Low-altitude economy ready for takeoff

Imagine stepping into an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) cabin at dawn, a steaming cup of tea in hand. Minutes later, you're hovering above the city, with the streets and traffic jams zooming out below. No snarled bumper-to-bumper delays, no frantic main-road, side-road diversions — just a direct, scenic glide to your destination. This is not a page from a science fiction novel; it's part of China's nascent low-altitude economy, where airspace is no longer an empty expanse but the next frontier of growth.

Economists have long defined "the economy" as the art and science of marshaling scarce resources to meet our needs. Today, land has been built out, seas and oceans have become busy highways, but airspace remains largely idle.

Much like farmlands or shipping lanes, the low-altitude airspace below the clouds is a critical resource, one we have hardly begun to exploit. For China, opening up this realm to commercial, private and public use is not just an exciting technological option, but a strategic imperative.