China Internet Watch https://www.chinainternetwatch.com China Internet Stats, Trends, Insights Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:58:03 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/cropped-ciw-logo-2019-v1b-80x80.png China Internet Watch https://www.chinainternetwatch.com 32 32 IDC Highlights Autonomous Driving Technology Advancements https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/47182/autonomous-driving-tech-advance/ Mon, 24 Jun 2024 05:32:00 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=47182

Recent advancements in technology, especially in artificial intelligence (AI), have propelled the connected, autonomous, shared, and electric (CASE) mobility trend. This has resulted in a highly competitive automotive industry in China.

The new report from IDC China, "Autonomous Driving Capabilities Assessment, 2024," delves into the progress of autonomous driving technology and evaluates the features of six major vehicle brands.

Technological Breakthroughs Driving Progress

The autonomous driving market is entering a new phase, marked by significant breakthroughs in algorithm performance, computing power, and data development.

Algorithms

The application of the Transformer model in autonomous driving projects has substantially improved perception performance. The shift from rule-based to model-based decision-making and planning modules enhances vehicles' independent decision-making capabilities, allowing them to better handle complex road conditions.

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Baidu Reports Q1 2024 Results, Highlights Developments in AI and Cloud Services https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31413/baidu-quarterly/ Thu, 16 May 2024 12:53:20 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=31413 Baidu announced its unaudited financial results for Q1 2024, reflecting the company’s operational performance and key developments.

Operational Highlights

AI and Cloud Services

CEO Robin Li noted the stability of Baidu Core’s online marketing revenue and growth in AI Cloud revenue driven by the optimization of their AI technology stack. The ERNIE family of models has been expanded with several lightweight versions, enhancing affordability and efficiency for various applications.

Intelligent Driving

Baidu’s Apollo Go, the autonomous ride-hailing service, provided approximately 826,000 rides in Q1 2024, a 25% increase year-over-year. As of April 2024, Apollo Go has provided over 6 million cumulative rides.

Mobile Ecosystem

In March 2024, Baidu App’s monthly active users (MAUs) reached 676 million, a 3% increase year-over-year. Managed Page accounted for 50% of Baidu Core’s online marketing revenue, demonstrating significant user engagement.

AI Developer Community

The PaddlePaddle developer community grew to 13 million by mid-April 2024. Baidu launched and improved tools on its MaaS (Model as a Service) platform, facilitating the development of AI-native applications and customized models for enterprise customers.

Financial Highlights

  • Revenue: Total revenues for Q1 2024 were RMB31.5 billion (US$4.37 billion), a 1% increase year-over-year.
    • Revenue from Baidu Core was RMB23.8 billion (US$3.30 billion), a 4% increase year-over-year, driven by a 3% rise in online marketing revenue
    • 6% increase in non-online marketing revenue, primarily from the AI Cloud business.
  • Operating Income: Operating income was RMB5.5 billion (US$760 million), a 10% increase year-over-year.
    • Baidu Core operating income was RMB4.5 billion (US$629 million), with a 19% operating margin.
    • Non-GAAP operating income was RMB6.7 billion (US$924 million), with Baidu Core contributing RMB5.6 billion (US$774 million).
  • Net Income: Net income attributable to Baidu was RMB5.4 billion (US$755 million), a 6% decrease year-over-year.
    • Non-GAAP net income attributable to Baidu was RMB7.0 billion (US$971 million), reflecting a 22% increase year-over-year.
    • Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS were RMB19.91 (US$2.76), up 24% year-over-year.
  • EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA was RMB8.2 billion (US$1.14 billion), maintaining a 26% margin. Adjusted EBITDA for Baidu Core was RMB7.1 billion (US$986 million), with a 30% margin.

Since the beginning of Q1 2024, Baidu has returned US$229 million to shareholders, bringing the total repurchase to US$898 million under the 2023 share repurchase program.

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Baidu Unveils China’s First 24/7 Robotaxi Service https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/43659/baidu-apollo-go-24-7-robotaxi-service/ Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:15:00 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=43659 Baidu, Inc., a trailblazer in AI and internet technologies, has launched a pioneering 24/7 robotaxi service through Apollo Go in Wuhan, marking a significant advancement in China’s autonomous driving sector.

This development is part of Baidu’s strategic expansion of its autonomous ride-hailing service platform, which now ensures uninterrupted service to meet diverse travel needs, including those at night.

In a series of strategic moves, Apollo Go introduced fully driverless rides across Wuhan’s Yangtze River in February 2024, showcasing its advanced capability in navigating complex terrains.

This was closely followed by the initiation of a robotaxi pilot operation on highways leading to Beijing Daxing Airport, positioning Beijing as the first world capital to embrace airport robotaxi services. These achievements highlight Baidu’s commitment to enhancing urban mobility and safety through technological innovation.

Wuhan, a leader in smart transportation, has seen autonomous vehicles cover over 3,378.73 kilometers in testing, serving a population of over 7.7 million.

With a fleet of 300 fully driverless vehicles, Apollo Go’s operations in Wuhan are a testament to Baidu’s pioneering role in the autonomous driving industry.

Additionally, in observance of International Women’s Day, Apollo Go has launched a campaign offering female users priority service during late-night hours, further emphasizing its user-centric approach. This service has garnered widespread approval, with a remarkable 97.12% five-star rating from users.

Since its inception, Apollo Go has provided over 5 million cumulative rides, reflecting Baidu’s commitment to expanding autonomous ride-hailing services across China.

With operations in over 10 cities, including Beijing, Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Chongqing, Apollo Go stands out as the premier provider of fully driverless robotaxi services, underscoring Baidu’s leading position in China’s autonomous driving evolution.

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Baidu got permits for fully driverless robotaxi services in Chongqing and Wuhan https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31232/baidu-fully-automated-driving/ Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:44 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=31232 Baidu announced on 8 August 2022 that it has secured the first permits in China to offer commercial fully driverless robotaxi services to the public on open roads.

Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, is now authorized to collect fares for robotaxi rides – completely without human drivers in the car – in Chongqing and Wuhan, two of China’s largest megacities.

