The China Mail - From conflict to cleaning, expo showcases China's drone dominance

Unmanned aerial vehicles of all sizes, antennaed detection devices and anti-jamming gadgets straight out of a science fiction movie were on display at the Drone World Congress as it opened in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen.

Chinese firms' supremacy spans sleek new roles from agriculture and infrastructure to military applications.

The high-flying machines rely on small, powerful magnets and other key components that are widely available in China's manufacturing ecosystem and unparalleled elsewhere in terms of efficiency and variety.

"When you need to get any component, you have hundreds of different options (in China)," said exhibitor Javier Balaguer from Spain-based business consulting and services firm Applus+ Laboratories.

"If you... have direct access to them, it will be much easier," the 30-year-old drone specialist told AFP.

Over 1,200 companies were taking part in the expo, according to organisers, plying their wares to the tens of thousands of attendees there for a startling variety of motives.

One of the most high-profile uses of drones recently has been in warfare, with the machines featuring heavily in the Ukraine conflict.

Beijing says it supports legitimate civilian use of drone technology, and has implemented "dual-use" export controls to prevent weapons proliferation.

But the often-overlapping technologies for commercial and military purposes create a grey zone that is difficult to enforce -- especially across borders.

One participant from Russia, who declined to provide his name or affiliation, told AFP he was at the Shenzhen expo to look for drone "interceptors", without giving more details.

Several booths away, AFP spoke to three Ukrainians, including one who said drone technology has become an "everyday necessity" since the war began.

"China dominates the whole supply chain", especially in certain magnetic parts that are difficult to source from within Ukraine, one of the men said, also declining to provide his name.

- Counter-drone tech trending -

AFP spoke to foreign attendees from the European Union, the Middle East and Southeast Asia on Thursday, drawn to Shenzhen's prowess for everything from infrastructure maintenance and aerial monitoring to racing events.

Organisers said they expected this year's attendance to be 150,000.

Applus+ Laboratories' Balaguer told AFP that the scale of the event has multiplied each of the last three years he has attended.

This year, the new trend is counter-drone technology, he said.

The general manager of Chinese firm Yinyan General Aviation, Wu Yingjie, told AFP that her work involves the deployment of "drone countermeasures" along China's international border.

Wu's firm is based in the southwestern city of Nanning, less than 150 kilometres from Vietnam.

Drone countermeasure technologies have been used for detection, reconnaissance and combating unauthorised flights, she said.

"It was because of the Russia-Ukraine war that the world saw the drone countermeasures industry," she added.

"Drones play a very important role in low-altitude security."

- Seeking inspiration -

Among the busiest booths at the expo Thursday were those of China's -- and the world's -- industry champions.

DJI was one clear star of the show, its centrally positioned displays thronged with crowds of participants.

The Shenzhen-based firm, established in 2006, has held more than two thirds of the global commercial drone market in recent years, studies with varying estimates show.

Booths of less well-known companies showcased the diverse range of drone technologies available, including "anti-jamming" devices, "sound recognition", "infrared thermal imaging" and "laser countermeasures".

Others offered industrial applications like lifting heavy payloads, which could be used, for example, to string power lines on tall towers.

Luca Musiolik, CEO of Germany-based industrial drone firm DroneShine, told AFP that he was there to learn about the latest drone-powered industrial cleaning technologies.

"You don't really have any competitors in Europe or any innovation coming out of Europe," said Musiolik, 21.

"So we're just really trying to get inspired by the technology, a bit like China did with the German car industry."

W.Tam--ThChM