BEIJING/SHENZHEN (REUTERS) - China's Huawei Technologies aims to develop driverless passenger car technology by 2025, an executive said on Thursday (June 10), as the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker explores other roads in the face of United States sanctions.

"Our team's goal is to reach true driverless passenger cars in 2025," Mr Wang Jun, senior executive at its smart vehicle unit, told an industry conference.

Dozens of start-ups, carmakers and large technology firms such as Internet search leader Baidu are accelerating work on self-driving vehicle systems.

Huawei has pivoted to smart electric vehicles after its global smartphone business was hammered by US sanctions. The previous Trump administration labelled the company a threat to US national security - a charge it denies.