Amid increasing regulatory approval of the expansion of autonomous vehicles (AVs), the permits reflect regulatory authorities’ strong recognition and trust in the strength of Baidu’s autonomous driving technology.

They also mark a key turning point for the future of mobility in China, leading to an eventual expansion of driverless ride-hailing services to paying users across the country.

The permits were granted to Baidu by government agencies in Wuhan and Chongqing’s Yongchuan District. Both cities have been pioneering new approaches to intelligent transportation in recent years, from developing infrastructure to updating new regulations for AVs.

Having received the permits, Baidu will begin to provide fully driverless robotaxi services in the designated areas in Wuhan from 9 am to 5 pm, and Chongqing from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, with five Apollo 5th gen robotaxis operating in each city.

The areas of service cover 13 square kilometers in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, and 30 square kilometers in Chongqing’s Yongchuan District.

First Driverless Permits in China for Autonomous Ride Hailing Services

Baidu received the first-ever permits in late April this year in China authorizing the company to provide driverless ride-hailing services to the public on open roads in Beijing.

This regulatory approval marks a significant milestone for the autonomous ride-hailing industry in China, indicating a regulatory openness to taking a further step toward a fully driverless mobility future.

With these permits issued by the head office of the Beijing High-level Automated Driving Demonstration Area (BJHAD), ten autonomous vehicles without drivers behind the steering wheel will offer rides to passengers in a designated area of 60 square kilometers in Beijing.

These licensed cars will join an existing fleet provided by Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, in the capital city of China. Starting April 28, 2022, users will be able to hail a driverless ride using the Apollo Go mobile app in daytime from 10:00 to 16:00.

Currently, Baidu has the largest autonomous driving fleet in China. In expanding its driverless vehicle services, Baidu has worked to meet the unique technical challenges of Beijing’s complex traffic environment. The company plans to add 30 more such vehicles at a later stage, expanding its fleet to provide more convenient driverless services to the public.

Baidu has a proven track record of over 27 million kilometers (16 million miles) of road testing accumulated in the past 9 years with zero traffic accidents, including mileage recorded by driverless test cars in multiple cities across China as well as in California.

In September 2020, Baidu became the first company in Beijing to offer autonomous ride-hailing services. Starting in November of last year, Baidu has been charging fees for the Apollo Go autonomous services offered to the public under granted commercial permits, though safety operators are required in the driver’s seat.

Apollo Go has expanded to 9 cities in China since its first launch in 2020, including all first-tier cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou), and five other cities (Chongqing, Changsha, Cangzhou, Yangquan and Wuzhen). There have been 213,000 orders on Apollo Go in Q4 2021, making it the global leader by order volume.

Baidu released intelligent vehicle solutions for automakers in China

Baidu showcases Fully Automated Driving and 5G Remote Driving Service

Baidu displayed Fully Automated Driving during Baidu World 2020 on 15 September 2020, the company’s annual technology conference that was held in cooperation with CCTV.

With Apollo’s new Fully Automated Driving capability, the AI system can independently drive without a safety driver inside the vehicle, a breakthrough that will accelerate the large-scale deployment of autonomous driving technology across China.

Zhenyu Li, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and General Manager of Intelligent Driving Group (IDG), demonstrated the technology in Beijing’s Shougang Park with CCTV anchor Xiaofeng Bao.

“The three core components of Apollo’s Fully Automated Driving technology are pre-installed and mass-produced vehicles, the ‘experienced AI driver’, and the 5G Remote Driving Service,” said Zhenyu Li during the demonstration.

With pre-installed and mass-produced vehicles as the foundation, the AI driving system is now capable of operating the vehicles independently, and the 5G Remote Driving Service allows remote human operators to intervene in case of emergencies.

Apollo’s leading technology in pre-installed and mass-produced vehicles is a key precondition for Fully Automated Driving.

In 2019, Baidu partnered with FAW Group and jointly developed Hongqi EV robotaxi, the first pre-installed and mass-produced robotaxi in China, which has since been deployed in unmanned driving tests in multiple cities including Beijing, Changsha, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Cangzhou.

Compared with modified models, pre-installed and mass-produced vehicles better guarantee consistency and safety.

Apollo has also released its fifth-generation autonomous driving kit, and the first pre-installed and mass-produced vehicles that meet the requirements for fully automated operations will be launched soon.

With each new generation of Apollo vehicles, the cost will be halved while performance will increase by tenfold, said Zhenyu Li.

The “experienced AI driver” refers to the capacity of the AI system to control the vehicle independent of a human driver. Apollo has completed over six million kilometers of road testing with a record low of zero accidents.

Having carried over 100,000 passengers across 27 cities around the world, Apollo’s “experienced AI driver” is well-trained. It is capable of handling various technological challenges of unmanned driving and solving the overwhelming majority of possible issues on the road.

The 5G Remote Driving Service is an indispensable complement to the “experienced AI driver” and allows human operators to remotely access vehicles in the case of exceptional emergencies.

Powered by smart transportation systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, and the high bandwidth and response speed of 5G networks, the 5G Remote Driving Service is engaged instantaneously to provide immediate assistance from remote human operators when the user or the system switches to parallel driving mode.

All remote human operators have completed over 1,000 hours of cloud-based driving training without any accidents, so they can ensure the safety of passengers and pedestrians under the non-autonomous driving mode.

As the “experienced AI driver” can handle most road conditions, extreme occasions that require human intervention are rare. Hence, one remote human operator will be able to manage multiple vehicles simultaneously, largely increasing efficiency compared to the traditional one operator per vehicle model.

With these advancements, unmanned driving will create a new ecosystem of shared transportation, and the autonomous driving industry will enter the stage of full commercialization in 2025, said Robin Li, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Baidu.

Apollo also announced new product and technological developments at the conference.

Vehicle manufacturer Weltmeister will launch a new model incorporating Apollo’s valet parking in 2021, which will be the first in China to be equipped with L4 autonomous valet parking technology.

It will be able to identify vacant parking slots in multistory parking garages and allow people to use the autonomous-parking and smart summons functions with one simple click.

In addition, DuerOS for Apollo with smart voice-interaction has been installed on over one million smart vehicles.

