China Is Becoming the Leading Force in Robotics
Published on: May 13, 2026, 22:10 Last updated: May 13, 2026, 23:23
Reading Time: 2min – Video: 4min
If the United States is advanced in artificial intelligence and robotics, China is surpassing it. Chinese are convinced that they will soon be the number one in the market.
Melania Trump with a humanoid robot at the White House. It’s a battle between Americans, including Optimus, Tesla’s robot, one of the most advanced, capable of making a bed and opening a door. On the other hand, the Chinese have machines that dance or run a half marathon. Xi Jinping’s industrial strategy is to surpass the United States. China showcases its advancements on social media.
There are 150 manufacturers in China, most subsidized by the government, including a small company that creates lifelike automatons. The CEO wants to turn them into companion characters. They do not walk, but their faces are as realistic as the most advanced in the world. Dozens of tiny electric motors hide under the silicone skin. With artificial intelligence, the machine seems to come to life in front of an impassive engineer. “Here, she expresses surprise. She opens her eyes wide and her mouth as well. The most difficult part is reproducing an expression with the mouth because a human mouth is very developed with many muscles,” he points out.
Robots in our image and resemblance in the smallest details. They are intended to become reception agents in hospitals or town halls. The company controls the supply chain from raw materials to assembly. This is what sets the Chinese apart from their American competitors. “China is the world’s factory. What sets us apart is that we are able to launch large productions and, at the same time, we continue to develop the quality of our products. So, it’s not surprising that today, we are ahead in creating very complex objects,” explains Boyang Li, CEO of EX Robots.
Competition with the United States also revolves around artificial intelligence. In a video production company, it is acknowledged that American models are very good, but Chinese tools are advancing. For example, a single photo is enough to create a short film. Bo Fu, CEO of Somewhile production Beijing, demonstrates this. He gives his orders, the computer records. “I want to create an image showing this person climbing the Eiffel Tower by day and by night,” he requests. A first result in a photo, and it is displayed on the Iron Lady. “For now, I still have the clothes I wear in the photo. The machine will modify them. I use Seedance, a Chinese tool that will generate a video,” he continues. Ten minutes later, the result is certainly improvable, but in China, all artificial intelligence models are free and open. And for this young CEO, the Chinese will soon surpass the United States. “I believe this will happen in less than two years, maybe even next year. Not only are we using AI models, but we are improving them, and everyone can do it. There are so many users in China that we will be number one. It is inevitable,” assures Bo Fu.
China aims to impose its expertise and technological standards. This is the industrial challenge of the coming years.
