Visitors examine drones at the Shenzhen International UAV Expo 2018 in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province in June. (Photo: VCG)

Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province is becoming the hub of the world's civilian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sector, with a report by the Shenzhen Economic Daily on Monday showing that its UAV exports surpassing 600,000 in the first half of 2018. 
The city's ambition was on display at the first Shenzhen International UAV Festival held on Sunday, which attracted visitors from around the world. The festival showed how widely drones could be used in different sectors, including agriculture, security, mapping, environmental protection and logistics.
The total number of industrial drones in China has reached 25,000, and they're being used in more than 70 sectors, making China one of the world's largest users of UAVs, the report said.
According to the Shenzhen UAV Industry Association, in 2017, the output of Chinese civilian drones was 11 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), a rise of 67 percent year-on-year, with 80 percent made in Shenzhen, said the report.
A Shenzhen-based drone company DJI accounts for more than 70 percent of the world market, according to Skylogic Research, a firm tracking the drone industry.