The economist.
I am currently sitting in E-Hang's flying taxi, which is about to take off.
The propellers are whirring.
I am slightly nervous.
Looking at a screen in front of me.
Okay, and we're lifting off.
Above the cranes and warehouses of Guangzhou's industrial docks, the dreams of science fiction,
from Blade Runner to the Jetsons, are becoming a reality.
I am currently suspended in the air.
Many of E-Hang's employees have come out to watch the demo.
E-Hang, they're a Chinese company, and early this year,
they became the first in the world to get commercial passenger licenses for their pilotless aerial vehicles,
which means their flying taxis could soon be ferrying busy commuters,
first across the skies above Guangzhou, and then the rest of China.
And while flying cars are only just taking off,
drone deliveries are already buzzing overhead in many of China's cities,
jocking with the West for dominance of the skies.
We are descending.
China's leaders hope this new industry can draw GDP from the sky.
Lofty ambitions indeed, but could the realities of safety, security, and profitability ground those ambitions?