Robots over humans: China’s bold move to outsmart trade barriers Article by NYT

China is rapidly reshaping its industrial landscape through a massive drive in factory automation, deploying fleets of AI-powered robots that are helping to slash production costs, improve quality, and reinforce its competitiveness amid rising trade barriers from the US, the European Union, and developing countries.

Across the country, factories—from sprawling car plants to modest back-alley workshops—are installing robotic systems at breakneck speed.  According to a recent article by The New York Times (NYT), the International Federation of Robotics revealed that China now has more factory robots per 10,000 workers than any country except South Korea and Singapore, putting it ahead of manufacturing powerhouses like the United States, Germany, and Japan.

This automation surge is a core component of Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” strategy, which prioritizes robotics among ten key industries. Backed by sweeping state support and investment—including a recently launched $137 billion national venture capital fund for robotics and advanced tech—China aims not just to improve efficiency but to make robotics itself a cornerstone of future economic growth.

“Humanoid robots are being positioned as China’s next electric vehicle industry,” said He Liang, CEO of Yunmu Intelligent Manufacturing, a leading Chinese robot manufacturer. “From this perspective, it is a national strategy.”

At Zeekr, an electric vehicle maker in Ningbo, the transition is already visible. The company has expanded its robot workforce from 500 to 820 in just four years. Robot carts ferry aluminum ingots to a towering Chinese-made furnace, where molten metal is cast into car components. Down the line, robotic arms perform synchronized welding routines in so-called “dark factories” that require no lighting or human intervention.

Even quality control is increasingly AI-driven. High-resolution cameras scan each vehicle, with computers analyzing images against databases to detect defects in seconds—an evolution that has transformed traditional assembly roles. “Most of our colleagues’ jobs involve sitting in front of a computer monitor,” said Pinky Wu, a Zeekr employee.

Design is also going high-tech. Carrie Li, a designer at Zeekr’s Shanghai offices, uses AI tools to model how car interiors should look and feel. “I now have more time to think creatively and follow fashion trends,” she said.

While large-scale companies lead the charge, small businesses are catching up. In Guangzhou, metalworker Elon Li is investing $40,000 in a domestic robotic welding system—once only available from foreign firms for $140,000. “Before, I never would have imagined investing in automation,” Li said. “But a machine can work 24 hours a day.”

This growing affordability has been fueled by state-directed investment. In the past four years, NYT says, Chinese banks have extended $1.9 trillion in industrial loans, funding both new factory construction and equipment upgrades. Chinese firms have also acquired leading global robotics manufacturers like Germany’s Kuka and relocated operations to China, reducing dependence on foreign technology.

Meanwhile, China’s higher education system churns out roughly 350,000 mechanical engineers annually—far outpacing the US, which graduates only 45,000. This ensures a steady supply of engineers and technicians to support the booming automation sector.

Yet the transformation isn’t without costs. Many workers, like 27-year-old forklift driver Geng Yuanjie at Zeekr, worry about the future. “I can feel the trend,” he said. “I’m concerned that one day I’ll be replaced.”

Unlike in many other countries, these concerns are unlikely to slow China’s automation push. There are no independent labour unions, and government control leaves little room for resistance. Furthermore, demographic shifts are adding pressure: China’s birthrate has plummeted by nearly two-thirds since the 1980s, and young people increasingly seek careers beyond manual factory work.

“China’s demographic dividend is over,” said Stephen Dyer, head of Asia industrial practice at AlixPartners. “They’re now in a demographic deficit, and the only way out of that is productivity.”

In a symbolic move to spotlight innovation, the Beijing government even staged a half-marathon featuring 20 humanoid robots. Only six finished, and the fastest robot took nearly three times as long as the top human runners, but the event served its purpose: drawing national attention to the robots shaping the future of Chinese manufacturing.

By Tamilla Hasanova