China now 'leader' in UAS sector

China is looking to play a dominant role in the global unmanned aircraft system (UAS) sector after launching its first international standard for the sector recently, experts said.

"With the new international standard, China has transformed from a participator to a leader in the field, which will provide the impetus for the overseas expansion plans of Chinese drone companies," said Shu Zhenjie, deputy chief engineer of AVIC China Aero-Polytechnology Establishment, a key research institute on the standardization of defense and aviation procedures.

The newly-released standard led by China focused on the categorization and classification of civil unmanned aircraft systems, which is the basis for the safe operation protocols for the drone industry.