Chinese tech firms are racing to make new commercial drones, including delivery drones and air taxis, to fuel its low-altitude economy.
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00:00Getting a package from the sky is no longer a far-fetched idea in China, where tech entrepreneurs
00:09have been flying new commercial drones to cut down on delivery times for goods, even
00:14perishable food, especially under tough circumstances.
00:19If the sea waves are strong, the drones may stop sailing on the island,
00:24which will lead to the delivery of goods, vegetables and fruits for livelihoods.
00:29We can overcome this and deliver goods under certain special circumstances.
00:36Chinese firms have been doubling down on their dominance in the global drone industry,
00:41eyeing the low-altitude economy as a major engine for growth.
00:45Last month, the first regular drone delivery service in Beijing launched one to deliver food over the Great Wall.
00:53Over 30 other drone routes are already running elsewhere, including Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
01:00China's been racing to develop its tech capabilities in a fierce competition against the United States.
01:07U.S. President Joe Biden has largely blocked advanced American chips and other high-tech equipment
01:13from getting to China, to keep Beijing behind in what both superpowers see as potentially transformative technology,
01:21like artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
01:27But in manned and unmanned aircraft tech, China has forged ahead.
01:32Aside from delivery drones, firms are also betting big on aircraft to transport individual commuters.
01:39Once the economic and safety and comfortable performance improve, that's going to scale up very fast.
01:50With local firms getting more drones off the ground,
01:53China will have to consider how to coordinate and regulate low-altitude aircraft,
01:59as innovators push to get their city to become China's first in the sky.
02:04Yixin Chen, Joyce Sun, for Taiwan Plus.