A BBC correspondent was spotted by China's surveillance program for public security, the Skynet Project, just seven minutes after he "escaped" during a test in Guiyang City in Guizhou Province, southwest China, on Sunday.
In the test at the public security center, Guiyang police first took a mugshot of correspondent John Sudworth who then put his "escape plan" into motion.
John was going to the city center of Guiyang and headed for the railway station. On his way to the station, he passed by several surveillance cameras on a footbridge.
BBC Photo
After he passed through the security check in the station hall, several police targeted him from behind and the security center matched the image collected at the station with the mugshot stored in the Skynet Project.
BBC Photo
The project is a real-time pedestrian detection and recognition system, which can read faces, gender, age and even ethnicity. According to a surveillance camera producer, the technology, which has racked up sales of one million cameras, can even match every face with an ID card, and trace back people's movements within one week.
Such an advanced and sophisticated system would be expected to incur public concerns over privacy.
The Guiyang police explained that police officers will use the system when people are in need of help.
"If you don't have anything to hide from, there is no need to worry," Sudworth said.
China has about 20 million surveillance cameras which are used to maintain public security and help police track fugitives, according to a China Central Television documentary on society safety.
BEIJING (AP) — China’s top automakers are showcasing their latest models and technologies from intelligent driving to ultrafast charging in Beijing as they compete with global rivals in overseas markets.
Analysts say the biennial auto show in China's capital, which opened to media on Friday, shows how its auto industry is setting the global pace for cutting-edge technologies in areas such as electric vehicles and batteries, eclipsing many foreign brands that used to dominate the global market.
More than 1,450 vehicles are on display at this year’s show, including 181 global debuts. The show runs until May 3.
Chinese EV maker XPeng is showing off its latest GX model, a six-seater SUV with a third row seats that can lie completely flat, among other new displays and technologies.
Huge crowds gathered for a presentation by its founder and CEO He Xiaopeng, who described more high-tech aspects of the vehicle.
“When you’re driving on the highway, you fall asleep, or if you feel unwell and can no longer control the vehicle, the system can detect the situation, pull over automatically and alert emergency services,” He said. “Many people who have tried it say it’s amazing.”
Chinese EV maker BYD showcased its new generation of the fast charging “blade” EV battery, first unveiled last month, which can achieve a near full charge in nine minutes, at the auto show, as well as demonstrated charging under the low temperature of minus 30 degree Celsius. Also showcased by Yijing, a EV joint venture between Chinese carmaker Dongfeng Motor Corp. and technology giant Huawei, was the X9, their flagship six‑seat SUV.
According to Chairman Wang Junjun, the new model will features some of the latest auto technology, including a next-generation Qiankun intelligent driving system and a new HarmonyOS cockpit and operating system developed by Huawei.
Ahead of the show, Chinese battery giant CATL unveiled on Tuesday a new version of its “Shenxing” battery, which can be charged from 10% to 98% in only about six-and-a-half minutes.
The auto show showcases the “speed and aggressiveness of advancement” among Chinese automakers, said Tu Le, managing director of consultancy Sino Auto Insights. “It just reinforces that the Chinese — whether in EVs, batteries, intelligent driving — are setting the pace for all these important sectors,” he said.
“China has become one of the fastest-moving markets for deploying and iterating new vehicle technologies, giving consumers early access to some of the most advanced features,” said Chris Liu, a senior analyst at research and advisory group Omdia.
China has become the world’s biggest car exporter, benefiting from its ability to reap cost advantages from its huge scale as well as significant government subsidies and support that helped automakers to rapidly scale up and more quickly rolling out new models and technologies than their foreign competitors.
But Chinese automakers has been facing immense pressure from ferocious price wars over the past months. This year, the government has scaled back subsidies encouraging drivers to switch to EVs and plug-in hybrids, weighing on domestic demand.
Sales of passenger cars in China dropped 23% in the January-March quarter from a year earlier to around 4 million vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. But exports jumped 63% to almost 2 million vehicles as Chinese cars made inroads in regions like Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Omdia forecasts China’s passenger vehicle exports will grow by around 14% year-on-year in 2026.
The hypercompetitive Chinese market have pulled vehicle prices down by a fifth over the past two years, according to a report this week by consultancy AlixPartners.
Few of the new technologies showcased at the auto show may be exported to overseas markets in the short term due to regulatory and safety challenges, Liu said. But they signal “capabilities that can be refined and adapted for global markets over time.”
Even as foreign automakers have been losing market share in recent years in China, some are staging a comeback, with Volkswagen Group announcing on Tuesday plans for installing “agentic” AI into its vehicles for China. It also unveiled new EV models for the Chinese market, including the new UNYX 09 electric sedan co-developed with XPeng.
While the foreign car brands may try to “stabilize” their market share in China, “gaining back a significant market share they had before is, to my perspective, not realistic,” said Andreas Radics, managing director at Berylls by AlixPartners specialized in the automotive industry.
Meanwhile, given the growing demand and often better profitability in overseas markets, Chinese automakers have been shifting from exporting cars from China to building more factories overseas, including in Hungary and Turkey, to increase supplies abroad and avert trade friction.
Chinese carmakers are likely to almost triple their overseas production by 2030 to 3.4 million vehicles from 1.2 million last year, according to AlixPartners estimates.
Chan reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press video producer Wayne Zhang in Beijing contributed to this report.
A cleaner past by a chamber with sub-zero temperatures to showcase the battery charging technologies at the BYD booth during Auto China 2026 in Beijing, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of XPENG speaks at the Auto China 2026 in Beijing, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Visitors tour the Auto China 2026, in Beijing, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Honor, the humanoid robot which has won the humanoid robot half-marathon last weekend is surrounded by visitors as it visiting the Auto China 2026, in Beijing, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A security stands watch as visitors look at the Volvo EM90 model showcased at the Auto China 2026, in Beijing, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A visitor and his robotic dog stand near to the Toyota BZ7 EV model showcased at the Auto China 2026, in Beijing, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
