« Chinois: L’économie de basse altitude, moteur futur »

As various countries like the United States, Europe, China, India, or Japan venture into space exploration, launching rockets or establishing space stations, others are looking towards a more grounded perspective of space exploration, specifically taking place between zero and 3,000 meters above ground. Termed as « low altitude economy » by the Chinese, they plan to utilize it as a future growth engine. The allure of drones and flying taxis excite many, however, in Guangdong province in China, this concept is already tangible.

As reported by the Japanese daily, Nikkei, Guangdong, a large metropolis in the south of China, announced an ambitious investment plan exceeding a billion euros on Tuesday, June 4. The investment is aimed towards building infrastructure supportive of this innovative transport mode, including approximately a hundred launch and landing sites.

Guangdong strides to be a leading city of this new economy, but it is not alone in this field. Its neighbouring city, Shenzhen, known as the « Chinese Silicon Valley, » on the Hong Kong border, declared a widespread subsidy policy in December 2023 for sector development.

A prominent player in this sector, hosted by Guangdong, is EHang, the most forward-looking company in vertical take-off and landing electric vehicles, listed on the American Nasdaq market. Their EH 216-S autonomous vehicle, which can accommodate two passengers, was the first to receive Chinese administration approval for mass production of their vehicle, introduced in 2023 at the Paris Air Show.

Selon un rapport publié par China Daily, Beijing supporte activement le secteur aérien de faible altitude. Ce dernier offre des services de transport à courte portée pour le matériel, les passagers et les touristes, et pourrait valoir 130 milliards d’euros d’ici 2026, doublant ainsi sa valeur de 65 milliards en 2023. DJI, entreprise chinoise, est déjà un leader mondial dans la fabrication de drones civils, et la Chine vise à dominer le transport aérien de passagers. Le pays aspire à répéter son succès dans le secteur automobile, ou il a surpassé la concurrence mondiale grâce à sa transition rapide vers l’électricité. Bien que d’autres acteurs internationaux, tels que Airbus, Boeing, Uber, Amazon et diverses PME en Europe et aux États-Unis, aient également participé à cette compétition, l’industrie chinoise unique soutient son ambition exceptionnelle.