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….