By Ye Xiaonan, Ma Yixuan

Once showcased in competitive arenas, Chinese robots are now operating seamlessly across factory floors worldwide. This rapid evolution marks a significant leap in the country’s robotics sector, which has seen steadily growing exports and increasingly widespread deployment in both industrial and everyday applications globally.

According to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs, industrial robot exports surpassed imports for the first time in 2025, marking the country’s transition into a net exporter of industrial robots.

The next frontier lies in making these machines not just functional, but genuinely indispensable. How can they better assist human workers? How can they take over tasks that are dirty, dull, dangerous, or demanding — the so-called “4D” jobs that are hazardous, monotonous, or highly repetitive? Answering these questions has become a central priority for robotics developers across China.

In heavy manufacturing, for instance, robots deployed at steel-structure workstations by China Construction Science and Industry Corp. Ltd. operate continuously without fatigue, boosting production-line efficiency by 22% to 40%. This automation helps offset skilled-labor shortages and accelerates the delivery cycle for prefabricated components. Equipped with 3D laser vision systems, these robots maintain positioning accuracy within one millimeter, while weld quality inspections achieve a first-pass acceptance rate exceeding.

Logistics hubs present a different set of challenges. High-volume sorting facilities demand speed and precision under constantly shifting conditions.

“Packages at distribution centers vary widely in shape and rigidity, from sturdy cardboard boxes to soft, irregularly shaped parcels. When a box is damaged or its weight distribution is uneven, conventional robotic arms can easily fail to pick it up or even become jammed,” said the head of the technical team at Robotera, a Chinese embodied-intelligence robotics company.

To handle complex working conditions, Robotera robots can instantly determine an object’s center of gravity and material upon contact with a package. They rapidly adjust their strategies to deliver flexible grasping. Field test data shows that when handling real packages, Robotera robots can process more than 1,200 items per hour at peak, with a grasping success rate of approximately 95 percent.

Outdoor and unstructured environments pose yet another challenge. In emergency response and industrial inspection, robots must navigate toxic atmospheres, unstable terrain, mud, rubble, and poor visibility caused by rain or snow. Modern quadruped robots have been engineered to perceive real-time changes in ground conditions and autonomously adapt their movement to avoid obstacles.

Liu Chen, head of product development at Hangzhou-based Deep Robotics, highlighted joint initiatives with the Zhejiang provincial department of emergency management, including AI-powered flood-response and reconnaissance robots. 

Liu said these robots can not only navigate complex sections of terrain autonomously, but also carry reconnaissance and inspection equipment. They are actively deployed for hazard detection, environmental monitoring, and search-and-rescue support.

While hardware defines what a robot can physically do, true intelligence lies in its ability to adapt to unpredictable real-world scenarios. Cross-factory deployment, in particular, has historically required extensive recalibration for each new site.

Deep Robotics has addressed this by developing a ready-to-deploy architecture. After a quadruped robot learns to identify a specific instrument at Factory A, its embedded AI system enables direct capability transfer. When deployed at Factory B, it can immediately recognize and interact with similar equipment. This cross-site knowledge sharing significantly reduces the setup and commissioning time for new installations.

“Robots functioning in dynamic, real-world environments rely on an ’embodied brain,’ which requires the coordinated development of multiple capabilities, including task understanding, scene memory, autonomous navigation, embodied manipulation and safety decision-making,” Liu said. 

“It is not simply a matter of adding a large model. AI must genuinely understand the laws governing the physical world. To this end, Deep Robotics is continuing to advance research and development of its ’embodied brain,'” Liu added.

China’s humanoid robot shipments exceeded 40,000 units in the first half of 2026, accounting for 97 percent of the global total. A 2026 report on the development of the humanoid robotics industry says humanoid robots are moving rapidly from small-scale trials toward routine deployment and large-scale applications.

Industry insiders pointed out that, backed by years of accumulated manufacturing capabilities, China, the world’s largest market for industrial robots, enjoys a complete industrial chain, strong capacity for rapid supply-chain support and cost competitiveness. 

At the same time, China has a wealth of application scenarios across industries such as manufacturing, logistics and services, providing abundant data and giving Chinese robotics companies extensive experience across diverse real-world scenarios. 

