In a school district in Shenzhen, would-be truants dodge surveillance drones that patrol the streets. At a nearby park, office workers pick up takeaway delivered by drones from food delivery app Meituan.
Elsewhere in southern China’s technology hub, unmanned aircraft transport vials of blood between hospitals, help police departments with crowd control and extinguish blazes for firefighters.
For years, the government has provided strong support for drone production in the form of tax relief, subsidies and industrial parks, said multiple companies and analysts. Now, it is trying to apply them in other sectors of the economy and make drones a new driver of growth.