Asia Tech Wire (Oct 11) -- Chinese tech company Baidu plans to test and deploy its Apollo Go robotaxis in Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The people said Baidu has been in discussions with relevant companies and regulators in these regions to advance its expansion plans.

Previously Nikkei and Chinese media Cailianshe also reported on Apollo Go's expansion plans outside China, but did not mention places like Singapore and the Middle East.

In response, Apollo Go sources said the company plans to release a new version of its self-driving platform, Apollo 10.0, which is designed for global users.

Apollo 10.0 will feature Baidu's latest Autonomous Driving Foundation Model (ADFM).

Baidu said the upgrade will dramatically improve the safety, intelligence and ease of use of its open platform for autonomous driving.

Notably, U.S. electric car maker Tesla unveiled its robotxi, Cybercab, in Los Angeles late Thursday.