Guizhou aims high on drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, on display at a disaster, emergency response and security expo in Shanghai in October. Provided to China Daily

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The southwestern province of Guizhou is determined to become China's biggest supplier of civilian drones, according to national legislators from the province.

"I have submitted my proposal to the government that favorable policies should be created and carried out to stimulate the development of a civil-purpose unmanned aircraft industry in Guizhou," said Chu Haitao, a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and chairman of Guizhou Aviation Industry Group.

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The Aviation Industry Corp of China, the nation's leading aircraft manufacturer that owns Chu's company, has chosen Guizhou, one of the underdeveloped regions in the country, as its design and production base for civilian drones, he said.

Guizhou has a history of 50 years in the aircraft industry and is able to produce about 70 percent of an aircraft's parts, he said, adding that the group began to develop unmanned aircraft in 1999.

The province has designated a considerable amount of resources to construct modern manufacturing facilities and living infrastructure and pledged to guarantee decent housing for aviation industry employees, said Zhou Jiankun, another congress deputy and Party chief of Guizhou's Anshun, home to many aircraft parts companies.

He noted that Guizhou has been striving to attract more aviation companies, especially those surrounding unmanned aircraft, to invest in the province.

The provincial government set up an unmanned aircraft research center in 2012, aiming to advance research in fields such as cutting-edge materials and airborne equipment.

Civilian drones have a huge market in China, said Zhu Junjian, deputy chief engineer at Guizhou Aviation Industry Group. Geographic survey, aerial mapping, forest patrols, resource exploration as well as maritime operations can greatly benefit from the use of drones, he added.

However, Chu said the government must assist or cooperate with enterprises to remove obstacles that affect the industry's development before the sector can thrive.

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