China’s recently launched 15th Five-Year Plan, the green print for its economic and social development goals, firmly places robotics at the heart of its modern industrial system, according to the German-headquartered International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

As the Asian giant “pivots” its artificial intelligence (AI) research towards physical applications with robots as drivers for economic growth, China continues to lead the field in the adoption of robotics and AI technology.

“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,” the IFR states. “54% of annual industrial robots installed worldwide were deployed in China.”

“The share of local suppliers in domestic industrial robot installations increased from 30% in 2020 to 57% in 2024. 64% of industrial robots in the global electronics industry are installed in China. Chinese manufacturers supply 59% of this industry. 

“In the metal and machinery industry, Chinese robot suppliers even reached a domestic market share of 85%.”

IFR president, Takayuki Ito, says the 15th Five-Year Plan mandates thousands of subordinate sectoral and regional plans align with the objectives of increasing humanoid robot adoption.

 “Under the new framework, China is shifting its focus from traditional industrial automation to high-end, intelligent robotics integrated with artificial intelligence,” Ito adds.

Currently, humanoids and robots are “quite limited” in what they can do, despite impressive public demonstrations such as teaching them to dance or run, as seen at televised Lunar New Year celebrations and the Beijing half-marathon.

“Despite these impressive public presentations at staged events, the actual capabilities in real-world production scenarios are currently limited to demonstrators or pilot projects,” the IFR continues.

“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 IFR adds that traditional industrial robots tend to have fewer joints tailored to a specific task, resulting in simpler control schemes that are faster and more reliable than humanoid robots, making them the backbone of high-speed, precision-driven manufacturing environments.

“When the job calls for extreme specialisation, industrial robots generally outperform their humanoid counterparts,” the industry body adds. “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.”

The 15th Five-Year Plan recognises mass adoption of universal humanoid factory helpers or households won’t happen in the near-term, instead forecasting the commercialisation of humanoid robots towards the end of the plan (2026-2030).

“Wide adoption of AI with traditional industrial robotics is expected over the next five to 10 years,” the IFR adds.

For now though, humanoid robot adoption and capabilities continue to grow in the industrial sector.