SHENZHEN, June 23 (Xinhua) -- More than 200 Chinese and foreign companies are attending an international drone expo in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

Exhibitions, forums and contests of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have been scheduled at the Shenzhen International UAV Expo 2018, according to its organizers.

The three-day event that opened on Friday was co-organized by China Information Technology Industry Federation, China UAV Industry Alliance and Shenzhen UAV Industry Association (SZUAVIA).

Shenzhen is a major base for drone industry, worth 30 billion yuan ( 4.6 billion U.S. dollars) last year, and 70 percent of the world consumer drone market was covered by Shenzhen companies.

Figures of the National Bureau of Statistics show 2.9 million drones were produced last year in China, up 67 percent from 2016.