Trainees watch a drone takeoff demonstration in the field in Fu'an Village of Gonghua Town in Yuanjiang, central China's Hunan Province, Feb. 15, 2023. Fu'an Village conducted a drone operation training on Wednesday for local villagers to prepare for the spring ploughing. Photo: Xinhua

China should accelerate the development of drones and related unmanned technology, and make efforts to improve the global competitiveness of China's unmanned sector, according to members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Aviation specialist Tang Changhong, a member of the CPPCC National Committee, along with other members from the aviation sector, proposed that authorities optimize market access mechanisms and accelerate the development of China's unmanned systems.

The proposal highlights the need to expand application scenarios for unmanned systems, such as commencing trials of unmanned operating systems in cities and enhancing communications between unmanned drones, ships and vehicles. In addition, relevant regulation systems linked to policies, standards, testing, data processing and operation should be set up during the same period. 

"The unmanned system industry is a cutting-edge technological highland among international competitors and will make huge difference to the development of the society, the economy and the military," said Tang in a recent interview with the Global Times.

However, shortcomings still exist in China's unmanned technology arena, including the lack of applications in scenarios and coordination with other industries.

Shu Zhenjie, an aviation expert, told the Global Times that the industrial advantages of China's current drone industry have not been fully leveraged. "The coordination among multiple technology fields such as aviation equipment, 5G communication, artificial intelligence and big data will be the focus amid the expansion of the industry," he said. 

Tang said he believes that China's unmanned technology represented by drones is already globally competitive, and is aligned with the country's development strategy targeting new industries. 

The output volume and market size of China's drone sector has significantly expanded in recent years, and has already accounted for up to 70 percent of global sales. "The annual output value of China's civilian-use drones reached 60 billion yuan ($8.69 billion) in 2020, with 90 percent of drones produced in the Shenzhen-centered Pearl River Delta [in South China's Guangdong Province]," Shu said.
Shu said that guidance for applying drone-related technology in logistics and mapping sectors will boost industrial development with a focus on high quality.

He said that the operation of drones is linked to aspects of privacy, data protection, environment and public security. "Related laws should be formulated to ensure the normal operation of drone while securing privacy and reducing affects to environment," Shu said. 

In 2018, eight central government departments, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Civil Aviation Administration of China and others, issued a guideline targeting standard making for unmanned aircraft, listing over 100 relevant standards across the world, the country, the industry and groups. 

"Avoiding foreign monopolies in standard making is necessary for China to strengthen its 'right of discourse' in drone and other unmanned technology industries," Shu said.