First-mover alliance: mission-oriented innovation policy implementation in Shenzhen’s low-altitude economy

Abstract This article explores the implementation of mission-oriented innovation policy (MOIP) in China and examines how the vice-provincial Shenzhen delivers the novel low-altitude economy effectively. From the lens of the Chinese political economy, it highlights a first-mover alliance in which the local state works as a facilitator while leading private firms perform as consultants for integrating the government resources and industrial knowledge. This synergy forms a broader public–private partnership where high government commitment is an essential political foundation. With empirical studies of Shenzhen’s SF Express, Meituan and Heli-Eastern in developing urban air mobility, this research demonstrates how first-mover alliances implemented MOIP.