China's homegrown robots fuel export growth

China’s domestic robot makers are powering a wave of low-cost automation that is boosting factory efficiency and helping the country expand its share of global exports, even in labour-intensive sectors.

Backed by Beijing’s Made in China 2025 strategy, local manufacturers are installing around 280,000 industrial robots annually—half the global total. About half are made by Chinese firms such as Chengdu CRP Robot Technology, which offers machines at roughly 60% of the price of Japanese and European rivals.

This aggressive automation has allowed China to retain low-end manufacturing despite rising wages. From 2019 to 2023, China increased its share of global exports in goods like toys (up to 56.9%), furniture, and small household items.

Factories such as Shuangsheng New Energy Vehicle in Sichuan have halved labour costs by replacing welders with CRP robots, producing cheap electric carts and tuk-tuks for markets in Asia, Africa and the US.

While automation boosts productivity, it has also cut jobs—employment in labour-intensive industries dropped 26.5% between 2011 and 2023. The government hopes displaced workers can shift into new “purple-collar” roles as robot technicians.

Industry executives predict robots could eventually replace entire factory workforces, cementing automation as a cornerstone of China’s manufacturing edge.