Focus on the development of future industries
Editors Note: Future industries are important engines of new quality productive forces, representing the long-term development direction of science and technology and industry, and can provide significant support and a huge driving effect on the national economy. This years government work report points out that a growth mechanism for future industry investment should be established to cultivate future industries such as biomanubicin, embodied intelligence and 6G. At present, what are the advantages and challenges for China in developing future industries? How will future industries develop in the future? To deeply analyze the opportunities and challenges in the future development of Chinas industries, this issue of "China Times Deep" interviewed many representatives of enterprises in the industrial chain and industry experts, delving into the current situation, shortcomings and deficiencies of Chinas future industrial development, and putting forward targeted policy suggestions, with the aim of promoting the high-quality development of future industries.
China Economic Times reporter Zhao Shan
Infrastructure is the cornerstone for the take-off of the low-altitude economy. In recent years, low-altitude economic infrastructure, as a core element supporting low-altitude flight activities, has made remarkable progress. What challenges does the construction of low-altitude economic infrastructure still face at present? How can we break through the bottlenecks in infrastructure construction through technological innovation and policy support to promote the high-quality development of the low-altitude economy? In response to these issues, relevant experts have provided their own answers based on practical experience.
Significant progress has been made in the construction of low-altitude economic infrastructure
Chinas low-altitude economy is in a stage of rapid growth. It is estimated that by 2035, the market size of the low-altitude economy will reach 3.5 trillion yuan, which undoubtedly presents a huge opportunity. Chen Qianwen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, vice chairperson of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and chairperson of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the China Democratic Promotion Association, said in an interview with China Economic Times.
Wang Minghui, director of the Second Research Office of the Department of Industrial Economics at the Development Research Center of The State Council, told China Economic Times that by the end of 2024, China had 451 general aviation airports, while the United States had about 20,000, leaving considerable room for growth. All provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) are actively planning and laying out the new infrastructure for low-altitude flights. For instance, Zhejiang Province has built 12 Class A general aviation airports and 340 helicopter landing points throughout the province, effectively establishing A low-altitude flight service guarantee network featuring "1 provincial Class A flight service center +3 Class B flight service stations +33 sets of low-altitude communication and monitoring equipment". Sichuan Province has proposed to accelerate infrastructure construction and the establishment of a low-altitude air route network. By 2027, it aims to build 20 general aviation airports and over 100 vertical take-off and landing points, achieving full coverage of regional airports. The integrated information platform for low-altitude supervision, service and application in pilot cities will be completed and put into use.
Shenzhen, which was approved to build a national low-altitude economic industry comprehensive demonstration zone in 2024, has made remarkable progress in multiple aspects such as low-altitude communication networks, navigation systems, and airspace management platforms.
Chen Qianwen introduced that as of November 2024, Shenzhen has built 249 low-altitude take-off and landing facilities, and plans to build over 1,200 by 2026. On the communication network, 80,000 5G base stations have achieved continuous 5G network coverage in the airspace below 120 meters, building the largest 5G-A low-altitude communication and sensing test network in the country. Through the "5G+ millimeter-wave + satellite" space-air-ground integrated network, high-quality communication, perception and positioning services are provided for unmanned aerial vehicles.
Hardware facilities are merely the "shell". What truly brings the low-altitude economy to life is the technical system behind it. Shenzhen is promoting the construction of "four networks" - the facilities network, the air network, the airway network and the service network. It is developing the intelligent integrated low-altitude system (SILAS), known as the "low-altitude brain", and achieving refined management of low-altitude flight activities by connecting to the city-wide spatio-temporal information platform (CIM).
There are security issues that are
"invisible, unreachable and unmanageable"
Despite rapid development, there are still many deficiencies in the construction of low-altitude economic infrastructure in our country.
Zhou Yuzhe, deputy director of the Aerospace Information Research Office of the Future Industry Research Center of the China Center for Information Industry Development, told the China Economic Times that the domestic low-altitude economic infrastructure is relatively lagging behind and has not formed a unified standard, resulting in safety issues that are "invisible, unattainable and unmanageable".