DuerOS for Apollo is partnering with over 60 major automotive brands and covers more than 500 vehicle models on the market.

According to IHS Markit’s latest “Report on Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) Development Trends in the Chinese Market”, DuerOS for Apollo is the world’s most installed system for CAV.

The Apollo smart transportation solution “ACE Transportation Engine” has been put in use in nearly 20 cities in China.

Robin Li estimates that by 2025 major Chinese cities will no longer need to limit vehicle purchases and usage, and by 2030 most traffic congestion issues can be solved by higher transportation efficiency.

Smart transportation infrastructure based on V2X technologies promises to improve traffic efficiency by 15% to 30% and boost the contribution to GDP by 2.4% to 4.8% in absolute value.

During the smart transportation sub-forum at Baidu World 2020, Baidu launched Apollo 6.0, the latest version of its open platform, adding multiple cloud services to make it more accessible for developers.

The Apollo open platform has now released 600,000 lines of open source code, gathering 45,000 developers and 210 ecosystem partners globally.

China’s automobile sales up 16% in July 2020; new energy vehicles up 19%

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Baidu unveiled fully autonomous vehicle Apollo RT6 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/34231/baidu-apollo-rt/ Thu, 21 Jul 2022 00:00:45 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=34231 Baidu unveiled on 21 July 2022 its next-generation fully autonomous vehicle (AV) Apollo RT6, an all-electric, production-ready model with a detachable steering wheel. Designed for complex urban environments, Apollo RT6 will be put into operation in China in 2023 on Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service.

With a per unit cost of RMB 250,000 (about $37,000), the arrival of Apollo RT6 is set to accelerate AV deployment at scale, bringing the world closer to a future of driverless shared mobility.

Baidu Apollo RT6’s steering wheel-free design unleashes more space to craft unique interiors, allowing for the installation of extra seating, vending machines, desktops, or gaming consoles.

At 4760mm long with a wheelbase of 2830mm, the rider-first Apollo RT6 delivers comfort with independent rear seating, ample rear legroom of 1050mm, a flat floor, and an intelligent interaction system.

The Apollo RT6 exterior features a revolutionary look that seamlessly integrates sensors on the sunroof alongside interactive lights and intelligent electric sliding doors to enhance the riding experience further.

Apollo RT6 integrates Baidu’s most advanced L4 autonomous driving system, powered by automotive-grade dual computing units with a computing power of up to 1200 TOPS.

The vehicle utilizes 38 sensors, including 8 LiDARs and 12 cameras, to obtain highly accurate, long-range detection on all sides. The safety and reliability of Apollo RT6 are backed by a massive trove of real-world data, a total test mileage of over 32 million kilometers (~20 million miles) driven by Baidu’s AV to date.

Speaking at Baidu World 2022, Zhenyu Li, senior corporate vice president of Baidu and general manager of Intelligent Driving Group (IDG), said the autonomous driving capability of Apollo RT6 is equivalent to a skilled driver with 20 years of experience.

Apollo RT6 is the first vehicle model built on Xinghe, Baidu’s self-developed automotive E/E architecture for fully autonomous driving. The vehicle is 100% automotive-grade and has full redundancy throughout the hardware and autonomous driving software.

Apollo Go has expanded to 10 cities in China since its launch in 2020, including all first-tier cities, and provided more than 1 million orders.

Baidu Wins First Driverless Permits in China for Autonomous Ride Hailing Services

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Baidu announced an expansion of its robotaxi fleet https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/31490/baidu-auto-solutions/ Sun, 31 Oct 2021 08:10:58 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=31490 Baidu held an event in the last week of October 2021 dedicated to its Apollo autonomous driving technology at Shougang Park in Beijing. The company announced an expansion of the Baidu Apollo robotaxi fleet, a tripling of the available safe road test mileage for autonomous vehicles and a significant update to its 5G Remote Driving solution.

Apollo Moon Arcfox hit the road

First unveiled in June 2021, Apollo Moon is Baidu’s 5th generation of robotaxis for fully autonomous ride-hailing services in the smart transportation industry. Compared to the 4th generation of Apollo robotaxis, the Apollo Moon models cost half in manufacturing with a tenfold performance increase.

With the introduction of three models to its robotaxi fleet: Apollo Moon Arcfox , Apollo Moon WM Motor, and Apollo Moon Aion, Baidu is expected to expand the options for Apollo Go customers in cities across China, aiming to quickly scale up the offering and lead the estimated 1.3 trillion RMB robotaxi market by 2030.

Related report: Outlook of China’s Autonomous Driving Market and MaaS Market

The Apollo Moon robotaxi models utilize the so-called “ANP-Robotaxi” architecture, a leading navigation pilot product that can reduce the weight of autonomous vehicle kits while sharing intelligent driving vehicle data to create a closed-loop information ecosystem.

By combining these capabilities along with a customized LiDAR and corresponding unmanned redundancy functions, fully autonomous driving can be realized.

At the event, Apollo Moon Arcfox hit the road with no safety driver on board, offering a brand new riding experience.

Tripling Test Mileage

Baidu Apollo also announced that it has expanded its safe road test mileage from 6 million kilometers to 18 million kilometers – tripling the amount of road driven by its autonomous fleet.
This marks a significant achievement for Baidu Apollo in its development of autonomous technology, as it applies learnings from the data and kilometers driven to improve the safety and efficiency of its autonomous vehicles.

5G Remote Driving for Enterprise

The network is an integral technology in self-driving vehicles and 5G will play a critical role in making autonomous driving a reality.

At the event, Baidu unveiled its new 5G Remote Driving for Enterprise, which expands the ability of the 5G cloud-based teleoperation technology to support unmanned vehicles in a single scenario to three.

As a remote driving solution, the 5G Remote Driving for Enterprise has four key advantages: high safety, high efficiency, large scale, and support in multiple scenarios.
With a number of patented technologies, 5G Remote Driving can recognize abnormal traffic conditions such as road closures and assist the vehicle in navigating around these conditions safely and efficiently.

Baidu launched autonomous driving MaaS platform with five models

Baidu Apollo topped industry peers across every testing category for the third consecutive year according to Beijing Autonomous Vehicles Road Test Report 2020.

