The Rise of the Robot Nation

 

China is making and installing factory robots at a far greater pace than any other country. The United States is a distant third. More than two million robots were working in Chinese factories in 2024, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). This is a trade group for makers of industrial machines.

 

Nearly 300,000 new robots were installed in 2024, more than the rest of the world combined. By contrast, American factories added 34,000. While Chinese plants have been using more robots, they have also grown far better at making them. A combination of public capital, policy directives and generous loans has spurred Chinese firms to dominate robotics and related technologies, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

 

Worldwide, robots are taking on an increasingly prominent and disruptive role in manufacturing. These range from machines that weld car parts together to claws that lift boxes onto conveyor belts. As technology improves efficiency, some factories are running with fewer workers, while others are reshaping roles entirely.

 

Over the past decade, China has pursued a broad campaign to integrate robots into its factories and become a major producer. Analysts say the strategy mirrors Beijing’s national push in electric vehicles and AI.

 

Factories in China have installed more than 150,000 robots annually since 2017. By 2025, Chinese factories were producing nearly a third of all goods worldwide – more than the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Britain combined.

 

Robot installations actually fell in Japan, the United States, South Korea and Germany in 2024. Japan, the second-largest adopter, installed 44,000. Beijing made robotics a top priority in 2015 under its “Made in China 2025” campaign, aiming to cut reliance on foreign suppliers. Industries were given low-interest loans from state-controlled banks, funding for acquisitions of foreign competitors and direct injections of government money.

 

Until recently, Chinese factories installed more imported robots than domestic ones. But in 2024, nearly three-fifths of the robots installed were made in China. Overall, China has five times as many factory robots as the United States. The IFR’s data does not include humanoid robots – two-legged machines still mostly experimental.

 

China’s AI industry also plays a critical role. Firms are developing tools to track and improve every aspect of machine performance. With Beijing’s sustained backing, a swelling workforce of skilled technicians and a growing domestic supply chain, China is not just automating its factories; it is remaking global manufacturing in its own image.

 

Reference:

The rise of the robot nation, Meaghan Tobin and Keith Bradsher, The Star,
7 October 2025