Baidu (BIDU-SW) shares surged 5.02% in pre-market trading on Wednesday, following the announcement of a multi-year strategic partnership with Uber to deploy thousands of its Apollo Go autonomous vehicles on Uber's global platform. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in Baidu's expansion of its autonomous driving technology beyond the Chinese market.

According to the agreement, Baidu's Apollo Go vehicles will be integrated into Uber's transportation network across multiple international markets, excluding the US and China. The initial rollout is expected to begin in Asia and the Middle East later this year, with plans for further global expansion. This partnership leverages Apollo Go's track record of over 11 million fully driverless rides provided across 15 cities globally as of May.

The stock's upward movement is part of a broader rally among U.S.-listed Chinese tech companies. Other notable gainers include Alibaba, up 6%, and PDD Holdings, rising 2.8%. This trend reflects growing investor confidence in Chinese tech firms amid signs of economic recovery and regulatory easing in China.