The government work report this year proposed fostering emerging pillar industries such as integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, and the low-altitude economy. During the "16th Five-Year Plan" period, commercial spaceflight, as a vital component of the aerospace sector, is set to become a major force driving new quality productive forces and high-quality technological development.
During the Two Sessions, Wang Yu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Chairman of Spring Airlines Co.,Ltd., shared insights on various hot topics. These included the essence of emerging pillar industries, legal safeguards for the private economy, the recovery of inbound tourism, and investment and merger trends in the civil aviation industry.
"The shift in designation from strategic emerging industry to emerging pillar industry represents an upgrade in the nation's strategic positioning of the aerospace sector," Wang Yu stated. He highlighted that a key characteristic of a pillar industry is its extensive industrial chain and broad impact. From aircraft manufacturing and satellite communication and navigation to aero-engine technology and the expansion of various consumer application scenarios, the aerospace industry has formed a vast industrial cluster and is achieving continuous breakthroughs across multiple fields.
Wang Yu believes that regardless of how the industry expands or technology evolves, the ultimate focus for aviation remains serving public welfare. "The goal is to make future aircraft safer, more economical, and smarter, thereby making travel more convenient for the public," he said. He indicated that companies are actively embracing this wave of industrial upgrading to achieve their own high-quality development while contributing to national strategy.
With the low-altitude economy becoming a market buzzword, the future relationship between air transport and urban air mobility has come into focus. Wang Yu provided a clear distinction, suggesting they are more complementary in terms of airspace and application scenarios.
"Civil aviation and low-altitude flight operate in different airspace categories," Wang Yu explained. He noted that the low-altitude economy is currently applied more in areas like logistics and distribution, but holds great potential for short-distance air connections in the future. "For instance, for journeys of several tens of kilometers, if low-altitude flight can become as convenient as hailing a taxi, it would effectively complement the creation of a new ecosystem for aviation hubs," he added.
Regarding the recent trend of consolidation and mergers in the aviation sector, Wang Yu expressed that survival of the fittest is more conducive to the long-term healthy development of the industry.
The inbound tourism market has seen sustained growth. "The growth in inbound tourism is very rapid," Wang Yu remarked. He emphasized that developing inbound tourism in China not only stimulates domestic consumption but also promotes international people-to-people exchanges. The implementation of visa-free policies has led to positive changes in tourist source demographics, with a rapid increase in the proportion of travelers from Southeast Asia, South Korea, and other countries, presenting broader growth opportunities for the aviation industry.
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