In addition to maintaining the largest fleet of test vehicles and accumulating the highest total testing mileage, Baidu is also the first and only company that has obtained permission to operate fully driverless road tests on public roads in Beijing, according to information sent to CIW from Baidu.

Baidu was the leading company across all four categories:

  • number of vehicles for general technology testing
  • number of vehicles piloting autonomous vehicle passenger service
  • number of vehicles carrying out fully driverless testing, and
  • the total mileage of testing

Beijing Autonomous Vehicles Road Test Report is the only authoritative industry assessment of its kind published in China.

As the world’s leading open platform for autonomous driving, Baidu was early in commencing road testing initiatives in Beijing and leads the industry in areas including the total number of testing vehicles, the scale of testing, and diversification of testing scenarios.

Baidu has achieved a cumulative mileage of 2,019,230 kilometers over a three-year period in Beijing, accounting for 91.23% of Beijing’s total testing mileage in three years.

In 2020, Baidu operated a fleet of 55 autonomous vehicles on the roads of Beijing, accounting for 75% of the overall number of vehicles that conducted automated driving tests in the city.

Baidu also accumulated 1,125,305 kilometers of total testing distance, comprising 95.92% of the total autonomous vehicle testing distance in the municipality with a 49.24% increase in comparison to previous efforts in 2019.

To put Baidu’s achievements in perspective, a total number of 87 vehicles from 14 companies had received general road testing permits in Beijing as of December 31, 2020, according to the report.

In late 2020, Baidu was awarded five autonomous vehicle driverless testing permits from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, marking the inaugural batch of permits issued to a company that allows driverless vehicles on public roads.

In preparation for this achievement, Baidu has collaborated with the Beijing Innovation Center for Mobility Intelligent to optimize test parameters and technological specifications by running 64,827 kilometers of driverless vehicle testing in Beijing.

As part of its push to commercialize autonomous driving technologies, Baidu Apollo launched the Apollo Go Robotaxi service in Beijing, as part of the third phase of its autonomous vehicle passenger service pilot.

From October 10 to December 31, a total of 15,006 users hailed an Apollo Go Robotaxi through their mobile devices. The Apollo Go experience was well received, with over 90% of riders stating that they would like to continue using this service in the future.

With a total of 200 autonomous vehicle testing roads across four districts comprising of a distance of 699.58 kilometers, Beijing has become the leading city for promoting domestic autonomous driving initiatives in China, with Baidu spearheading its growth.

Forecast for China’s future connectivity 2021-2024

Multi-Modal Autonomous Driving MaaS Platform

Baidu deployed a multi-modal autonomous driving MaaS (mobility as a service) platform on 9 February 2021 that will provide AI-driven city transportation services in Guangzhou.

Utilizing a fleet of Apollo Robotaxis and Robobuses along with three other model types of autonomous vehicles, this initiative will allow local users to order smart transport services on demand, starting in the Chinese New Year holiday period.

Baidu has partnered with the Guangzhou Huangpu District government to roll out the world’s first multi-modal autonomous driving MaaS platform.

By integrating an assortment of autonomous driving services to provide travel recommendations, this diverse platform can holistically optimize the traveling experience of users in line with combined platform strategies.

Comprising of over 40 autonomous vehicles, the collective fleet has deployed five different model types – Robotaxi, Robobus, Apolong, Apollocop and New Species Vehicle – to begin comprehensively serving the city during the bustling holiday period.

Citizens are able to make reservations on the Baidu Maps and Apollo Go mobile applications to witness these new autonomous driving initiatives and experience the convenience brought on by intelligent transportation technology.

With the ability to cover a variety of usage scenarios, the MaaS platform ecosystem can meet the diverse needs of many citizens during their holiday sightseeing, shopping and celebratory outings.

Baidu Robotaxi in Changsha

To facilitate this, Baidu Apollo has established over 50 Robotaxi pickup stations in the district, providing users with easy access to Chinese New Year festival sites using autonomous vehicles.

Simultaneously, a batch of New Species Vehicles are cruising around the city, tasked with unmanned retail, as well as routine cleaning and disinfection.

Apolong minibusses will shuttle eager sightseers to the flower blossoms around scenic parks and lakes. Meanwhile, Apollocop patrols the main roads near key areas and the Baidu Robobus will ferry passengers along fixed routes, facilitating community travels towards festive destinations.

Real-time signal light information such as stoplight countdowns, traffic event alerts, and intersection queue length are broadcasted on both the interactive monitors embedded in Robobus or Robotaxi cabins as well as the exterior screens fixed on the rear of Robobuses.

Additionally, users can utilize the Baidu Maps app or DuerOS-powered smart rearview mirrors to receive voice alerts of electronic fence monitoring, access signal light reminders, live traffic event venue broadcasting and other connected online services.

The ACE Transportation Engine – a full-stack solution that stands for “Autonomous Driving, Connected Road, Efficient Mobility” – has been introduced to improve the traffic flow around the district, reflecting Guangzhou’s status as a center of smart transportation.

A large ACE smart traffic electronic display has been set up on a prominent skyscraper to visually display the AI solutions at work; from the coordination of smart transportation for local commuters by the transportation bureau to the intricate traffic management maintained by law enforcement, the technology is being brought to life and exhibited to the inhabitants of Guangzhou.

The MaaS platform for multi-modal autonomous driving vehicles and ACE Transportation Engine demonstrated by this Chinese New Year launch has accelerated the arrival of the intelligent era of smart transportation.

Guangzhou’s open and inclusive policy environment fosters and encourages the development of the autonomous driving industry. Going forward, Baidu will continue conducting regular trial operations by additionally deploying over 100 Robotaxis and establishing almost 1,000 pickup stations in Guangzhou Huangpu District; this will allow local citizens to continue utilizing autonomous driving services in their daily lives, in lieu of similar Robotaxi programs implemented in Beijing, Changsha, Cangzhou and other areas of China.

In the face of immense opportunities in terms of increasing digitalization, high-speed networking and automation of transportation in the future, this strategic partnership with Baidu has enabled the Guangzhou Huangpu District to become a benchmark city for new smart transportation infrastructure.

