【By Liu Bai, Observer News】"Robotic dogs, humanoid assistants, and fully automated 'dark factories'—scenes that once seemed like science fiction are now becoming a reality in China. After years of patient investment, China is standing at the threshold of a robot revolution."
The Washington Post in an article on October 9 noted that China is rapidly rising in the field of robot technology, and is poised to lead this key technology that may define the 21st century. While the United States still holds advantages in software, advanced AI chips, and fundamental research, China has taken a significant lead in robot hardware, deployment, and policy support. Particularly, young generation entrepreneurs and engineers in the robotics field in China tend to take Liang Wenfeng of DeepSeek and Wang Xingxing of Unitree as role models, rather than idolizing Silicon Valley as the older generation did.
August 11, 2025, Beijing Yizhuang, Humanoid Robots at the 2025 World Robot Conference. Visual China
The authors of this article, Selina Xu and Helen Zhang, work in the office of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, responsible for research on China and artificial intelligence related projects. Schmidt has invested in multiple emerging technology areas, with the robotics industry being one of them.
In their article, they wrote that if "embodied intelligence" (AI-driven robots capable of autonomous action in the real world) is the next frontier in artificial intelligence, then China seems ready to lead.
On September 25, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) released the "2025 Global Robotics Report". According to the report, the number of new robots installed globally reached 542,000 in 2024, more than double that of ten years ago. Of these, nearly 300,000 were installed in China, exceeding the total of all other regions combined, almost ten times that of the United States. China remains the largest robot market in the world. Last year, the number of industrial robots in operation in China exceeded 2 million, ranking first globally.
The authors recalled their trip to China this summer, which gave them a firsthand experience of the much-touted "new era of Chinese technological hegemony" over the past two decades.
At that time, we took a high-speed train from Shanghai to Hangzhou, which has risen to become a major hub in the global artificial intelligence and robotics fields, largely due to DeepSeek. When we met with founders and engineers of the so-called "Six Little Dragons" in Hangzhou, we truly felt the change in the technological landscape.
The authors believe that part of the reason for China's breakthrough is the country's strong manufacturing capability.
From actuators, sensors to batteries, China has built a complete supply chain, allowing startups to quickly fine-tune robot prototypes until they develop viable, economical, and scalable products.
Most companies have set up robot production bases near their research laboratories, forming efficient feedback loops. Companies also prioritize vertical integration, with many producing key components themselves and sourcing basic raw materials domestically.
As a result, the entry price for humanoid robots in China is dropping sharply: In July this year, Unitree launched the bipedal humanoid robot R1 for less than $6,000 (about 42,000 RMB), roughly one-third the price of its G1 robot launched a year earlier.
As the world's second-largest economy, China is eager to apply this technology. Faced with an aging population, China hopes to use artificial intelligence and robotics to address labor shortages. Most of the related startups have already begun deploying robots in factory workshops, which helps collect data needed to train the "brain" of the robots.
Additionally, public enthusiasm for robot technology is increasing, partly due to policy support and high-profile technology demonstration events.
This summer, at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, humanoid robots could be seen fighting on boxing rings, quadrupedal robot dogs standing on their hind legs, and robots serving popcorn to audiences. A few weeks later, Beijing hosted the first World Humanoid Robot Games, where robots raced, danced, played soccer, and completed obstacle challenges.
Unitree demonstrates humanoid robots and robot dogs performing dance, tai chi, and lion dance at the WAIC World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Visual China
Chinese robot companies are moving forward at full speed. The authors wrote that founders they spoke with said they plan to increase robot production from double digits to tens of thousands within months. China is filled with industrial centers from Shenzhen to Hangzhou, these "engineering practice communities" allow entrepreneurs, investors, and engineers to exchange and collaborate with the world's most experienced manufacturing professionals, thus achieving rapid innovation.
As Chinese analyst Dan Wang wrote in his new book "Breakneck": "In China... when a new product achieves mass production, technological innovation emerges in the factory floor."
These innovations are expected to go global. Almost all founders hope to expand into overseas markets, including entering the US. Partly because of fierce price wars at home: Due to too many companies and intense competition, profit margins have been squeezed to minimal levels.
Despite these challenges, the enthusiasm of the founder teams is significant. They genuinely believe that "Made in China" is a symbol of world-class quality, especially in high-end manufacturing.
In fact, Chinese companies have already led in multiple areas: BYD, CATL, DJI, and Huawei are global leaders in electric vehicles, batteries, consumer drones, and 5G networks respectively. Emerging robotics and AI startups are determined to follow in their footsteps.
The authors marveled that this new generation of Chinese post-90s entrepreneurs and engineers are completely different from the more Westernized previous generation. Chinese pioneers of the older generation often idolized Silicon Valley, while the younger generation of founders regard local talents such as Liang Wenfeng of DeepSeek and Wang Xingxing of Unitree as role models—both of whom received higher education in China and mainly hired domestic talent.
Liang Wenfeng and Wang Xingxing
Citigroup predicted in a report released last December that by 2050, there will be 648 million human-like robots worldwide. With robots manufacturing robots, production efficiency will achieve a qualitative leap, unleashing massive economic potential.
The authors finally mentioned the current situation in the United States. In the past, discussions about "reindustrialization" in the US have been ongoing. But in the field of robotics, the US needs to increase investment in future industry infrastructure, from upgrading the power grid to collaborating with allies to establish local manufacturing of critical robot components. At the same time, the US also needs to strengthen its traditional advantages: fundamental research based on universities, immigration policies that attract top global talent, and an innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem free from cumbersome regulations.
"The robot race is not over. But unless the US significantly improves its competitiveness, it is obvious that China will lead this race," the article stated.
Just on September 25, the New York Times published a long article with a similar view. The media described that Chinese factories are not only using more and more robots, but also improving their technology for manufacturing robots. The government uses public funds and policy directives to encourage Chinese companies to become leaders in the fields of robots, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, among others.
Over the past decade, China has launched large-scale actions, promoting robots in factories, becoming a major manufacturer of robots, and integrating advancements in artificial intelligence into the robotics industry.
Su Lianjie, chief analyst at tech research company Omdia, said that Chinese companies have benefited from strong national-level support, which is exactly how the Chinese electric vehicle and artificial intelligence industries developed.
"This is no coincidence," said Su Lianjie, "Chinese companies have been investing in this area for many years."
Cameron Johnson, a consultant working in the automation industry supply chain in Shanghai, said that Chinese companies are using artificial intelligence to quickly determine which machines are running well and which have minor issues. He also said that "elsewhere in the world, people have not yet regarded artificial intelligence as a manufacturing tool, at least not yet, unlike what the Chinese are doing."
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