From December 6 to 7, 2025, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Science Forum's Low-Altitude Technology and Engineering Subforum, featuring the Low-Altitude Flight Test and Testing Technology Innovation Development Conference, was grandly held in Nanshan District, Shenzhen. The event was guided by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics and co-organized by China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings Co., Ltd. (CMSK) alongside prominent institutions such as the Guangdong Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft Manufacturing Innovation Center, Xi'an Yuanfang Aviation Technology Development Co., Ltd., Shenzhen University, China Telecom Group Shenzhen Branch, CITIC Offshore Helicopter Co., Ltd., and the Key Laboratory of Flight Test and Aviation Technology.
The event brought together authoritative academicians, top experts, leading industry representatives, and government agencies in the low-altitude economy sector. Through high-level discussions, thematic reports, and achievements exhibitions, participants explored development pathways for low-altitude safety and industrial innovation. This gathering was not only a landmark event for the low-altitude economy but also a pivotal step for CMSK in supporting Qianhai and Nanshan to pioneer low-altitude economic demonstration zones and foster high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area.
In December 2023, China’s Central Economic Work Conference officially designated the low-altitude economy as a national strategic emerging industry. By January 2024, the Shenzhen government emphasized seizing opportunities in low-altitude and aerospace economies, aiming to build a low-altitude economic hub and establish a national comprehensive demonstration zone. While policy signals were clear, the challenge remained: how to translate national strategy into regional development momentum?
CMSK’s industrial park division, in collaboration with Shenzhen Telecom and CITIC Offshore Helicopter, conducted a three-dimensional assessment covering geographic location, airspace conditions, and industrial foundations. Their analysis concluded that Shekou’s airspace is Shenzhen’s sole western gateway, positioning it as a strategic "Southern Gate" with significant potential. This led to the formal proposal of the "Qianhai-Shekou Low-Altitude Economy Pilot Zone" concept.
Turning concept into reality required meticulous top-level planning. In June 2024, under the guidance of the Qianhai Administration and Nanshan District, CMSK, CITIC Offshore Helicopter, and Shenzhen Telecom signed a framework cooperation agreement, unveiling the development blueprint for the pilot zone. The trio leveraged the zone as a spatial and experimental platform, integrating government and enterprise resources, policy planning, infrastructure, industrial clusters, and scenario demonstrations to create a central hub for state-owned enterprises in low-altitude economic development.
Simultaneously, leveraging resources from China Merchants Group, CITIC Offshore Helicopter, and China Telecom, preparations began to establish Zhaoxin Low-Altitude Industry Development Co., Ltd. as a specialized operational platform. This was not a mere equity partnership but a deep integration of core competencies: CMSK contributed industrial, commercial, and transportation scenarios; CITIC Offshore Helicopter provided professional aircraft operations expertise; and China Telecom offered top-level planning and digital support.
This platform facilitated efficient aggregation of shareholder and market resources, injecting robust momentum into core spatial carriers like the Value Factory. Located at 8 Haiwan Road, Shekou, the Value Factory—a 50,000-square-meter industrial heritage site originally housing Guangdong Float Glass Factory in the 1980s—is undergoing its third industrial transformation. In June 2024, CMSK repositioned the factory and its surrounding 250,000-square-meter area as the "Qianhai-Shekou Low-Altitude Economy Themed Industrial Park," designating the Value Factory as Phase One. The park is now listed among Shenzhen’s "Top Ten Low-Altitude Economy Industrial Parks" and is Nanshan’s sole low-altitude-themed zone.
CMSK’s park operations adhere to the principle of "minimizing demolition, utilizing existing structures, and rapid activation." The Value Factory follows a tripartite industrial path: "smart manufacturing services, scenario applications, and ecological closure." It focuses on midstream low-altitude aircraft manufacturing and flight operation support, downstream integrated applications, and upstream materials, components, and systems, forming a full industrial chain.
For enterprise recruitment, the Value Factory targets "bottleneck capabilities" and "chain-leading firms." Key players like Zero Gravity Aviation, Beidou Fuxi, SF Express’s Fengyi, Zexin Future, Yingwu Aviation, and Anuo Aircraft have already signed on, accelerating the formation of an integrated "R&D-manufacturing-application" ecosystem under CMSK’s management.
Recognizing the need for sustained industry promotion, CMSK is rolling out a comprehensive "Shekou Low-Altitude IP" marketing matrix. In November 2025, CMSK launched its inaugural low-altitude exhibition brand at the China Hi-Tech Fair, drawing 20,000 visitors on opening day, with 90 leading enterprises across 3,912 square meters, creating a landmark professional exhibition. Plans are underway for the 2026 edition, expanding to 11,000 square meters with an international zone and tailored matchmaking sessions.
A series of localized, regular events—such as the Shekou Pilot Zone Ecosystem Conference, Low-Altitude Capability Releases, and the 2026 FPV Simulator World Cup—are solidifying the "Shekou Low-Altitude IP" in the market. In May 2025, the "See Shekou from the Sky" helicopter tour debuted, offering aerial views of landmarks like K11, Dongjiaotou Lighthouse, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Sea World Culture and Arts Center.
From conceptualizing the pilot zone to operationalizing the Value Factory, and from mid-year ecosystem conferences to recurring exhibitions and flight tests, CMSK is proving a model: when spatial operations, industrial chain integration, and state-owned enterprise synergy converge, "manufacturing" and "flying" form a closed loop. "Shekou Manufacturing" extends beyond eVTOLs or drone parts to deliver holistic low-altitude solutions; "Shekou Flying" transcends test flights or logistics to embody the transition from "strategic vision" to "commercial reality."
As the airspace coordination command center lights up, as more chain-leading firms join the Value Factory, and as international buyers arrive at the Hi-Tech Fair’s low-altitude zone, it will become evident: this reform-era testing ground is charting a new course for China’s low-altitude economy—one defined by "state-owned enterprise collaboration, scenario-driven innovation, and ecological closure."
Embodying China Merchants Group’s "third entrepreneurship" spirit, CMSK is not merely building infrastructure but forging a competitive edge in the Greater Bay Area’s high-quality development, ensuring the future of industry soars ever higher in this boundless sky.
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