The residents of Wuhan bitterly remember the more than two-month lockdown they were subjected to five years ago, during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, which China confronted with a strict policy that isolated the country for three years and severely impacted its economy.

The residents of Wuhan bitterly remember the more than two-month lockdown they were subjected to five years ago, during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, which China confronted with a strict policy that isolated the country for three years and severely impacted its economy.

The Chinese city registered the first cases of the infection and implemented the first lockdown of the population to curb contagion

On Jan. 23, 2020, the Chinese government issued a travel ban for all residents of Wuhan, the epicenter of a novel coronavirus outbreak that would come to cause a pandemic.

More than 400 driverless vehicles are criss-crossing the central Chinese city on an unprecedented scale, enabling the country to gather kilometers of experience. Human cab drivers, meanwhile, are worried about their future.

China is one of the most populous countries in the world, surpassed only by India. By the end of 2023, China boasted a population of about 1.4 billion people. Although this marked the country's second year of population decline,

It is the Apollo Go service that Wu is opting to use in Wuhan. Operated by China's internet giant Baidu, this robotaxi service featured more than 400 fully driverless vehicles in Wuhan as of October 2024, covering an area of over 3,000 square km in the city. Some parts of the city even offer 24-hour testing and demonstration services.

More drivers in China are joining ride-booking apps at a time when jobs are hard to find, but there's less demand for their services.

An official Chinese document obtained by VOA indicates that Beijing appears to be taking broader measures to screen and monitor overseas Chinese. The document, titled Xinjiang Immigration Inspection Data Analysis Research Cooperation, lists the names and personal information of more than 100 Chinese citizens living abroad.