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Alice Li

China’s top intelligence agency has warned of risks to national security from the fast-growing “low-altitude economy”.
“With the rapid development of the low-altitude economy, some national security risks arising from the sector … warrant attention,” the Ministry of State Security said in a social media post on Sunday.
The ministry said a large amount of sensitive data had been generated during aircraft production and flight, and this had to be managed to prevent tampering, corruption and breaches of security.
It also warned that drones were small, low-cost, made of non-metallic materials, and had high-resolution cameras, making them hard to track and raising the possibility of unauthorised surveillance of sensitive areas.
The low-altitude economy generally refers to activities within airspace below 1,000 metres (3,280 feet).
It includes the use of drones and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for air taxi and delivery services as well as devices for crop-spraying and disease monitoring.
The aircraft can have a range up to 3km (1.9 miles).


The central government is promoting the sector as a new source of economic growth, and late last year set up a new division within the country’s top economic planning body dedicated to the area’s development.
The decision reflected the high value the government is putting on the industry’s potential, given that other divisions within the National Development and Reform Commission – such as foreign investment, the private economy, employment, and national defence – have a much wider scope.
The industry has started taking off in some parts of the country, with some local governments testing the use of the aircraft for food delivery, air taxis, and agricultural production, but there are no widespread applications so far.
To ensure the safe development of the low-altitude economy, the ministry urged authorities to have a clear safety framework and divisions within airspace.


It also emphasised the need for public campaigns to raise awareness of the safety and security risks associated with the devices, as well the need for users to protect data.
The ministry urged readers to report any suspicious low-altitude aircraft activity.
The central authorities pledged late last year to overhaul aviation and boost the low-altitude economy as part of its goals for 2025.
The changes include improvements to air traffic and airspace management systems – both essential for better regulation and sustainable development of the industry.


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