In the southern tech city of Shenzhen, drones have become an ordinary part of the afternoon, carrying coffee and bubble tea to visitors waiting in parks and scenic spots. China's wider low-altitude economy has grown quickly, carried by a huge manufacturing base, government encouragement and a fleet of millions of registered machines. Now, as the city prepares to welcome world leaders for the APEC summit, the same skies are being cleared for a time. The pause is brief and officially requested, and what matters is whether this quiet interruption becomes a footnote or a turning point for a techno
Drone Lunches Take Off in APEC Host Shenzhen as China Bets on Low-Altitude Economy
A steady hum fills the air around Shenzhen's busy tourist areas
Mark
Why does a story about bubble tea by drone matter?
Mimi
Because it shows how far commercial drone use has gone in China. Meituan runs regular routes in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and even at the Great Wall.
Mark
What are the national numbers?
Mimi
3.29 million registered drones by the end of 2025, and annual flight hours up nearly 70% to 45.3 million.
Luke
Those figures come from civil aviation authorities. Fair enough, but the piece doesn't say how many of those drones are delivery drones.
Mark
Good point. And the tourists?
Mimi
They like it. One said it's novel. Another said it makes sense in parks, where drivers struggle to find customers, and in the heat.
Luke
Two tourists, though. That's color, not evidence of how most people feel.
Mark
And the suspension?
Mimi
Meituan paused Shenzhen deliveries for 10 days from November 11, at regulators' request, with the APEC summit coming.
Luke
The report doesn't say why regulators asked, only that they did. The summit link is implied by timing. And there's no resumption date, so the 10 days is not a guaranteed end point.
The Pulse
- Shenzhen's skies, busy with drone deliveries, are being emptied at regulators' request ahead of the APEC summit.
- Meituan has halted its Shenzhen drone routes from November 11 for ten days, with no date set for their return.
- Beijing, Shanghai and the Great Wall routes continue, so the disruption is confined to one city and one window.
- China's drone fleet has reached 3.29 million, with flight hours up nearly 70%, and the pause tests how fast the network can restart.
In the southern tech city of Shenzhen, drones have become an ordinary part of the afternoon, carrying coffee and bubble tea to visitors waiting in parks and scenic spots. China's wider low-altitude economy has grown quickly, carried by a huge manufacturing base, government encouragement and a fleet of millions of registered machines. Now, as the city prepares to welcome world leaders for the APEC summit, the same skies are being cleared for a time. The pause is brief and officially requested, and what matters is whether this quiet interruption becomes a footnote or a turning point for a technology that has only just begun to find its place among people.
Above the busy tourist areas of Shenzhen, a steady hum of drones crosses the sky, carrying takeout, coffee and bubble tea to visitors who scan a code and wait in a park or at a scenic spot. For some, like Malaysian tourist Liew Kee Ho, it still feels novel. He had never seen drones deliver milk tea back home, and the first time something is new, he says, it feels exciting.
China has become one of the most advanced markets for commercial drone logistics, supported by manufacturing strength, government backing for the low-altitude economy, and rapidly spreading delivery networks. Civil aviation authorities report 3.29 million registered drones by the end of 2025, with annual flight hours up nearly 70% to 45.3 million. Meituan runs regular routes in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and near the Great Wall.
Users see practical value. Qin Pei, a 40-year-old tourist, says drones make sense in parks where delivery riders struggle to find customers, and in China's extreme heat.
But in Shenzhen the convenience will pause. At regulators' request, Meituan has suspended drone deliveries there for 10 days from November 11, ahead of the APEC summit, with no resumption date given. Its routes elsewhere carry on as normal. The open question is how quickly Shenzhen's drones return once the leaders have gone.
Around the busy tourist areas of Shenzhen, the southern Chinese tech hub, there is a steady hum overhead. It is a fleet of drones crossing the sky, carrying takeout meals, coffee and bubble tea to visitors who scan a QR code, place an order and wait in a park or at a scenic spot. The city is due to host world leaders at the APEC summit next week.
For some visitors the service is still a novelty. Liew Kee Ho, a tourist from Southeast Asia, said he had never seen drones used to deliver milk tea or food back in Malaysia. Anything you have never tried before, he said, feels novel and exciting the first time.
China has become one of the world's most advanced markets for commercial drone logistics. Three things support it: a vast manufacturing base, government backing for what is called the low-altitude economy, and delivery networks that are spreading quickly. The term covers airspace up to about 1,000 metres, or 3,300 feet.
The national figures show the scale. Civil aviation authorities said 3.29 million drones had been registered by the end of 2025. Annual drone flight hours rose nearly 70% to 45.3 million. Few countries have anything like this level of commercial deployment. Operators such as Meituan have set up regular routes handling hundreds of thousands of drops in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, and even at the Great Wall.
Some users see a practical case for it. Qin Pei, a 40-year-old tourist, said drone delivery is quite necessary in places like parks, where delivery drivers struggle to find customers. She also said the arrangement suits the extreme heat China sees, so using machines makes much more sense.
In Shenzhen, though, the summit will briefly take that convenience away. Meituan has said it suspended drone deliveries in the city for 10 days from November 11, at the request of regulators. The company has not set a date for resuming them. Its routes in other cities are unaffected.
The pause is the thing to watch. It is a temporary measure tied to the summit, and the open question is how quickly Shenzhen's drones return to the sky once the leaders have left.
Notable Quotes
Back in Malaysia, I've never seen drones used to deliver milk tea or food; anything you've never tried before feels novel and exciting.— Liew Kee Ho, Southeast Asian visitor
In places like parks, drone delivery is quite necessary, and it suits China's extreme heat.— Qin Pei, 40, tourist
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