Baidu suing former executive Wang Jing

Chinese technology giant Baidu Inc is suing its former executive for 50 million yuan ($7.6 million) for allegedly leaking its closely guarded secrets about autonomous driving.

A court claim was filed against Wang Jing, Baidu's former senior vice-president and general manager of the autonomous driving unit.

Wang resigned from the post in March this year, and about one month later began his own self-driving startup Jingchi Corp in Silicon Valley, the United States.

Baidu's legal claim was based on allegations that Wang, together with Jingchi, breached company rules guarding data on its cutting-edge self-driving technologies, Netease reported.

In the claim, Wang was sued for 50 million yuan and the full cost of litigation.

The Beijing Intellectual Property Court has accepted the case, it reported.

Denying the allegations, Wang Jing said he'll fight the lawsuit.

"There is no factual basis for Baidu's allegations. Our lawyers will respond in terms of factual and legal aspects," Wang claimed.

"As an innovative startup, we are not afraid of competitors. Such challenges will not hold us back."

He said the headquarters of Jingchi would be moved back to China. "Within two weeks, we will show our technical strength in China."

The extraordinary row emerged when a growing number of Chinese companies are racing to mass-produce autonomous vehicles.

In mid-November, Baidu announced that its self-driving mini buses will enter trial operations by the end of July in cooperation with Chinese commercial vehicle manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry.

Jingchi said its first fleet of 50 self-driving taxis was expected to hit the road in East China's Anhui province by March.

Jingchi completed autonomous driving tests in a closed venue less than five weeks after establishment. It had obtained a license for testing autonomous vehicles on California's public roads in June. In September, it raised $52 million in funding.

Before Baidu, Wang Jing used to be head of engineering at Alibaba Group Holding, chief technology officer of eBay China and managing director of Google China.