HKPC and International Advanced Technology Application and Promotion Center (GBA) Exchange Memorandum of Cooperation Launching the Country’s First Guangdong-Hong Kong Low-Altitude Economy Bilateral Sandbox to Advance All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems Development in the GBA

（(Hong Kong, 14 September 2026) The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the International Advanced Technology Application and Promotion Center (GBA) (the National Advanced Center) exchanged the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Hong Kong–Guangdong (Nansha) All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems and Low-Altitude Economy Bilateral Sandbox during the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong on 10 September. The exchange marked the launch of the first Guangdong-Hong Kong bilateral sandbox cooperation mechanism for the low-altitude economy in the Chinese Mainland. Leveraging Hong Kong’s international institutional strengths and Nansha’s testing facilities for All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems, the two parties will jointly promote regulatory alignment, standards alignment, technology trials and real-world applications for cross-boundary low-altitude economic development and All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems. The collaboration aims to explore a replicable and scalable model for developing the cross-boundary low-altitude economy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

The collaboration builds on the two parties’ past exchanges and achievements in the low-altitude economy and All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems. Both parties have already taken the lead in preliminary work on the design of the bilateral sandbox mechanism, a gap analysis of standards in the two places, and research into a risk assessment framework. They have also conducted in-depth discussions on cross-boundary scenario validation, mutual recognition of standards and industry collaboration. The Memorandum marks a new stage in Hong Kong's low-altitude economy development, representing a significant step from the local regulatory sandbox towards a regional framework for cross-boundary operations across the GBA. It also lays an important foundation for the cross-boundary application of All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems. The collaboration actively supports the strategic directions of the national 15th Five-Year Plan, the Outline Development Plan for the GBA and the development of new productive forces. By combining Hong Kong’s strengths in research and innovation with Nansha’s All-Space testing resources, the two parties aim to establish a cross-boundary innovation and application platform for the low-altitude economy with international influence, while fostering deeper integration across the innovation, industry, capital and talent chains.

As the technical partner of the HKSAR Government’s Working Group on Developing the Low-altitude Economy, HKPC has actively supported the sector’s development since 2024. It has assisted the industry in advancing more than 20 testing projects in Hong Kong across application scenarios including emergency rescue, smart inspection, logistics delivery, infrastructure management and urban governance. HKPC also promotes cross-boundary operating mechanisms, multi-scenario and multi-user shared platforms, and special-scenario applications of All-Space intelligent unmanned technologies, with a view to fostering a vibrant industrial ecosystem for the low-altitude economy.

Dr Lawrence CHEUNG, Chief Technology Officer of HKPC said, “The low-altitude economy is moving from pilot projects to large-scale adoption, and cross-boundary collaboration will be critical to its next phase of growth. This partnership represents not only a milestone for Hong Kong and Nansha, but also an important step in building a shared framework for innovation across GBA. By combining our strengths, we aim to accelerate the testing, commercialisation and deployment of emerging technologies while supporting the development of a dynamic low-altitude economy ecosystem.”

Ms ZHAO Hui, Executive Director of the National Advanced Center said, “The bilateral sandbox is not merely a cross-boundary testing channel; it is also an exploration of a collaborative pathway that is ‘using real-world applications to shape standards, and standards to accelerate industry development’. The National Advanced Center will leverage Nansha to organise validation in real-world scenarios, work with HKPC to promote the transformation of testing data into the basis for standards and certification, and connect GBA application needs with industrial resources, attracting more unmanned systems enterprises to participate in demonstrations, and providing replicable institutional outcomes for the Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road.”

Building an Innovation Pipeline from R&D to Deployment
Compared with Hong Kong’s Regulatory Sandbox, which focuses on local regulations and the urban environment, the Guangdong-Hong Kong bilateral sandbox will extend testing to cross-boundary scenarios across the GBA. Integrating technology validation, product testing, innovative applications and standards coordination, it will provide enterprises and research institutions with a more comprehensive platform for testing and commercialisation. The two parties will jointly establish an innovative cooperation model of “R&D, Scenario Testing, Standards Certification and Project Implementation”. This will attract more enterprises in the low-altitude economy and All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems sectors to participate in validation and demonstration applications, accelerating the development of mature cross-boundary operating models, technical standards and industry norms.

In the future, the cooperation mechanism will be progressively extended to other areas of All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems, including unmanned ground vehicles and vessels, to promote multi-dimensional coordinated development across sea, land and air. This will support the GBA in developing a world-class industrial cluster for All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems. HKPC will continue to leverage its strengths in research commercialisation, industry enablement and international standards alignment, helping position Hong Kong as a key international gateway for the nation’s low-altitude economy and All-Space Intelligent Unmanned Systems, and supporting the GBA in becoming a globally influential innovation hub for the low-altitude economy.

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Witnessed by Mr Michael WONG Wai-lun, GBS, JP, Deputy Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (second from left), and Mr CHEN Xu, Executive Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Greater Bay Area Office and Deputy Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission (far right), Dr Lawrence CHEUNG, Chief Technology Officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (second from right), and Ms ZHAO Hui, Executive Director of the International Advanced Technology Application and Promotion Center (GBA) (far left) exchanged a Memorandum of Cooperation launching the Country’s first Guangdong-Hong Kong bilateral sandbox cooperation mechanism for the low-altitude economy.