Chinese Autonomous Driving Firms Expand in Hong Kong and Middle East Markets

On July 23, 2026, the Hong Kong Transport Department issued Apollo Go, operated by Baidu, Hong Kong's first trial permit for fully autonomous driving without an onboard safety driver, with tests commencing on Airport Island on July 27, 2026. The testing route spans 43.2 kilometers connecting Hong Kong International Airport, Tung Chung, and Sunny Bay. Apollo Go had logged over 240,000 test kilometers in Hong Kong with no safety anomalies reported by authorities.

According to Bastille Post, Chinese autonomous mobility developers are leveraging high-density testing grounds to support global market entry, notably in the Middle East. WeRide holds regulatory licences across seven countries and operates across more than 40 cities in 11 nations, teaming up with Uber and Grab to operate robotaxi fleets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Baidu's Apollo Go has also deployed autonomous taxis on streets in Dubai.

Operational metrics cited from Baidu's Q1 2026 financial report include 3.2 million fully driverless rides delivered in a single quarter, over 22 million cumulative trips completed, and active operations across 27 cities worldwide. Concurrently, Pony.ai has introduced commercial autonomous operations in Shenzhen's Bao'an District.

The sector continues to navigate technical hurdles and market headwinds. A system glitch on March 31, 2026, immobilized over 100 Apollo Go vehicles in Wuhan, highlighting single-point-of-failure vulnerabilities. On the commercial front, WeRide reported a first-quarter net loss of RMB 389 million, while share prices of sector peers listed in Hong Kong remained down 40% to 60% compared to initial public offering valuations.

Market forecasts cited in the report reflect divergent investment views: CITIC Securities defined 2026 as the inaugural year of commercial deployment, Morgan Stanley labeled it a singularity moment for autonomous vehicles, and Goldman Sachs projected China's robotaxi sector to reach US$14 billion with a 535,000-vehicle fleet by 2030.