China launches US$ 20 billion industrial automation plan

China is implementing a US$ 20 billion plan to accelerate industrial automation and consolidate its technological leadership. The initiative aims to expand its existing fleet of over 2 million industrial robots to mitigate the impact of a shrinking and aging workforce. Official estimates suggest that by 2035, more than one-third of the Chinese population will be over 60 years old.

To support this transition, the government is investing in specialized vocational training, such as the Hangzhou Technical Institute, to develop engineers skilled in robotics and artificial intelligence. While China currently manufactures more than half of the world's industrial robots, it continues to face competition from the United States in software and AI development. Companies like DeepSeek and Moonshot are working to bridge this gap.