Top 10 forecasts of China’s AI market 2021-2024

Baidu co-developed self-driving car to deliver in H1 2021

Weimar Motors announced on 19 January 2021 that Weimar W6, jointly developed with Baidu Apollo, rolled off the production line at Weimar Hubei base today and will be delivered in the first half of this year.

Weimar W6 can realize unmanned driving in specific scenarios through Baidu Apollo. In addition, Weimar Motors founder Shen Hui revealed that Weimar’s next-generation intelligent vehicle platform has been officially launched.

Baidu to produce intelligent electric vehicles with Geely

Baidu announced its plan to establish a company to produce intelligent electric vehicles (EV) on January 10, 2021, and that it has entered into a strategic partnership with multinational auto manufacturer Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (“Geely”).

Baidu released new intelligent vehicle solutions for automakers and several high-end intelligent driving products last December.

Baidu will provide intelligent driving capabilities to power the passenger vehicles for the new venture, and Geely, which holds the distinction of best-selling Chinese automobile brand in past years under the Volvo and Geely brands, will contribute its expertise in automobile design and manufacturing.

At Baidu, we have long believed in the future of intelligent driving and have over the past decade invested heavily in AI to build a portfolio of world-class self-driving services. China has become the world’s largest market for EVs, and we are seeing EV consumers demanding next generation vehicles to be more intelligent.

said Robin Li, Co-founder and CEO of Baidu.

As a top Chinese automaker with global reach, Geely has the unique experience and resources to design, produce and market energy-efficient, reliable and safe automobiles in large scale. We believe that by combining Baidu’s expertise in smart transportation, connected vehicles and autonomous driving with Geely’s expertise as a leading automobile and EV manufacturer, the new partnership will pave the way for future passenger vehicles.

Baidu released intelligent vehicle solutions for automakers in China

Baidu yesterday released new intelligent vehicle solutions for automakers and several high-end intelligent driving products during the second Apollo Ecosystem Conference, reinforcing the company’s commitment to win-win partnerships to propel industry development.

Apollo’s four series of solutions include intelligent driving, intelligent cabin, intelligent map, and intelligent cloud.

Baidu also announced an enhanced Apollo presence in Guangzhou and demonstrated the progress of the Apollo Go Robotaxi service rollout in Beijing, Changsha, and Cangzhou, underscoring both the commercialization prospects and revolutionary potential of intelligent transportation, intelligent vehicles, and autonomous driving.

Apollo Conference

“The transportation industry and automobile industry are undergoing a once-in-a-century transformation,” said Zhenyu Li, Corporate Vice President of Baidu and General Manager of Intelligent Driving Group (IDG), during the conference.

“With its focus on ‘intelligence’, Apollo is helping automakers to build good cars and governments to build good roads through intelligent transformation.”

“Apollo is committed to openness and hopes to work with partners to create a better future for autonomous driving,” Li added, speaking before a crowd of representatives from 500 ecosystem partners at the conference.

Intelligent Solutions and Products for Automakers

At the conference, Baidu released new or upgraded solutions combining hardware and software to help automakers build more intelligent vehicles.

Apollo’s four series of solutions include intelligent driving, intelligent cabin, intelligent map, and intelligent cloud. Intelligent cabin solutions are already empowering 600 types of vehicles from over 70 automakers, with DuerOS for Apollo pre-installed on over one million vehicles.

Meanwhile, Apollo’s intelligent high-definition map series continued to hold the top market share in 2020 and brought on new automaker partners.

Adding to its existing intelligent driving solutions, Baidu also announced an advanced solution for passenger vehicles called Apollo Navigation Pilot (ANP), which is powered by Apollo’s L4 autonomous driving technology.

Baidu had previously announced cooperation with automakers Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC), Weltmeister, and Great Wall Motors to mass-produce Apollo Valet Parking (AVP), an L4 autonomous parking solution.

Apollo’s intelligent driving solutions aim to be pre-installed on one million vehicles over the next three-to-five years, bringing a safe and cutting-edge autonomous driving experience to more consumers.

Building an Intelligent Urban Transportation System

During the event, Guangzhou Huangpu district officially launched an intelligent transportation MaaS (mobility as a service) platform, which will include the deployment of robotaxis, robobuses, and autonomous driving utility vehicles that can perform various functions.

The rollout of these autonomous vehicles will cover the core area of Huangpu, where AI roadside sensors and cloud engines are already set up.

Baidu and Guangzhou will also cooperate on a new model for Guangzhou’s digital transportation operator that leverages Baidu’s ACE Transportation Engine – a full-stack solution that stands for “Autonomous Driving, Connected Road, Efficient Mobility” – helping the city establish a leading position in autonomous driving new infrastructure.

Apollo Go to Expand to Thirty Cities

Baidu also highlighted various applications and milestones for its world-leading autonomous driving technologies during the conference, especially Apollo Go, which operates robotaxis and robobuses in multiple cities.

Already operational in Beijing, Changsha, and Cangzhou, Apollo Go has carried over 210,000 passengers and plans to expand to roughly 30 cities over the next three years. Baidu also announced a partnership with ride-hailing app Shouqi to allow users to hail a Robotaxi through the app, opening up a new model of commercialization.

Digitization, connectivity, and automation present revolutionary opportunities for the transportation industry, Zhenyu Li stressed at the conference. Apollo could seize these opportunities to create a new growth engine for Baidu.

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Profile of Didi, China’s ride-hailing giant https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/32062/didi-profile/ Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:18:30 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=32062

Didi is the world's largest mobility technology platform. It has been strategically building four key components of its platform that work together to improve the consumer experience: shared mobility, auto solutions, electric mobility, and autonomous driving.

Didi (company name Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc) started its mobility business in China in 2012. It has become the world's largest mobility technology platform by annual active users and by average daily transactions for the twelve months ended March 31, 2021, according to CIC.

Didi is the go-to brand in China for shared mobility, providing consumers with a comprehensive range of mobility services, including ride hailing, taxi hailing, chauffeur, hitch, and other forms of shared mobility.

Globally, Didi operates in nearly 4,000 cities, counties, and towns across 15 countries. Its global platform provided services to over 493 million annual active users and powered 41 million average daily transactions for the twelve months ended Ma...

