China is leveraging an army of AI-powered robots to automate its factories, providing a strategic advantage in the ongoing trade war and future trade barriers.
This rapid automation is lowering manufacturing costs, improving quality, and allowing China to keep export prices competitive despite tariffs imposed by the US and other countries like those in the European Union and developing nations.
China now surpasses many developed nations in factory automation. According to the International Federation of Robotics, it has more robots per 10,000 manufacturing workers than any other country except South Korea and Singapore.
China's automation push is spearheaded by government directives and substantial investment. This strategy enables China to maintain its mass production leadership despite an aging and less industrially inclined workforce.