Strategic Intent: China Pushes to Commercialize In-House BeiDou Satellite System

Experts say the move would allow Beijing to expand its reach to more countries

A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying the 24th and 25th BeiDou navigation satellites takes off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang, China, on Nov. 5, 2017. Wang Yulei/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

The Chinese mapping service application Baidu Maps now prioritizes the use of China’s in-house BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over the U.S.-operated Global Positioning System (GPS).

Analysts believe the move would allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to expand the reach and use of its in-house satellite navigation system to more countries.

According to Chinese media Observers News, Chinese internet giant Baidu recently announced that it would adjust its mapping service application to prioritize the use of BDS over GPS.

Since Google left the Chinese search market in 2010, Baidu has effectively become China’s largest internet search engine without competition. As a state-owned enterprise, it operates unimpededly with full compliance with local laws and censorship. Baidu Maps is the Chinese equivalent of Google Maps.

The CCP initially built BeiDou for military use, but it later expanded to commercial applications.

In January, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a statement promoting BeiDou applications in the public domain. The report pointed to the necessity to expand the application scale and coverage of BeiDou through commercial use, mass consumption, and forming a system solution that integrates with information technology in various fields.

The civilian applications mentioned include automobiles, shared travel, map location services, mobile phones, 5G, the Internet of Things, the Internet of Vehicles, etc. In 2020, the China Satellite Navigation and Positioning Association estimated that the total output value of this industry in China would soon exceed 400 billion yuan (about $56 billion).

Big Data Surveillance

Regarding the risks of BeiDou being integrated into civilian applications, James Zhu, an information technology engineer in New Zealand, told The Epoch Times that it is likely to become part of the CCP’s big data surveillance of the public.

According to Zhu, any application that utilizes BDS can track the user’s location and collect data even if the program is not opened or in use, as long as it is installed on the mobile device.

He said that Western nations like the United States have privacy laws in place that limit companies like Google from tracking its users or collecting sensitive personal data to an extent. But China has no such restrictions, which allows the CCP to collect the user’s information and location data anywhere, anytime.

A Long March 3B rocket carrying the Beidou-3GEO3 satellite lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Xichang in China's southwestern Sichuan Province on June 23, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Zhu said the chipset within the device must support positioning and navigation via satellites, which would be most smart devices currently being produced.

But he added that China is currently incapable of producing high-end chips and primarily relies on imports, which is especially difficult amid U.S. sanctions. As a result, the BeiDou system may be “stuck” in commercial use.

Beijing’s Strategic Intents

China’s communist regime has described BDS as “a pillar of great power, a global espionage tool,” as it is suitable for use in various fields such as the military, transportation, communications, and urban surveillance.

According to its website, “BDS provides all-time, all-weather and high-accuracy positioning, navigation and timing services to global users.”

To compete with GPS, the Chinese regime launched the project in 1994 and spent 26 years in development, investing more than $10 billion and placing 55 satellites in orbit.

BeiDou was jointly developed by the Chinese military and the National University of Defense Technology, with the support of various related government branches that focus on science, space, and technology, and state-owned companies such as China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation.

According to a 2020 Nikkei Asia report, for many years, China has used its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to promote BDS. BeiDou satellites were most frequently observed in the 120-plus countries that have signed on to the massive infrastructure project. Most are in Southeast Asia and Africa.

In addition, more than 30 countries in the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere use the Chinese navigation system. If it becomes the standard in these countries, China will have an advantage in introducing new technologies and products, according to a 2019 Nikkei Asia report.

A boy looks at the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System at an exhibition marking in Beijing, on Feb. 27, 2019. Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images

Mr. Desen, chairman of a Japanese high-tech company, told The Epoch Times that the CCP’s strategic intentions are undeniable.

He said that the CCP would likely use economic and technological bait to sell the BeiDou service system at a very low price in the early stage. And once these countries become dependent on the system in key areas such as satellite communications, the CCP will start taking control over aspects of their local governments as it holds the nations’ information security and communications hostage.

“If things go on like this, the CCP will strengthen its control over the local government through the BeiDou system and impose its will on other countries, forcing them to take sides on certain international issues such as whether to maintain security in Taiwan Strait and other sensitive topics,” Desen said.

He added that the Chinese regime had demonstrated its geopolitical hegemony with its Belt and Road Initiative, and integrating the BeiDou satellite system would allow it to weaponize its influence and control over those nations, “just like the unrestricted warfare it advocates.”