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Baidu starts offering paid robotaxi service in Beijing on May 2 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/30485/baidu-free-robotaxi-service/ Sat, 01 May 2021 08:27:34 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=30485 Baidu, Inc. will open fully driverless robotaxi services to the public in Beijing starting from May 2, 2021, which will be China’s first paid autonomous vehicle service where users can hail a robotaxi without a safety driver behind the steering wheel, marking a landmark step on the road to commercialization of autonomous driving.

The fully driverless Apollo Go Robotaxi service will first be launched in Beijing’s Shougang Park – one of the venues for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics – and will soon be transporting visitors at the games.

With the ride-hailing service being launched during the bustling Labor Day holiday period, Baidu will be the first Chinese company offering a fully driverless robotaxi service under commercial operation.

By using the Apollo Go App, users can locate a robotaxi in the vicinity and hail a driverless ride by themselves through a system of unmanned self-service processes. Features including virtual reality navigation and remote car honking can help users to identify the location of the car.

To unlock the autonomous vehicles, users are required to scan a QR code and health code on the car for identity verification and pandemic prevention purposes.

Upon boarding the vehicle and clicking on the “Start the Journey” button, the system will ensure that seat belts are fastened and the doors are shut, the trip only beginning after all the passenger safety protocol checks are completed.

With no safety driver at the helm, the 5G Remote Driving Service is present at all times to allow human operators to remotely access the vehicles in the case of exceptional emergencies.

At Beijing Shougang Park, the robotaxis will be able to transport users to sports halls, work areas, coffee shops and hotels. During the upcoming Winter Olympics, the Apollo robotaxis will be available to provide shuttle services for athletes and staff.

Since October last year, Baidu has started autonomous driving tests for the public under trial operations in areas such as Yizhuang, Haidian and Shunyi in Beijing.

Baidu Apollo is moving forward to a new stage of scalable commercialized operations with the launch of the fully driverless robotaxi services in the capital, as a starting point of commercialized operations in first-tier Chinese cities.

Baidu Apollo recently announced the completion of over 10 million kilometers of road testing for autonomous driving.

Earlier this week, Guidehouse, a leading global consulting firm, named Baidu as one of the top autonomous driving vendors in the world, with Baidu the only Chinese company listed on the Guidehouse leaderboard.

Baidu has been investing in autonomous driving for eight years and has an established a car fleet of 500 vehicles for autonomous driving trials. Baidu has been granted 2,900 patents for intelligent driving and 221 test drive licenses, among which 179 are to test self-driving cars for carrying passengers.

Baidu launched autonomous driving MaaS platform with five models

Baidu starts offering free robotaxi service in Changsha in April 2020

Baidu has started offering its Apollo “robotaxi” service in Changsha city of Hunan Province, becoming one of the first companies to carry passengers in autonomous vehicles in China.

People in Changsha can hail Baidu’s autonomous taxis for free through Baidu’s navigation app Baidu Maps, according to Baidu’s official press release earlier this week.

Baidu Robotaxi in Changsha

Currently, Baidu’s Robotaxi service is limited to specific areas of Changsha city which include residential areas, commercial zones, and industrial complexes. Each taxi has a backup driver in the car to take manual control in case of an emergency.

Baidu launched its open-source Apollo platform three years ago for autonomous vehicles R&D such as high-definition mapping and obstacle perception technology.

At the Apollo Partner Conference in December 2019, Apollo v5.5 was released to support urban road point-to-point autonomous driving, as well as open-platform development for V2X and IoV solutions. Apollo has garnered 177 leading OEMs, suppliers and other partners, and over 36,000 developers worldwide.

Apollo fleet has reached 3 million test kilometers on the road in December 2019, spanning across 23 cities, including Beijing, Wuhan, Cangzhou and Changchun. The municipality of Beijing granted Baidu its first batch of 40 manned autonomous driving licenses in December 2019.

Last week, a self-driving startup AutoX opened a self-driving taxi operations center in Shanghai in preparation for its upcoming robotaxi pilot project in the financial hub. Ride-hailing service provider Didi Chuxing also has a similar plan.

Baidu Maps car-hailing aggregation platform was launched in 2015. At present, it has access Didi, Shouqi, Cao Cao, Dida, Ctrip, and etc. covering the mainstream vehicle services such as taxi, express, special car, airport transfer machine, car rental, etc. Now it has covered more than 400 cities in China.

Baidu launched cloud-based virtual smartphone

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Baidu won the bid for the largest domestic intelligent transportation project https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/30868/baidu/ Fri, 28 Aug 2020 03:00:10 +0000 https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=30868 Apollo intelligent travel technology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Baidu Apollo, won the bid of “new infrastructure project of intelligent transportation for automatic driving and vehicle road coordination” in Guangzhou Development Zone, Huangpu District, Guangzhou.

The purchaser is Science City (Guangzhou) Investment Group Co., Ltd., with a project valued of nearly 460 million yuan, which has become the largest bidding project order in the field of intelligent transportation in China this year.

The order includes the construction of vehicle road network infrastructure, intelligent intersection, Internet of vehicles, and other related application systems, which is expected to accelerate the construction of Guangzhou Development Zone and Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Bay Area Intelligent Network.

Baidu Performance in Q2 2020

Baidu App daily active users (“DAUs”) reached 204 million in June 2020, adding 16 million users in the last 12 months but 18 million less from March 2020, according to its financial results.

Over 800 sessions of topical live streaming were broadcasted in the second quarter of 2020 on Baidu’s platform, with sessions like Baidu Wiki Virtual Zoo, Summer Art Festival, and Wandering through Civilization Season 2, attracting over 40 million views.

Baijiahao (“BJH”) publisher accounts reached 3.4 million, up 52% year over year, in June 2020. The large scale of Baidu’s platform is drawing more original content creators to join BJH, which allows easy sharing of content across Baidu App, short-video app Haokan, Quanmin, and Baidu’s knowledge products.

Baidu Smart Mini Program’s monthly active users on Baidu App reaching 339 million, up 25% year over year or down over 4% from March 2020.

