A robot makes coffee at a booth at the 26th China High-Tech Fair (CHTF) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 14, 2024. A variety of robots and products of related industries are exhibited at the ongoing 26th CHTF, attracting lots of attention.(Photo: Xinhua)

China has become a global forerunner in terms of robot density, overtaking Germany and Japan to occupy the No.3 spot globally in the rankings of the use of robots in industry last year, according to an annual report released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The report underscored the growing competitiveness of China's industrial robot sector that is buoyed by tech innovation, massive manufacturing market and policy boost.

Robot density usually serves as a barometer to track the degree of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry. While China's global place of the index has been climbing up at a rapid pace, the US' ranking has been consistently falling in recent years, standing only in 11th place globally last year. 

The sharp contrast is a result of US' stepped-up tech blockade against China, observers pointed out, which shows that Washington's decoupling approach is backfiring - as it not only failed to suppress China's advancement in one of the cutting-edge technology fields but also the policy miscalculation is undercutting the ambition to revive American manufacturing.

According to the IFR report, China recorded a high robot density of 470 robots per 10,000 employees last year, which compared with 402 units in 2022. China only entered the top 10 in 2019, and the country has managed to double the robot density within four years, the report stressed.

Takayuki Ito, IFR President, was quoted as saying in a press release that China's high robot density is a result of significant investment in the automation technology. 

The 2023 list was led by South Korea, with Singapore coming in second. Germany and Japan - which ran ahead of China in the 2022 list - were in fourth and fifth places in 2023, respectively, right after China's third position. The global average robot density reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023.

For the US, the robot density last year was 295 units, meaning that China's reading was more than 50 percent higher than the US' based on the Global Times' calculation. The US ranked 11th in 2023, down one place compared to 2022. The country was the 9th in 2021, and 7th in 2020. 

China's growing competiveness 

Zhong Xinlong, a seasoned advisor at the China Center for Information Industry Development Consultancy, told the Global Times on Thursday that China's growing influence in industrial robots stems from a variety of factors, with notable contribution of China's huge manufacturing sector, which naturally fosters a substantial and increasing demand in the application of robotics. A package of policy support by the government is also a boost. 

China is home to "the world's largest, most comprehensive, and best-supported industrial chain system," which also offers a leg up, UBTech Robotics said in a statement sent to the Global Times on Thursday. The Chinese company said this advantage is irreplaceable and will continue to strengthen with China's ongoing industrial transformation and upgrade.  

Zhong particularly highlighted China's distinctive strengths in specific categories of robotics, including collaborative, logistics, service, and specialized robots. In these areas, there has been a notable surge in industrial interest and application, he said. 

The country's vibrant robot industry is also on a vivid display at the ongoing 2024 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit, which kicked off on Tuesday in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province. In the humanoid robot exhibition area, a number of Chinese robotic companies are showcasing their latest interactive humanoids that are applicable to different scenarios, ranging from performing home care and farm harvesting to serving as tour guide and dancer.

Humanoid robot is at the forefront of white-hot global competition on futuristic technology. China's development in the sector is in general on par with foreign peers. While foreign companies including those from the US may have an edge in data and software tools, China excels in hardware capacities, cost control and the vast applications, Jiang Lei, a Shanghai-based robotics expert, told the Global Times on Thursday on the sidelines of the Wuzhen Summit. 

Observers noted that China's steady development in industrial robots serves as a dire comparison to the US, who ironically touts itself as a technological powerhouse and has been abusing hegemonic means to maintain this tech monopoly.

"The low robot density in the US is partly due to its manufacturing sector's hollowing trend, though the government has set the goal to incentivize the return of manufacturing," Fang Xingdong, founder of Beijing-based technology think tank ChinaLabs, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Analysts said low robot use could signal low R&D input, further undermining the US' potential development room in this high-tech sector.

Testimony on US' failed decoupling push

While the prospect for robot development in the US remains gloomy, the country itself has shown no sign of retreating from the crackdown against China's other rising tech industries. 

According to a Reuters report, a US congressional commission on Tuesday proposed a Manhattan Project-style initiative to "fund the development of AI systems that will be as smart or smarter than humans, amid intensifying competition with China over advanced technologies."

Industry insiders cautioned that the latest global ranking in industrial robot should serve as a testimony on the US' failed decoupling push against China and a stern warning on the move's dire consequences. 

Han Feizi, founder of Hi-Dolphin Robot Technology Co, told the Global Times on Thursday on the sidelines of the Wuzhen Summit that despite US' suppression, Chinese robotics industry has established a healthy, sound global supply and cooperation ecosystem. 

Han took his company as an example, where one-quarter of the components are sourced overseas and the remaining was produced in China. Also, the overseas demand for Made-in-China robotics is high, according to him, which all shows that "high-tech decoupling is impossible and offers no viable path forward." 

Fang pointed out that the primary reason behind the US' futile attempt is that its geopolitical approach has violated the basic principle of technological advancement, that is "the development of high-tech requires global cooperation, and that the market and the tech companies should play a decisive role."

Analysts also urged Washington to adjust its strategy rather than wasting more time and energy on targeting the Chinese tech industry, which has proven to be a misplaced priority. "The development of US industrial robot industry may be quite different if the government poured more efforts in strengthening its manufacturing competitiveness," Fang noted.