The 9th World Drone Congress concluded in tech hub Shenzhen in south China Sunday after displaying over 5,000 drone models, demonstrating how the technology has expanded into more than 200 application scenarios ranging from agricultural logistics to firefighting and entertainment.
The annual industry gathering featured cutting-edge innovations including unmanned helicopters, multi-rotor aircraft, and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, highlighting China's latest advancements in drone technology. International buyers crowded exhibition halls to source Chinese-made products.
In recent years, the rapid advancement of 5G connectivity and artificial intelligence has propelled drone technology into uncharted territories. What began as aerial photography tools now transforms operations across cultural tourism, emergency response, transportation, and urban governance. Industry innovators are racing to capitalize on this expansion.
In Guangdong's Maoming, drones are revolutionizing lychee harvesting. At a local orchard, farmers were loading freshly picked lychees onto transport drones that are able to carry 85 kg of fruit along pre-programmed routes to cold chain centers in just five minutes per kilometer, solving longstanding transportation challenges in the mountainous region.
Meanwhile in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, a recent emergency drill demonstrated drones' lifesaving potential. During a simulated high-rise fire, reconnaissance drones created 3D models to locate flames and trapped victims, while drone-delivered supplies and coordinated firefighting UAVs extinguished blazes from 100-meter altitudes with foam retardant.
The technology also creates dazzling displays. In the night sky above the Liuyang River in central China's Hunan Province, 1,000 drones synchronized with fireworks to form dynamic aerial patterns before launching pyrotechnic cascades that thrilled spectators.
Global drone expo highlights increasing applications across industries
China's natural gas production is projected to reach 300 billion cubic meters by 2030, according to a development report released in Beijing.
The report, covering the development of China's oil and gas industry during the country's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), said proven geological reserves rose by 7 billion tons of oil and 7 trillion cubic meters of gas, up 43 percent and 40 percent respectively from the previous five-year period. Oil and gas production hit record highs.
"The oil output is likely to reach between 215 and 216 million tons this year. Natural gas has seen major growth during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), with annual domestic output rising by nearly 13 billion cubic meters. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), we expect annual increases of more than 10 billion cubic meters, reaching 300 billion cubic meters around 2030," said Wu Mouyuan, deputy director of the Economics and Technology Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).
The report forecast that China's energy structure will feature less coal, stable oil and gas, and rising non-fossil fuels over the next decade.
By 2060, fossil fuels are expected to account for 23 percent of the energy mix, hydropower and nuclear 19 percent, wind 25 percent, and solar 30 percent, the report said.
"In the next five years, through the integrated development of fossil energy and renewables, we will achieve a heathy, stable, and resilient energy system. Clean energy will continue to grow rapidly. More than 90 percent of renewable energy will be consumed via electricity, so the electrification at end-use sectors is a key direction of transformation in the future," said Wu.
With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and new high-energy industries, China's power demand will exceed 20 trillion kilowatt hours by 2060, double the 2025 level. Electrification at end-use sectors is expected to reach 62 percent, rising by nearly one percentage point annually, the report projected.
China to see gas output hitting 300 bcm by 2030: report