Revenue from Baidu Managed Page increased to approximately 30% of Baidu Core’s online marketing services revenue in the second quarter of 2020. Merchants with HTML5 websites across many industries are switching to Managed Page, as the landing page for their search results.

Baidu’s new AI businesses, including cloud, smart devices, and smart transportation, saw double-digit growth in the second quarter and stand to become an important revenue driver in the years to come.

Baidu is also diversifying its revenue streams through membership, online games, and others to increase the ARPU of the existing traffic according to Herman Yu, CFO of Baidu. The growth of Baidu App and new AI businesses have enabled Baidu Core’s adjusted EBITDA margin to reach 41% in the second quarter.

Baidu returned US$540 million to shareholders under the 2020 Share Repurchase Program in the second quarter, bringing the Company’s cumulative repurchase for the last two years to approximately US$1.9 billion.

Baidu’s board of directors recently approved a change to the 2020 Share Repurchase Program, increasing the repurchase authorization from US$1 billion to US$3 billion, which is effective through December 31, 2022.

DuerOS

In June 2020, Baidu’s DuerOS monthly voice queries on Xiaodu devices (its smart speakers) reached 2.8 billion, nearly doubling from last year, and DuerOS total monthly voice queries reached 5.8 billion, up 57% from last year.

DuerOS skills store now offers 4,000 skills in wide-ranging genres, including education, video, online game, and live streaming. DuerOS developer community has grown to over 42,000 members.

JD.com announced that Xiaodu series of smart displays and smart speakers were the best-selling in the smart speaker category on its platform during this year’s June 18 Shopping Festival.

Cloud, AI Services & AI Platform.

Baidu formed a strategic partnership with China National Building Materials Group (CNBM Group), the parent of 13 listed companies.

CNBM Group plans to use Baidu AI PaaS, equipped with big data and IoT edge computing capabilities, to provide intelligent logistics, intelligent factory and industrial autonomous driving.

For example, CNBM Group plans to use Baidu AI PaaS paired with Baidu intelligent map to improve the routing efficiency of its logistics vehicles and track the vehicles whereabouts to optimize operational costs and increase traffic safety.

Baidu’s AI open platform, built on top of Baidu Cloud, offers over 260 AI capabilities, which are tapped by over 2.1 million developers.

Apollo

Baidu Robotaxi in Changsha

The Apollo robotaxi operations in Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou have expanded into larger networks and more complex road conditions, such as downtown streets.

In May 2020, Baidu completed the 145,000 square feet Apollo Park in Beijing, an autonomous driving and V2X testing facility that supports testing, operational command center, cloud control system, vehicle warehousing, maintenance, and calibration.

iQIYI

One of the top online video platforms iQIYI’s subscribers reached 104.9 million, up 4% year over year, in June 2020, and membership revenue was up 19% year over year.

Financial Results

Total revenues reached RMB 26.0 billion ($3.69 billion), decreasing 1% year over year.

  • Online marketing revenues were RMB 17.7 billion ($2.50 billion), decreasing 8% year over year.
  • Other revenues were RMB 8.3 billion ($1.18 billion), increasing 18% year over year, driven by the strong growth of iQIYI membership and Baidu’s cloud and smart transportation solutions.
    • Revenue from iQIYI reached RMB 7.4 billion ($1.05 billion), up 4% year over year.

Its share price fell more than 6% in the extended session Thursday.

Revenue from Baidu Core reached RMB 18.9 billion ($2.68 billion), decreasing 3% year over year.  iQIYI membership revenue grew 19% year over year, partially offset by online advertising revenue declining 28% year over year.

Cost of revenues was RMB 13.1 billion ($1.86 billion), decreasing 19% year over year, primarily due to a decrease in traffic acquisition costs, sales tax and surcharges, and costs of goods sold. The decrease in traffic acquisition costs reflected decreasing union revenues, as Baidu focused on optimizing profitability over revenue growth.

Selling, general and administrative expenses were RMB 4.4 billion ($625 million), decreasing 16% year over year, primarily due to decreased marketing spending and personnel-related expenses.

Research and development expenses were RMB 4.8 billion ($685 million), increasing 2% year over year.

Operating income was RMB 3.6 billion ($516 million) and operating margin was 14%. Baidu Core operating income was RMB 5.0 billion ($703 million) and Baidu Core operating margin was 26%.

Non-GAAP operating income was RMB 5.6 billion ($793 million), and non-GAAP operating margin was 22%. Non-GAAP Baidu Core operating income was RMB 6.5 billion ($917 million), and non-GAAP Baidu Core operating margin was 34%.

Total other income was RMB 366 million ($53 million), decreasing 70% year over year, primarily due to loss from equity method investments, which is booked a quarter in arrears and reflects the impact of COVID-19 on its investees.

Income tax expense was RMB 1.2 billion ($174 million), which included tax withholding accrual for dividend distribution to offshore entities, compared to RMB 416 million in Q2 2019.

Net income attributable to Baidu was RMB 3.6 billion ($507 million), and diluted earnings per ADS was RMB 10.31 ($1.46). Net income attributable to Baidu Core was RMB 4.4 billion ($626 million).

Non-GAAP net income attributable to Baidu was RMB 5.1 billion ($719 million), and non-GAAP net margin was 20%. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per ADS amounted to RMB 14.73 ($ 2.08). Non-GAAP net income attributable to Baidu Core was RMB 5.7 billion ($801 million), and non-GAAP net margin for Baidu Core was 30%.

Adjusted EBITDA was RMB 7.0 billion ($993 million) and adjusted EBITDA margin was 27%. Adjusted EBITDA for Baidu Core was RMB 7.8 billion ($1.1 billion) and the adjusted EBITDA margin for Baidu Core was 41%.

As of June 30, 2020, cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments were RMB 154.1 billion ($21.80 billion), and cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments excluding iQIYI were RMB 144.6 billion ($20.46 billion).

Free cash flow was RMB 7.3 billion ($1.04 billion). Free cash flow excluding iQIYI was RMB 8.8 billion ($1.24 billion).

Baidu may spin off its online storage business

Baidu recently plans to split multiple internal businesses, which may be listed independently, according to Business Data.

Baidu declined to comment on the news.

