China's manufacturing industry already has an operational stock of around 2 million industrial robots - around 4.5 times more than Japan, which ranks second in the world. 54% of the industrial robots installed around the world each year are used in China. These are the findings of the annual report "World Robotics 2025" published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

"The new five-year plan of the People's Republic of China serves as the most important framework document that sets the overarching direction for all further government measures," says Takayuki Ito, President of the International Federation of Robotics. "Thousands of subordinate, sectoral and regional plans now need to be aligned with the new goals. With this framework, China is shifting its focus from traditional industrial automation to high-end intelligent robotics combined with artificial intelligence."

Show of humanoid robots

China's new five-year plan sees the main benefit of AI in its practical application in business and industry. To illustrate its expertise and global competitiveness in the field of embodied intelligence, the country is showcasing humanoid robots that dance or walk. This was recently demonstrated worldwide at the televised Chinese New Year celebrations and the Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing. Despite these impressive public presentations at staged events, the actual capabilities of humanoid robots in real production scenarios are currently still limited to demonstration models or pilot projects. Also important to know: Contrary to expectations, the humanoid platform itself and the artificial intelligence used in it are not necessarily being developed at the same time and by the same market players.

Humanoid robots versus industrial robots

The comparison with traditional industrial robots highlights fundamental disadvantages that limit the use of humanoid robots. Critics point to the principle of "form follows function": from this perspective, the human body is not well suited to certain tasks. Compared to humanoids, classic industrial robots generally have fewer joints that are developed for a specific task. This leads to simpler control concepts that work faster and more reliably than humanoid robots. For this reason, industrial robots are likely to continue to form the backbone of manufacturing environments where high speed and precision are essential. In industrial manufacturing, tasks are repetitive and require millimeter precision at high speeds. This is a strength of industrial robots - they perform highly specialized movements quickly and consistently. When the task requires extreme specialization, industrial robots generally outperform their humanoid counterparts. Humanoid robots, on the other hand, offer a more generalized approach. They combine mobility with human-like interaction, which is suitable for service tasks. In such applications, humanoids may outperform conventional machines.

However, the broad market launch of universal humanoid helpers in factories or private households is not expected in the near or medium term. Accordingly, the 15th five-year plan envisages the commercialization of humanoid robots towards the end of the plan period. A broad introduction of AI in traditional industrial robotics is expected in the next five to ten years.

China's domestic market potential

The large domestic market in China offers enormous potential for the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan in various industries - with growing market shares of domestic manufacturers: Chinese suppliers' share of industrial robot installations rose from 30% in 2020 to 57% in 2024. In terms of industries, for example, 64% of industrial robots in the global electronics industry are installed in China. Chinese manufacturers supply 59% of domestic users in this industry. In the metal and mechanical engineering industry, Chinese robot suppliers even achieved a domestic market share of 85%.