Shenzhen suspends drone food delivery for APEC summit hosting
Shenzhen, hosting next week's APEC summit, has suspended drone food deliveries for 10 days from 11 November at regulators' request. China has 3.29 million registered drones and annual flight hours rose nearly 70 per cent to 45.3 million by end of 2025.
A steady hum fills the air around busy tourist areas in Shenzhen, China's southern tech hub, which is set to host world leaders at next week's APEC summit. It is the sound of a fleet of drones crisscrossing the sky, delivering takeout food, coffee and bubble tea to tourists who scan QR codes and order to parks and scenic spots.
"It feels quite novel," said Southeast Asian visitor Liew Kee Ho. "Back in Malaysia, I've never seen drones used to deliver milk tea or food. Anything you've never tried before always feels novel and exciting for the first time."
China has emerged as one of the world's most advanced markets for commercial drone logistics, supported by a vast manufacturing base, government backing for the so-called low-altitude economy and rapidly spreading delivery networks. The term refers to airspace up to a height of about 1,000 metres.
Civil aviation authorities said 3.29 million drones had been registered by the end of 2025, with annual drone flight hours rising nearly 70 per cent, to 45.3 million. In a level of commercial deployment rare in most countries, operators such as Meituan have set up regular routes for hundreds of thousands of drops in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and even the Great Wall.
"I think, in places like parks, it is quite necessary to have drone delivery," said another tourist, Qin Pei, as it was hard for food delivery drivers to track down patrons in such areas. "This set-up is also particularly well-suited for the kind of extreme heat we see in China. So it makes much more sense to use machines," added the 40-year-old.
But in Shenzhen, at least, the summit will briefly banish such convenience. Meituan has said it suspended drone deliveries there for 10 days from 11 November, at the request of regulators, and it has not set a resumption date. Routes in other cities are unaffected.