangdong Administration for Market Supervision, as reported by Southern Finance.

Guo emphasized that Guangdong, alongside the Greater Bay Area, is well-positioned to drive this standardization initiative, thanks to its rich low-altitude resources and comprehensive industrial, technological, and talent ecosystems. 

The province plans to leverage its market advantages to strengthen the development and implementation of low-altitude economy standards, providing vital support for the sector's sustainable growth in Guangdong and beyond, said Guo, according to Southern Finance.

This move follows a recent initiative in Shenzhen, where the city's government released guidelines to build a standardized framework for the low-altitude economy. The goal is to accelerate the development of industry norms and technical innovations, improving governance and driving development in the sector.

In another key development, China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), announced the creation of a new department on Sunday to bolster the rapidly expanding low-altitude economy. The department will be responsible for drafting and implementing strategic, mid-term and long-term development plans, offering policy recommendations, and coordinating critical issues related to the sector, according to Xinhua. 

In addition to these institutional moves, China is also expanding its educational efforts to meet the growing demand for talent in the low-altitude economy. On December 23, six leading Chinese universities, including Beihang University and Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, applied to establish new programs in low-altitude technology and engineering, underscoring China's dedication to fostering expertise in this burgeoning field.

The low-altitude economy in China has been expanding rapidly. According to data from the China Center for Information Industry Development, China's low-altitude economy exceeded 500 billion yuan ($68.5 billion) in 2023, reaching 505.95 billion yuan, up 33.8 percent year-on-year. The center also predicted that by 2025, the market size of the low-altitude economy in China will reach 1.5 trillion yuan and as much as 3.5 trillion yuan in 2035, highlighting the vast opportunities in this sector.