China has broken the dependence of the GPS in two decades. His proposal has already convinced 140 countries

China has just published The data of your satellite navigation system (Beidou) for 2024. After the figures a geopolitical transformation is read that has not made much noise but that is full of meaning.

Why is it important. The United States controlled global satellite navigation through GPS. China has created a viable alternative in just twenty years, breaking its own agency and also offering options to other countries.

Beidou began as a Chinese military project in the 1990s. Today it is recognized by the United Nations as a global satellite navigation provider, integrated into eleven international organizations.

In figures:

• The Chinese satellite navigation sector invoiced 79.9 billion dollars in 2024.
• That is 7.4% more than in 2023.
• Beidou processes more than one billion daily location requests (it is not a False Friend: one billion).
• And guide 4,000 million kilometers of navigation every day.

Besides…

• 288 million Chinese mobile phones already integrate Beidou.
• The system covers 99% of urban and rural roads in the country lane precision.

Yes, but. Beidou has not displaced GPS as a dominant global standard. Most current devices use several satellite constellations (GPS, Beidou, Galileo, Glonass) to improve precision and reliability.

The 140 countries that use Beidou do it mainly as a complement to GPS, not as a total substitute. And they adopt it differently:

• More than 30 African nations They have installed continuous reference stations for high precision services in agriculture, water management and weather monitoring.
• In Latin America, ports like Chancay’s in Peru They integrate Beidou In smart navigation systems.
• In Asia and the Middle East, several countries use Chinese constellation to complement transport and logistics services.

The majority does not completely replace GPS, but adds Beidou as a second option to reduce dependencies or improve coverage in regions where US signals are weaker. One of Beidou’s strengths is his best coverage in the southern hemisphere. In 2020 he completed his global scope.

Between the lines. China has not defeated GPS, but has achieved something equally valuable: reduce its critical technological dependence. The United States can no longer cut access to satellite navigation as a diplomatic weapon against China.

And now what. Beidou marks the Chinese patron: not completely replace Western systems, but to create viable alternatives that reduce strategic dependencies. Not to compete, but build your own parallel reality. As Huawei has doneamong others.

Satellite navigation is only the beginning. China replicates this strategy in 5g, AI and renewable energies.

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Outstanding image | Xataka