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Robotics

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Robotics
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.
A robot carries a tray of food at the China Mobile booth during MWC Barcelona earlier this month. Photo: AFP
China manufacturing

China’s industrial robot output accelerates as factories ramp up deployment

Output of industrial robots jumps 31 per cent in year’s first two months, while production of service robots rises 1 per cent in same period.

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US-China relations

Opinion | 3 realities shaping China-US tech competition

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Science

Could China build an ‘army of centaurs’ with this non-invasive cyborg tech?

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ChatGPT and other generative AIs

Why are people in Los Angeles filming themselves doing housework?

Gig workers in Los Angeles are earning extra cash through video capture, filming themselves performing chores to teach AI and robots.

Los Angeles resident Salvador Arciga films himself doing the laundry for a data collection job in Los Angeles, California. Photo: TNS
Science

This weird-looking humanoid robot could help China conquer the moon: scientists

Highly dexterous robot built on a wheeled platform will traverse the lunar surface while performing construction, maintenance and sampling.

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China's population

Can AI help China cushion economic fallout from its rapidly ageing population?

As fertility rates fall, Asian economies face a daunting challenge – sustaining growth with fewer workers.

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Macau

Robot ‘arrested’ after elderly woman startled and sent to hospital in Macau

Video of incident shows woman angrily confronting robot before police arrive and escort it away.

A screengrab from a video showing the incident in Macau. Photo: Handout
Midea

China’s Midea pledges US$8.7 billion for AI and robotics in pivot to automation

Robotics and physical AI are emerging as the next battleground for manufacturers seeking efficiency gains.

China’s private sector

Why China’s red-hot tech push is leaving some sectors out in the cold

Beijing’s preferences for innovation and emerging industries are affecting businesses’ development paths and reshaping the corporate landscape.

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Two Sessions 2026

China’s top court says it treats AI cases with care without stifling innovation

Supreme People’s Procuratorate says 4,739 individuals prosecuted last year in cases related to ‘data security breaches’.

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In an annual work report presented to the NPC, the president of China’s supreme court says courts “properly adjudicated cases” involving AI and “accurately grasped the ‘margin for error’ in technological innovation”. Photo: Reuters
Millionaires and billionaires

Adrian Cheng maps out investment plan in line with China’s 5-year plan

The former CEO of NWD plans to spend more time in mainland China this year to scope out tech investment targets.

Adrian Cheng says he has invested in a Chinese robotics firm. Photo: Handout
Two Sessions 2026

China’s eastern, southern economic powerhouses vie for innovation leadership

Officials from Yangtze River Delta, Greater Bay Area outline ambitions after Xi Jinping calls on provincial economies to drive development.

China manufacturing

China bets on AI-manufacturing integration to narrow digital gap with US

Beijing’s new five-year plan calls for digital economy to account for bigger share of GDP, backed by 28 major projects, 5G upgrades and data-focused industrial policy.

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Artificial intelligence

China’s 5-year plan emphasises ‘orderly’ AI development amid market volatility

First announced in 2024, the AI Plus initiative includes a target of integrating AI into 90 per cent of China’s economy by 2030.

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People watch as robots perform a dance during Lunar New Year celebrations in Beijing on February 18. Photo: Reuters
Science

China boosts science budget: is it listening to everything Elon Musk says?

Beijing says greater allocation reflects importance of science and tech self-reliance in driving China’s economy and its rivalry with the US.

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Beijing’s draft budget announcement shows it is positioning frontiers such as satellite internet as China’s future industries. Photo: Xinhua
Science

‘Two sessions’, two paths: China prioritises AI integration amid US tech rivalry

Beijing’s open-source push in focus ahead of annual legislative meeting and coming five-year plan, as Washington chooses different approach.

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Two Sessions 2026

China’s tech leaders urge faster AI, robot adoption in ‘two sessions’ proposals

Tech leaders advocate for rapid AI and robotics growth, calling for policy support to boost industrial use and computing infrastructure.

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Science

Manufacturing talent boom? Why China’s smartest students are factory-bound

Some of the country’s brightest minds enter traditional industrial sectors as manufacturing loses its blue-collar stigma.

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For graduates of China’s top universities, working in manufacturing means contributing to cutting-edge fields. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How the US ceded the robotics economy to China

Chinese gains in robotics show that nations wishing to compete must go beyond financial engineering to master their physical realities.

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Made in China 2025

Xiaomi tests humanoid robots as firm plans to deploy ‘large number’ in 5 years

Xiaomi robots operated autonomously for three continuous hours, successfully completing assembly tasks without human intervention.

Artificial intelligence

China’s Honor debuts robot phone and humanoid companion in push into AI hardware

Robot phone – featuring motorised arm that tracks motion and interacts with users through camera movement – unveiled ahead of MWC Barcelona.

Honor gives a preview of its robot phone, which features a fold-out gimbal-attached camera, ahead of MWC Barcelona. Photo: Handout
China jobs

From gala spectacle to job scare: Chinese workers confront the AI threat

The country’s economy – with an expansive public sector – is better positioned to withstand AI shocks, but more government support is needed.

illustration by Lau Ka-kuen
Germany

BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory, as China competition heats up

The two AI-powered Aeon robots – touted as being smart enough to make their own decisions – will work alongside human staff.

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Mainland China

Video | German leader greeted by robot dance troupe in China

Friedrich Merz’s China trip aimed to boost economic ties between Berlin and Beijing.

China technology

Germany’s Merz meets China’s tech vanguard, including Alibaba and Unitree CEOs

Hangzhou visit reflects Germany’s attempt to work further with the engines of China’s digital and robotics economy.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is given a tour of Unitree by CEO Wang Xingxing. Photo: DPA
Artificial intelligence

Video | Japan unveils AI robot monk

AI-powered “Buddharoid” offers spiritual guidance and could help ease Japan’s monk shortage.

Japanese researchers have unveiled “Buddharoid”, a two-legged AI-powered robot monk designed to offer Buddhist teachings and spiritual advice.
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Hong Kong budget 2026-27

AI committee can help Hong Kong start-ups ‘tackle legal, geopolitical hurdles’

Experts say committee proposed in the latest budget needs diverse panel of voices and be ‘action-driven’ to adapt to fast-moving industry.

China economy

Opinion | How ‘little giants’ help China defend its manufacturing dominance

Support for ‘little giants’ and other specialised SMEs remains a vital part of the long-term strategy to bolster China’s global manufacturing.

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