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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.
A humanoid robot at the Beijng World of Robots. A new wave of firms is emerging with capital directed towards robotic software and operating systems. Photo: Xinhua
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

Xpeng

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

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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Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot is seen on display at a company showroom in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

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.

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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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Xpeng’s X2 flying car is displayed at the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia, in July 2025. Photo: Shutterstock
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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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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The return capsule of the Shenzhou-20 spaceship is pictured at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on January 19. Photo: Xinhua
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.

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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A G1 humanoid robot model from Unitree waves at visitors during the 21st China International Equipment & Manufacturing Industry Expo in Tianjin on March 6, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
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.

China stock market

China’s advances in AI fuel tech stock boom, help it shake off economic malaise

China’s rise recasts the country from a low-cost base to a credible US tech challenger, just as global capital hunts for next growth engine.

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Artificial intelligence

Hong Kong bolsters tech hub ambitions as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong’s turn to host a summit under WAIC reflects Beijing’s confidence in the city’s strategic development goals.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong (fourth from left), joins other dignitaries on Friday, during the city’s inaugural turn as host of a summit under the World Artificial Intelligence Conference at the Hong Kong Science Park. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

China dominates global humanoid robot market with over 80% of installations

AgiBot and Unitree help China capture bulk of global deployments in 2025 as market heads for sixfold growth by 2027, report says.

China Future Tech briefing

AI | Humanoid robot guides to hiker exoskeletons: CES 2026 round-up

Chinese companies comprised about one in four exhibitors at the world’s largest electronics expo, and they showcased everything from stair-climbing robot vacuum cleaners to AI-powered pet companions.

China manufacturing

China vows more support for ‘little giant’-like firms amid self-sufficiency push

Beijing also aims to collect more industrial data and push manufacturers to embrace digital solutions.

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A humanoid robot is pictured at the 2025 Global Industrial Internet Conference in China’s northeastern Liaoning province. China has identified humanoid robots as one of several strategic future industries that it aims to lead. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

Chinese firms, led by AgiBot, outpace US rivals in 2025 humanoid robot shipments

‘Chinese vendors are setting benchmarks in large-scale production,’ Omdia analyst Lian Jye Su says.

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Global humanoid robot shipments reached 13,318 units in 2025, led by Chinese manufacturers. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Chinese robot conducts complex operation on pig without human intervention

The robot completed 88 per cent of the steps on its first attempt, followed by real-time adjustments and corrections to finish the surgery.

China economy

Price wars in China

Intense price competition in China, known as “neijuan” or involution, is causing deflationary risks, corporate losses, reduced investments and wage pressure.

Artificial intelligence

Shenzhen eyes bigger role in world robotics arena as firms vow to boost output

Premier Li Qiang urges faster adoption of robotics to benefit industries and households during a meeting with tech companies in Shenzhen.

China is pushing its humanoid robotics industry to become “a global leader”. Photo: Xinhua

Video | Chinese humanoid robot shows off combat-style agility

China’s Unitree Robotics advances its next-gen H2 humanoid with balance, strength and precision.

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Mainland China

China’s robotics sector will need 5 years to reach its ‘EV moment’, PE firm says

The robotics sector was estimated to have raised over US$8.15 billion in 2025, up more than 170 per cent from the year before.

CES

China’s humanoid robot makers, Hong Kong start-ups set to dazzle CES 2026

Nearly a dozen Chinese humanoid robot makers are expected at the trade show, while Hong Kong sends its largest-ever delegation.

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