BEIJING, March 30 -- China's drone industry has witnessed robust development over the past years with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used in more areas of the economy, official data showed.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has said that there were nearly 1.27 million registered UAVs across the country at the end of 2023, up 32.2 percent year on year. Some 19,000 companies were engaged in the operation of drones, and 194,000 people held drone pilot certificates.

Civilian drones flew a total of 23.11 million hours in the country last year, an increase of 11.8 percent compared to 2022.

Drones are widely used in China in industries including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, as well as entertainment and aerial photography. Some cities have started to test unmanned aerial delivery.

To support the healthy development of the industry, the CAAC has published guidelines on building UAV pilot zones. So far, 17 such zones and three bases have been approved, covering multiple scenarios from cities to islands.