Mr. Ran said Beidou is already being used by more than 100, 000 clients in China and has been used to help track government vehicles in the southern province of Guangdong, and to assist disaster-relief work after an earthquake in the western province of Sichuan in 2008.

WSJ: Beijing Launches GPS Rival

In Anren township, near Chengdu, the capital of the south-western province of Sichuan, a wealthy real-estate developer, Fan Jianchuan, says he is preparing to open another later this month.

ECONOMIST: China

The labor-cost savings are minimal as wages in western Sichuan province and central Henan, where Foxconn makes iPads and iPhones, are similar to those in coastal Guangdong.

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