China has launched its 15th Five-Year Plan by placing robotics at the heart of its modern industrial system. The aim is to pivot its AI research towards physical applications with robots as the main drivers for economic growth. This is the next step in the country´s strong automation development: China´s manufacturing industry already has an operational stock of around 2 million units — approximately 4.5 times more than the global no. 2, Japan. 54 per cent of annual industrial robots installed worldwide were deployed in China. This is according to the World Robotics 2025 Report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan of the People’s Republic of China acts as the primary framework document that sets the overarching direction for all other government actions,” says Takayuki Ito, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Thousands of subordinate sectoral and regional plans are now mandated to align with the objectives. Under the new framework, China is shifting its focus from traditional industrial automation to high-end, intelligent robotics integrated with artificial intelligence.”

China’s new blueprint sees the main value of AI in its application to business and industry. To illustrate its competencies and global competitiveness in “embodied intelligence”, they showcase humanoid robots that dance or run. This was recently broadcast around the world at the televised celebration of the Lunar New Year and at the humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing. Despite these impressive public presentations at staged events, the actual capabilities in real-world production scenarios are currently limited to demonstrators or pilot projects. Contrary to expectations, the humanoid platform itself and the embodied AI are not necessarily developed at the same time and by the same market players.

The comparison with traditional industrial robots highlights fundamental aspects of humanoid robot limitations. Critics point to the “form follows function” rule: the human body may not be suited to certain tasks. Traditional industrial robots tend to have fewer joints tailored to a specific task. This results in simpler control schemes that are faster and more reliable than humanoid robots. This is why industrial robots are likely to remain the backbone of high-speed, precision-driven manufacturing environments. In industrial production settings, tasks are repetitive and demand millimetre-level precision at high speeds. Industrial robots excel here—they perform highly specialised movements quickly and consistently. When the job calls for extreme specialisation, industrial robots generally outperform their humanoid counterparts. Humanoid robots offer a more general approach. They combine mobility with human-like interaction, making them suitable for service tasks. In such applications, humanoids may be more acceptable than traditional machines.

But mass adoption as universal humanoid factory helpers or in private households will not happen within the near- and medium-term future. The 15th Five-Year plan sees the commercialisation of humanoid robots towards the end of the plan´s period. Wide adoption of AI with traditional industrial robotics is expected over the next five to ten years. 

China’s huge domestic market offers enormous potential to implement its 15th Five-Year Plan across various branches: The share of local suppliers in domestic industrial robot installations increased from 30 per cent in 2020 to 57 per cent in 2024. For example, 64 per cent of industrial robots in the global electronics industry are installed in China. Chinese manufacturers supply 59 per cent of this industry. In the metal and machinery industry, Chinese robot suppliers even reached a domestic market share of 85 per cent.