China's push into the drone and low-altitude economy reached a new milestone on September 10, 2026, with the release of a premier county-level development ranking during the eighth Air Silk Road International Cooperation Conference.
Held in Beijing as an aviation-themed forum under the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, the event unveiled the China County-Level Low-Altitude Economy Development Potential Top 100 List 2026.
The comprehensive index was jointly compiled by the National Low-Economy Industry-Education Integration Community, the Beijing Airport International Technology Research Institute, and Phoenix Finance. Researchers spent nearly six months screening 1,857 county-level administrative units across 27 provincial-level regions using data gathered through June 2026. The evaluation model utilizes a 100-point scale based on a four-dimensional framework encompassing airspace resources, low-altitude application scenarios, economic foundation, and low-altitude infrastructure.
Emphasizing core drone-friendly low-altitude elements, airspace resources and application scenarios carry a combined weight of 60 percent, while economic foundation and infrastructure make up the remaining 40 percent. Following a rigorous three-tiered screening process consisting of threshold filters, quantitative scoring, and expert reviews, 100 counties were ultimately selected.
Geographically, the selected counties highlight distinct regional gradient differences across the country. Northwest China and East China each account for 21 counties, followed by Southwest China with 14, North China with 13, South China with 12, Central China with 10, and Northeast China with 9. This distribution establishes an overarching pattern characterized by midwestern potential release and eastern quality leadership.
Infrastructure metrics indicate that the county-level low-altitude sector remains in its foundational stage. Among the selected regions, roughly 28 percent have constructed general aviation airports, while approximately 62 percent have deployed permanent takeoff and landing points. Based on local resource endowments, the study outlines four representative pathways for county-level development: agriculture-led, ring-core-city integration, cultural tourism, and energy-rich utilization. Over the next three to five years, analysts project that eastern provinces will focus on industrial manufacturing and supply chains, midwestern regions will concentrate on operational scenarios, and administrative areas will increasingly establish cross-regional network linkages.
Addressing the strategic rationale for targeting counties rather than major urban centers, Ma Jian, president of the Beijing Airport International Technology Research Institute, noted that China's low-altitude sector is advancing through a "rural surrounds the cities" development model. Safety remains the strict baseline for low-altitude operations, and deploying drones in densely populated metropolitan environments carries significantly different risk profiles than operating in sparsely populated rural and county areas. Furthermore, counties offer abundant airspace resources and comprehensive demand across logistics, agriculture, infrastructure inspection, emergency response, and mountain applications.
By successfully testing operational models and establishing safety standards at the county level first, the industry creates scalable frameworks that can eventually be pushed toward larger urban markets. Additionally, these 100 selected counties are positioned to serve as demonstration nodes and operational bases for exporting Chinese low-altitude equipment, technologies, and standards to Belt and Road partner countries.
