Li Qiang Visits Kunming; Navigation Chaos Ensues, Food Delivery Worker Directed Into Dianchi Lake

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, speaking on behalf of the CCP at the Two Sessions, told the Chinese people: 'We will meet again, and the future holds promise.' (Video screenshot)

[November 7, 2024] Chinese Premier Li Qiang recently visited Kunming, Yunnan, to chair the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting. The visit caused navigation systems to malfunction, leading to food delivery workers being directed into Dianchi Lake. Some netizens speculated that this was due to CCP security measures interfering with location services.

According to CCP state media, from November 6 to 7, Li Qiang hosted the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Leaders' Meeting in Kunming, attended by leaders from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the president of the Asian Development Bank.

In the early hours of November 6, many Kunming residents reported on social media that navigation services around areas such as Dayue City, Second Ring South Road, Huancheng South Road, Guandu District, the train station, and near Yunfang were in disarray. Positioning errors and sudden "drifting" were common, with food delivery workers being directed into Dianchi Lake, preventing many orders from being delivered.

Reports indicated that users of Gaode Maps, Baidu Maps, and Tencent Maps encountered issues such as being shown as located in Dianchi Lake.

One user shared that she ordered food delivery but did not receive it after an hour. She checked and saw the rider’s location “still in Dianchi Lake,” which startled her. The rider said the order’s location was incorrect, making it impossible to continue the delivery until the issue was resolved.

Another netizen reported that the navigation initially showed the delivery rider a few hundred meters away, "but after I turned around, it was 50 kilometers away."

Others noted that the issue affected taxi services and shared electric bike rentals, causing significant inconvenience in daily life.

The Paper reported on the issue yesterday. In response to many Kunming users posting about “everyone’s location showing up in Dianchi Lake” on social media, Gaode Maps stated on November 6 that it was not a product issue and that investigations and communication were ongoing. When journalists inquired with the official Weibo accounts of Baidu Maps and Tencent Maps regarding similar issues, there was no response.

Weibo users commented:

“Floating Traveler BADI: ‘Lacking Morals Maps continues to guide you. Buddy, swim faster!’”

“withWaiting: ‘There must be signal interference. In Chengdu, when I drive on Kehua Road past the Third Ring Road and go under the underpass, it always shows that I’m in Jinjiang.’”

“HU10V: ‘The big shots have arrived, everyone clear the way.’”

“Chasing the Wind Journey: ‘When they want it to fail, it fails. That's what power is.’”

“Asura: ‘There’s a meeting, so it must be interference.’”

“Pants Autumn: ‘It’s likely that satellite signals for the positioning system are being interfered with. There must be a big event happening nearby.’”

Some netizens on overseas social platforms directly reported that the situation was due to Li Qiang’s visit for the meeting, and that the CCP had once again escalated security measures by “deploying location jammers near the venue.”

Former mainland media professional Zhao Lanjian, now living abroad, also posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Numerous WeChat screenshots prove that this is the CCP intentionally disrupting public life service systems to ensure Li Qiang’s personal safety.”

The incident has sparked discussions among overseas netizens:

“So the so-called information security and map surveying safety are ultimately about controlling the people.”

“Who would have thought that when Chinese leaders travel, even just passing by, it means bullying their own citizens.”

“Not only harming the country but also its people.”

“Quick, get Xi Jinping to show the delivery drivers the right way.”

“Wasn’t there talk recently about delivery riders following the Party’s lead? This is the consequence.”

Editor: Ning Feng