Economic Daily: Why Are Chinese Robots Evolving Rapidly

During the Spring Festival holiday in 2026, humanoid robots became the main characters blending technology and festive atmosphere. They not only performed large-scale, high-difficulty shows on CCTV and local Spring Festival Gala stages but also were widely used in offline scenes such as temple fairs, shopping malls, and restaurants. The rental market thrived, and social media platforms buzzed with activity. Global netizens were amazed by China’s rapid evolution of robots, and this was no coincidence.

Top-level design and policy support have firmly steered the development of the robotics industry.

In recent years, from the “14th Five-Year Plan for Robotics Industry Development” and the “Guiding Opinions on Innovative Development of Humanoid Robots” to the in-depth implementation of the “Artificial Intelligence+” initiative and the “14th Five-Year Plan” layout for embodied intelligence, the national level has crafted top-level designs for robotics development and continuously increased support. Local governments have also taken action, with many provinces and cities introducing special policies to support the robotics industry.

The strategic orientation of self-reliance and strength in science and technology has given enterprises more confidence in tackling core technologies, forming a virtuous cycle of “policy guidance—capital follow-up—enterprise effort.” China’s patent applications for robots now account for two-thirds of the global total. Statistics show that as of August 4, 2025, 22 cities across the country have gathered more than 10,000 robotics companies, with cities from the east, central, and western regions all making the list.

An industrial system and cost advantages have laid a “growth medium” for frontier exploration in robotics.

China’s manufacturing strength lies in having the most complete and responsive industrial supporting system globally, forming numerous efficient, collaborative manufacturing clusters. Any technological innovation can quickly find upstream and downstream support, with astonishing speed from design to product conversion, and the robotics industry is no exception. China is the world’s largest robot producer, accounting for 55% of global robot products. The core components of humanoid robots showcased on the Spring Festival Gala have achieved over 70% localization.

A localized supply chain has reduced manufacturing costs and shortened the iteration cycle from design to mass production. By 2025, the number of domestic humanoid robot companies has exceeded 140, with over 330 products released.

The vast market and diverse scenarios provide a “training ground” for robot product iteration.

Only through repeated testing in real scenarios can high-tech innovations rapidly evolve. China boasts the world’s richest application scenarios, from industrial fields like automotive manufacturing and 3C assembly to service industries such as warehousing, logistics, and smart healthcare. The wave of digital transformation provides a stage for robots.

The robot swarm control technology used in martial arts programs on the Spring Festival Gala can be transferred to factory scheduling and emergency rescue; emotional interaction robots in comedy sketches precisely meet the needs of elderly care. The explosion of the robot rental market during the Spring Festival is just the beginning—embodied intelligence is reshaping the boundaries of the labor supply.

Currently, there are three major bottlenecks in the humanoid robot industry. First, the contradiction between cost and price: domestic robots have significantly reduced costs, but prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan still exceed average consumer affordability, and large-scale adoption will take time. Second, the gap in reliability and generalization ability: perfect performance on the Gala stage depends on pre-set environments, while real-world scenarios are complex and variable, demanding higher levels of autonomous intelligence. Third, the bottleneck in data and algorithm iteration: embodied intelligence requires vast amounts of real-world data, but current data collection is costly and standards vary.

To enable Chinese humanoid robots to move from rapid evolution to sustained leadership, persistent effort is needed. Core technologies must be continuously tackled, supporting enterprises, universities, and research institutes to collaborate on breakthroughs, improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of core components, and strengthening collaborative innovation for the robot “brain” and “small brain.” High-value scenarios such as family education, elderly care, and medical rehabilitation should be deeply cultivated to create benchmark cases, achieving a deep integration of technology and demand. The industrial ecosystem should be improved by building a unified standard system through standardization technical committees and encouraging enterprises to collaborate openly to solve common technical challenges.

Chinese humanoid robots are gaining a competitive edge in the global industry. Looking ahead, Chinese robots will become more intelligent and accessible, empowering various industries and entering thousands of households.

(Article source: Economic Daily)