If spun off, Baidu online storage business can benchmark the US cloud storage company Dropbox for its valuation. The market value of Dropbox has exceeded $9.016 billion at the intraday price on July 28.

After 360 Cloud disk, Kingsoft Online Disk, Xunlei Express Disk, Netease Cloud Disk, and other similar products stopped services, Baidu Online Disk, launched in February 2012, continues its service with a large storage capacity of 100G and clean interface.

According to 36Kr, in November 2019, the number of MAU (monthly active users) in China’s personal online storage industry was 107 million, with a penetration rate of 22.1% for mobile Internet users nationwide. Baidu Online Disk market share is 82.9%, followed by Tencent Weiyun, about 8% market share.

Questmobile’s data show Baidu Online Disk has a market share of over 85% with 600 registered users and over 100 million MAU. It currently generates revenues from users, advertising, information, mini programs, and etc.

Baidu starts offering Microsoft’s MSN ad inventory on a new ad platform

Baidu announced on 8 July 2020 that it is providing advertisers direct access to Microsoft’s MSN native desktop inventory via Baidu’s MediaGo advertising platform. The agreement enables advertisers around the world to reach consumers in the United States through premium placements on multiple MSN properties.

Rather than requiring advertisers to purchase bulk inventory, as is standard practice for many digital ad companies, this collaboration allows advertisers to secure the placements that fit their goals and budget on MSN’s desktop site.

As part of Baidu’s ongoing effort to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western markets, Baidu works with Microsoft to offer their premium MSN placements to its advertising partners in China, the U.S. and beyond. It will continue to explore meaningful ways to provide mutual growth opportunities to global advertisers and U.S. media.

The cooperation allows advertisers worldwide to access high-visibility, native placements on the MSN homepage, as well as other sister pages throughout the MSN site, via Baidu’s MediaGo ad platform.

With MediaGo, advertisers can upload assets, select placements on top-tier MSN properties and measure campaign success on a single centralized platform. MediaGo also offers 24/7 local language account management services.

“Baidu’s MediaGo platform streamlines the process for global advertisers to purchase high-visibility ad placements on MSN, helping them reach new customers,” said David Carkeek, Principal PM Lead at Microsoft.

Baidu International launched MediaGo overseas advertising platform last year when it had established cooperation with Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, etc., which will provide a very good channel for China’s domestic small and medium-sized enterprise owners to promote overseas.

Mobile reach in Q1 2020: Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance

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Chinese consumers more acceptable to connected cars, self-driving cars, and new energy cars https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/23178/connected-car-2017/ https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/23178/connected-car-2017/#respond Tue, 23 Jan 2018 04:00:28 +0000 http://www.chinainternetwatch.com/?p=23178

Kantar TNS Auto survey shows Chinese consumers are more willing to buy connected cars as well as more ready to accept self-driving cars, shared cars and new energy cars.

Chinese consumers have the strongest appetite for connected vehicle purchases: 79% of surveyed Chinese consumers said they plan to buy a connected vehicle in future, higher than North America’s 52% and Europe’s 53%. Both in America and Europe, 64% of those potential buyers will look to their car dealers for guidance on emerging technologies.

However, only 25% of Chinese consumers will consult dealers. Apparently, online communication is pivotal to the connection between Chinese car buyers and auto brands. China is one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world, so brands have to draft their multi-channel marketing strategies here.

China is the most promising land for connected vehicles: 65% of Chinese consumers accept connected car technologies, compared with 40% in Europe and 32% in North America. Chinese consumers are also more willing to try out entertainment and information services, such as social media as well as video and music in their vehicles.

Other formats of connected car features are also more welcomed in China. For example, 75% Chinese accept self-driving cars, compared with only 24% in North America and 36% in Europe; 79% Chinese accept pure electronic vehicle or hybrid vehicle, compared to 53% in Europe and 29% in North America. Shared car services are accepted by 68% of Chinese consumers, while only 21% in Europe and 8% in North America.

A gap too far

Though the prospect looks promising, there is a big gap between the future and the reality: Globally, our survey has found that 25% of car owners are not actively using their connected car’s features, and 11% don’t even know if their vehicle has them.

Currently, traditional elements still dominate the ranking of key car purchasing considerations, such as “safety” (47%) and “fuel economy” (42%). Only 11% global surveyed consumers mention “connectivity”.

In fact, more than half (56%) of drivers who accessed these services at the time of car purchase either don’t plan to, or are unsure whether they will renew them in the future.

Connection failure

The findings make clear that auto brands are struggling to convince owners of “connected” benefits despite having invested vast amounts of capital to embed new technologies and services into their vehicles.

For many owners, new tech offerings are still seen as an optional extra and not an intrinsic part of the vehicle. This highlights a perception gap given the role that technology and connectivity can play in the vehicle’s performance, safety and the driving experience.

The study also finds that 52% of respondents would pay for driver-related services such as navigation features – a figure which falls drastically to 26% for entertainment features where buyers often prefer to use well-known apps on smartphones.

Globally, premium brand owners appear to be early adopters of connected features, with a higher proportion of premium owners willing to pay for connected features when compared with mainstream brand vehicle owners. For example, 52% of all car owners said they’d be willing to pay for navigation features. Among premium car owners that number rises to 72%

The trust equation

Auto brands are in a strong position when it comes to perceptions of safety and security, as they enjoy significantly more trust than other tech companies – 40% of consumers trust car brands with their data compared with 10% for companies such as Google and Facebook.

Aside from security and privacy, demonstrating how technology can improve driver and passenger safety will also appeal to consumers – with 43% of the users of connected features globally saying it is an attractive feature.

Show the benefit

In the minds of many car owners, connectivity is complex. Rather than following the “build it and they will buy” model, auto brands have an opportunity to grow their market share by simplifying their features, aligning them with the core customer wish list and by communicating the benefits more effectively within their existing marketing channels.

In mature markets such as the United States, it’s clear that for now, dealer networks still have a big role to play here as trusted players in the path to purchase. But in China, consumers are more comfortable with a multiple touchpoint purchasing path. So brands have to give online channel higher priority to secure a place in future China.

This article was originally published on Kantar.com

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