China’s BeiDou system is now a match for GPS. Will the world enter its orbit?

In the more than 30 years since the Chinese ship Yinhe was stranded in international waters, its global positioning system (GPS) jammed by the United States, the world’s second-largest economy has developed its own satellite navigation network to capture a share of the lucrative, highly technological market – and ensure such an incident can never be repeated.

As the reach of its indigenous system grows and begins to match that of its American rival, so too do Beijing’s ambitions. It wants BeiDou – named for the seven bright stars in the northern sky used for guidance in pre-satellite times – to appeal to enough international users that the system can chip away at the US-run GPS network’s decades-long dominance.

With slick pitches of the service to international bodies, plans to amplify signal strength overseas and a flurry of investments, subsidies and donations incentivising BeiDou’s adoption by the developing world, China’s promotion of its system has only been dwarfed by the network’s own coverage levels.

Numerous hurdles stand in the way of such a sea change, analysts said. But by pouring billions into BeiDou’s development and offering it as a free service, Beijing is making a long-term investment in the system – and its value in the broader geopolitical context.

“There are realms where Beijing can incentivise overseas adoption – in global maritime and aviation safety and in developing countries less aligned with the West – to advance China’s interests,” said Michael Shin, a professor of geospatial technologies with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).