China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System acts a force multiplier for military

China’s claims of high-accuracy positioning, precise navigation and timing services may be influencing countries to replace GPS with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System or BDS, but the Chinese system comes with risks of espionage, surveillance and coercion, posing a threat to global security.

Unlike other global navigation networks, BDS is a two-way communication system. This means it can identify locations of receivers and transmit data back to satellites, ET has learnt from China watchers.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV said, “In layman’s terms, you can not only know where you are through BeiDou but also tell others where you are through the system.”China has been expanding the reach of BDS, which is making its presence felt in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, ET has learnt. The Belt and Road (BRI) member countries are China’s priority and as BDS is free and more accurate, many countries are adopting it.

China has joined the global navigation networks comprising GPS (Global Positioning System) of the US, GLONASS of Russia and Galileo of the European Union. The Chinese military will be able to interfere with GPS and other systems with the help of BDS to get a tactical and strategic advantage, alleged one of the China watchers.

BeiDou is currently installed in more than 70% of Chinese smartphones while its basic products are in use in more than 120 countries. “As the Chinese BeiDou satellite positioning system has two-way information sending and receiving function and malicious programs could be hidden in the navigation chip of the mobile phone, operating system or apps, the use of BeiDou-enabled smartphones could face security risks,” as per a report of the Taiwanese government.The BeiDou satellite system has clear security implications as it will act as a force multiplier for the Chinese military in the South China Sea, Taiwan or Hong Kong.