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As China bets on tech and innovation to drive its growth, it has placed its chips on several industrial sectors that are expected to play increasingly important roles in development and trade, which will bring fresh opportunities and challenges for stakeholders. SCMP’s China Future Tech is your go-to destination for the latest news, insights, and opinions on these select industries. Explore in-depth coverage of EVs, AI, semiconductors, aerospace, robotics and biomedicine sectors. Follow us to stay ahead in China's evolving competitive landscape.
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Artificial intelligence

Video | Chinese robodog passed off as India-made at AI summit

Following online backlash, Galgotias University said it did not develop the model sold by Chinese start-up Unitree.

Artificial intelligence

Chinese AI and robotics firms appoint millennial, Gen Z stars as chief scientists

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Unitree Robotics

China’s humanoid robot orders surge after Spring Festival spotlight

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China technology

China’s Unitree eyes 20,000-robot output after viral success of annual gala

With shipments set to jump and investors watching closely, Unitree is positioning itself at the forefront of China’s humanoid robotics push.

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Shaolin meets silicon: Unitree’s humanoid robots perform routines alongside human martial artists at China’s Spring Festival Gala, showcasing the next leap in robotics. Photo: CCTV
Artificial intelligence

Humanoids go mainstream as China’s robotics champions appear at CCTV spectacle

ByteDance, Unitree, RedNote, Bilibili and Kuaishou among the firms involved in the unparalleled nationwide marketing opportunity.

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Artificial intelligence

Unitree CEO sees embodied intelligence overtaking the internet’s impact

Unitree founder says the shift from screen-based AI to real-world machines could unlock a far larger economic wave than today’s tech boom.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba unveils RynnBrain, an embodied AI model that gives robots a ‘brain’

The model, which was unveiled by Alibaba’s Damo Academy, matched leading embodied models from Google and Nvidia.

Alibaba and its fintech affiliate Ant Group are launching their own robotics models in a bid to dominate the next frontier of technology. Photo: AP
Mainland China

Opinion | For clues to China’s next overcapacity cycle, watch the Spring Festival Gala

AI robots taking centre stage at the coming Spring Festival Gala – now a national tech showcase – will signal official endorsement and likely trigger herd investment.

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China’s private sector

Before the factory floor, the dance floor: robots find path to market at US$145

Humanoid robots may one day transform factories and warehouses, but for now their most immediate role is keeping the party going.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese vacuum maker using Temu’s playbook dreams big with Super Bowl debut

Dreame showcases robot vacuum in a Super Bowl commercial, drawing on Temu’s US prime-time campaign that helped it challenge Amazon.com.

Vacuum maker Dreame is hoping to leverage the Super Bowl’s influence to crack the North American market. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s humanoid makers pivot from ‘body’ to ‘brain’ as commercial race heats up

Dobot claims its self-developed vision-language-action model lets humanoid robots react to the real world rather than just perform preprogrammed tasks.

The Atom humanoid robot developed by Shenzhen-based Dobot. Photo: Handout
2026 Olympic Winter Games

Video | Dancing robot feature at China House for 2026 Winter Olympics

A dancing robot is star attraction at China’s hospitality house in Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Artificial intelligence

Funding surge powers Chinese robotics firms as focus shifts to humanoid ‘brains’

State-backed funds, Big Tech drive fresh capital into robotics companies, betting on operating systems that underpin humanoid intelligence.

Mainland China

Video | World’s first ‘biomimetic AI robot’ debuts in Shanghai

The robot, which is able to replicate human micro-expressions and walking postures, will be priced at 1.2 million yuan (US$173,000).

The robot, which is able to replicate human micro-expressions and walking postures, will be priced at 1.2 million yuan (US$173,000)
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Xpeng

When a robot topples: China’s Xpeng deals with fallout from humanoid’s plunge

CEO draws parallel to toddlers learning to walk before they run, after Iron’s loss of balance becomes viral fodder.

Staff members assist Xpeng’s Iron robot after its fall during a demonstration in Shenzhen. Photo: Handout
Tesla

‘Optimus chain’: Chinese suppliers form backbone of Tesla’s humanoid robot plans

Tesla’s pivot to producing humanoid robots is expected to engage a network of key Chinese component makers.

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Artificial intelligence

Forget soulless humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus. This one’s more Wall-E

Fauna Robotics’ humanoid robot Sprout is an attempt to start a focus on ‘approachable’ robots inspired by Wall-E and BB-8, not Terminator.

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Artificial intelligence

Ant Group’s open-source push aims to move robots from lab demos to real-world work

Flashy robots can dance and backflip on cue, but Ant Group is betting open-source AI can take them beyond scripted moves.

Chinese fintech giant Ant Group has open-sourced its first ever artificial intelligence models designed to make robots intelligent enough to be highly productive in the real world. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

How Tesla’s AI shift is prompting Chinese rivals to expand tech offerings

As Tesla diversifies into humanoid robots and self-driving cars, its Chinese competitors are also moving into flying cars, robots and chips.

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Artificial intelligence

China’s humanoid robot sales to double this year as costs fall: Morgan Stanley

The US investment bank revises its China robot sales forecast to 28,000 units this year, while it sees parts prices falling 16 per cent.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla reports first ever annual revenue decline as China’s EV giants zoom ahead

Tesla’s vehicle production fell 7 per cent year on year in 2025, as Elon Musk signals company will pivot to humanoid robots.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland. Tesla has reported that its annual revenues declined for the first time in the company’s history in 2025. Photo: EPA
China technology

Opinion | How Hangzhou’s tech ecosystem nurtures dragons and rockets

It’s not one factor but a ‘rainforest’ of policy, capital, talent, universities and research institutions operating within clear boundaries.

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A mechanical horse dragon spits fire during a parade on December 16, 2023, in Hangzhou in China’s Zhejiang province. Photo: Getty Images
US-China tech war

My Take | Steadfast state support is key to China winning tech race with US

America is shooting itself in the foot by defunding basic research and manpower under the Trump White House.

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Alibaba

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Baidu join fight for Spring Festival spotlight

The two companies launch digital red packet campaigns following tie-up moves by ByteDance and Alibaba with CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala.

China technology

China’s Eyou opens world’s first automated line for humanoid robot joints

Manufacturer adds line in anticipation of surge in global demand for humanoid robots, with one estimate projecting 100,000 shipments by 2027.

Eyou supplies domestic humanoid robot makers, including AgiBot. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Beijing outlines tech push with focus on AI, 6G, humanoid robots

Tech ministry’s plan targets breakthroughs in AI models, agents and chips, as well as AI’s spread into diverse sectors.

A child interacts with a robot at a store in Shenzhen, in south China’s Guangdong province, on January 16, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Unitree Robotics

China’s Unitree ships over 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025, surpassing US peers

The Hangzhou-based firm’s output far outstripped the roughly 150 units each shipped by Tesla, Figure AI and Agility Robotics last year.

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Mainland China

UBTech partners with Airbus to bring humanoid robots to aviation manufacturing

The deal follows a similar one with US semiconductor maker Texas Instruments, underscoring the Chinese firm’s accelerated overseas push.

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