First, there are numerous classification methods for low-altitude economic infrastructure, but no unified classification standard has been provided. The second issue is the insufficient construction and uneven distribution of physical infrastructure. Chinas general aviation airports are mainly concentrated in the developed eastern regions, but the per capita number of general aviation airports is significantly mismatched with the level of regional economic development. In some cities, due to the limitation of development space, it is difficult to deploy facilities. Due to the lack of technical standards for take-off and landing facilities, some regions find it difficult to advance infrastructure construction. Third, the construction of supporting facilities and new types of facilities is slow. In urban scenarios, the number of supporting facilities such as vertical take-off and landing points and charging facilities is insufficient, and there is a lack of industry standard guidance. Many areas lack the most basic infrastructure such as radar and communication, and the infrastructure such as monitoring terminals and base stations is also incomplete.
Zhang Chi, a researcher at Beihang University and deputy director of the National Key Laboratory of Aerodynamics and Thermodynamics of Aero Engines, told China Economic Times that for air traffic within cities, air management is a challenge. The low-altitude airspace resources in cities are limited, there are numerous obstacles, the meteorological environment is complex and changeable, and the transient effect of the aerodynamic boundary of aircraft is significant. The security risks of high-density operation are high.
Compared with the rapid development of the low-altitude economy, the infrastructure support such as low-altitude take-off and landing points and meteorological stations in our country is insufficient. The number of general aviation airports and take-off and landing points for unmanned aerial vehicles and eVTOL(Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Aircraft) still cannot meet the requirements of application scenarios. Low-altitude infrastructure has not yet been incorporated into the urban and rural planning and construction system. In many places, low-altitude airspace maps and take-off and landing facilities remain blank. Wang Minghui said.
Break through the bottleneck in infrastructure construction
Promote high-quality development of the low-altitude economy
In the future, the low-altitude economy will develop in the direction of networking and intelligence. Chen Qianwen believes that the key lies in building a nationwide low-altitude transportation network, integrating hardware facilities such as general airports, take-off and landing points, and low-altitude logistics transfer stations into a whole. Intelligence is the key to the development of the low-altitude economy. 5G-A and the future 6G networks can provide strong communication support for its low-altitude economy, achieving wide coverage, high capacity and low latency communication in the low-altitude area, and ensuring the stable communication link of low-altitude aircraft. Meanwhile, AI technology will play a core role in the low-altitude economy. New technological empowerment will transform the low-altitude economy into a "thinking" system, propelling it from concept to reality.
Meanwhile, the construction of low-altitude economic infrastructure will develop in a green, low-carbon and safe direction. Zhang Chi pointed out that if the hydrogen energy industry is combined with the low-altitude economy, and the abundant wind, solar and green electricity in the local area is utilized to supply energy for airport facilities such as hydrogen production, hydrogen liquefaction and terminal buildings, and hydrogen is produced and used locally, an innovative development model of low-altitude economy featuring "energy self-sufficiency, zero carbon emissions and high speed and efficiency" can be achieved.
Wang Minghui told this newspapers reporter that strengthening the construction of low-altitude infrastructure should combine "soft" and "hard" approaches. It is necessary to not only strengthen the planning and construction of hardware facilities such as low-altitude road networks, take-off and landing points, and meteorological service stations, but also promote the construction of software infrastructure such as low-altitude dynamic monitoring networks. We should focus on cities, remote mountainous areas and cross-sea regions, coordinate the construction of various take-off and landing points and general aviation airports, make full use of and renovate existing public facilities such as bus stops, logistics hubs and the top floors of buildings, and build a multi-scenario and multi-level take-off and landing facility network. Gradually establish a nationwide low-altitude dynamic monitoring network, guide pilot areas to build city-level low-altitude flight service dispatch platforms, and when conditions are ripe, connect city-level and enterprise-level platforms to the national level to achieve real-time data and information sharing." Wang Minghui said.
With technological advancements and the expansion of application scenarios, the demand for infrastructure in the low-altitude economy will tend to become more diverse and complex. Zhou Yuzhe suggested that first, drawing on the experience of infrastructure construction in the pilot zones of the low-altitude economy, a unified standard system for low-altitude infrastructure should be issued as soon as possible to guide the construction of low-altitude economic infrastructure across the country. Second, accelerate the construction of infrastructure that meets the application demands of low-altitude economy, including but not limited to eVTOL take-off and landing points, unmanned aerial vehicle take-off and landing points, charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations, as well as low-altitude intelligent Internet platforms, etc. Third, optimize the regional spatial layout of low-altitude infrastructure, increase the utilization rate of various types of low-altitude infrastructure, and adapt to the regional characteristic low-altitude application scenarios and market consumption Spaces.
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