Official calls for greater robotics cooperation at conference

China is willing to work with the international community to accelerate the application of robotics in a wider range of fields, create an open and inclusive development environment and encourage foreign robot companies to grow their businesses here, the country's top industry regulator said on Thursday.

As robots have played an increasingly vital role in technological innovation and intelligent manufacturing, Xin Guobin, vice-minister of industry and information technology, urged the expansion of international cooperation in robotics and the establishment of standards to better regulate the development and application of the emerging technology.

Xin made the remarks at the main forum of the 2023 World Robot Conference, which kicked off on Wednesday in Beijing. China's robotics industry has made great strides, with revenue surpassing 170 billion yuan ($23.3 billion) last year and maintaining double-digit growth, Xin said, adding the sales of industrial robots accounted for more than half of the world's total in 2022, ranking first across the globe for 10 consecutive years.

Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows the output of China's industrial robots stood at 222,000 units in the first half of the year, up 5.4 percent year-on-year. Output of the country's service robots jumped 9.62 percent year-on-year to 3.53 million units during the same period.

Industrial robot installations in China took the top spot around the world in 2022, making up more than 50 percent of the global market share. In addition, the total disclosed financing amount in China's robotics industry amounted to over 30 billion yuan last year.