A report reveals that China is rapidly advancing efforts to acquire factory robots. In 2017, China bought 36% of all factory robots in the world last year, more than any other country including the U.S., and intends to ramp up its own production of them in its attempt to become the pre-eminent technological superpower. According to the International Federation of Robotics, China’s robotization has unfolded extremely quickly and the number of industrial robots in the country nearly doubled between 2015 and 2017. Allen, an adjunct fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said the trend has been driven in part by rising wages, which have made it more expensive for companies to manufacture in China. The other main factor is China’s push to get into manufacturing sectors that require advanced robots, like building semiconductors. The International Federation of Robotics has said in its 2018 World Robotics report that China intends to crack the top 10 most automated industries by 2020, and "a huge increase in local production of industrial robots is anticipated."
|
