Economic Daily: Why Are Chinese Robots Evolving Rapidly

During the Spring Festival holiday in 2026, humanoid robots became the main focus of technology and festive atmosphere, not only performing large-scale, high-difficulty shows on CCTV and local Spring Festival Gala stages but also 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 steered the development of the robotics industry in the right direction.

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 made top-level design for the robotics industry and continuously increased support. Local governments have also taken action, with many provinces and cities introducing special policies to support robotics industry development.

The strategic orientation of self-reliance and technological strength 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 solid foundation for cutting-edge 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 producer of robots, with 55% of global robot products manufactured here. The core components of humanoid robots showcased on the Spring Festival Gala this year 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.

A huge 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 sites like automotive manufacturing and 3C assembly to service industries such as warehousing, logistics, and smart healthcare. The wave of digital and intelligent 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 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 relies on pre-set environments, but real-world scenarios are complex and unpredictable, 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. Continuous breakthroughs in core technologies are essential, supporting enterprises, universities, and research institutes to collaborate on tackling key issues, improving the performance and cost-effectiveness of core components, and strengthening collaborative innovation for the robot “brain” and “small brain.” Deepening high-value scenario applications—such as in family education, elderly care, and medical rehabilitation—can create benchmark cases that deeply connect technology with demand. Improving the industrial ecosystem by establishing unified standards through standardization technical committees and encouraging enterprises to collaborate openly can solve common technical challenges.

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

(Source: Economic Daily)