Speedy growth on the cards

Unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, are fast becoming identified with the "Made in China" wave.

In the international market, China's civilian UAVs have maintained their competitive advantage, and their export volumes have achieved rapid growth.

By 2020, China's civilian UAV industry will continue to develop rapidly, with an annual output value of 60 billion yuan ($9 billion). The average annual growth rate will likely exceed 40 percent, according to the Guidelines on Promoting and Regulating the Development of Civil UAV Manufacturing Industry, issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in December 2017.

The consumer drone technology will remain an international leader, given its advanced level. As a result, a number of Chinese companies engaged in the industry have successfully built their foothold in the global market.

For instance, DJI, which is headquartered in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, reportedly accounts for 70 percent of the global consumer drone market.

China's UAV industry is expanding from design, research and development, manufacturing and other technical fields to UAV leasing, insurance and other fields, and a complete industrial chain is forming.

The continuous improvement of UAV supervision and industry standards is pushing China's UAV industry into a safe and healthy development track.

In recent years, both the country's UAV manufacturing industry and the domestic market have developed rapidly. The UAV has been widely used in military reconnaissance, various industries, geological mapping, relief measures related to natural disasters, power line inspections, personal consumption (e-commerce-related courier deliveries) and other fields.

Feng Peide, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an expert in aircraft navigation and control, said relevant policies have helped create market mechanisms that consistently boost demand. So, China's UAV industry is set to see a new round of growth.

According to Chinese customs data, China exported UAVs worth 8.05 billion yuan in the first three quarters of 2017 (the latest available official data), up 96 percent over the same period in 2016, including 2.71 billion yuan to the United States, up 72 percent, and 1.06 billion yuan to the European Union, up 66 percent.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

(China Daily 02/25/2019 page8)