As technology continues to evolve at a faster pace, China’s robotics industry is expected to accelerate the upgrading of complete robot systems toward higher-end, smarter products.

By Ge Mengchao, People’s Daily

As a key financial indicator, the renminbi (RMB) exchange rate has drawn considerable attention from investors, policymakers, and market participants worldwide. On Oct. 8, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued a comprehensive statement clarifying its official stance on the currency’s trajectory.

The statement reaffirms that China operates under a managed floating exchange rate regime, anchored in market supply and demand while referencing a basket of foreign currencies. Under this framework, market forces play a decisive role in determining the RMB exchange rate.

The system rests on three core principles: first, allowing market dynamics to guide exchange rate movements; second, prioritizing financial stability by mitigating excessive short-term volatility, particularly rapid depreciation; and third, enhancing the transparency of monetary and exchange rate policymaking.

Over the past two decades, the RMB has demonstrated resilience and steady performance relative to other major currencies. Since 2010, it has navigated multiple cycles of appreciation and depreciation, reflecting increased flexibility and more pronounced two-way volatility. Since 2025, the currency has continued to fluctuate within a reasonable equilibrium range, maintaining a stable, two-way movement with an overall trend of orderly appreciation.

Looking forward, the RMB exchange rate will be influenced by a complex mix of economic, monetary, and geopolitical factors, alongside ongoing global uncertainties. The PBOC emphasized that China’s trade expansion stems from enhanced industrial competitiveness and supply chain efficiency, not currency manipulation. China has neither the need nor the intention to pursue competitive devaluation, a practice it has never adopted.

Historical data further indicates that past RMB appreciation did not hinder China’s trade expansion, while depreciation did not automatically translate into higher export volumes. Notably, Chinese trade flows have grown increasingly insulated from exchange rate swings — a significant structural shift underscoring the economy’s deepening maturity.

As a responsible participant in the global economy, China has consistently rejected the use of competitive currency depreciation to counter external pressures. Moreover, given the sheer size of today’s global foreign exchange market, sustained unilateral intervention would be impractical and ineffective.

Exchange rate dynamics are driven by a number of factors including economic growth, monetary policy, financial markets, geopolitical developments, and unforeseen shocks. Crucially, there is no direct or mechanical correlation between exchange rate levels and current account balances.

Global imbalances, the PBOC noted, are deeply intertwined with shifting global division of labor, inherent flaws in the international monetary system, and persistently high fiscal deficit and high consumption in some countries. Addressing global imbalances requires collective actions from all stakeholders. 

Blaming trading partners for domestic competitiveness gaps, fiscal mismanagement, or structural weaknesses merely deflects responsibility and delays necessary domestic reforms.

Historically, leading industrial countries have all experienced periods of current account surpluses. The persistence of specific deficit patterns within the current monetary framework reflects systemic characteristics rather than temporary anomalies. 

Declining trade competitiveness in some countries, more often than not, reflects their own structural problems. Each country should do its own homework by advancing structural reforms. Deficit countries should consolidate fiscal positions, raise domestic savings rates, and strengthen industrial competitiveness, while surplus countries should boost consumption and investment.

China has long been a contributor to global economic rebalancing. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will stay the course in transforming its economic growth model, expand domestic demand, improve the business environment, deepen high-standard opening-up, and pursue a more open, inclusive and balanced global economy.

By Liu Shiyao, People’s Daily

Satellite internet is increasingly becoming part of everyday life. Ships sailing far out at sea can stay connected, while elderly people at remote care facilities overseas can use stable satellite links to have real-time video consultations with doctors in China.

From September 14 to 20, China successfully completed six rocket launches, sending more than 30 satellites into their designated orbits. The industry is moving from launches once every few years to launches every week, and in some cases multiple launches in a single day, highlighting the rapid development of China’s satellite internet industry, and providing strong dynamism for the country’s economic and social development.

Given China’s vast territory and diverse terrain, deploying traditional ground-based networks in mountainous regions, open waters, and arid deserts remains prohibitively expensive and geographically constrained. 

“Satellite internet effectively circumvents these physical barriers and complements terrestrial infrastructure, delivering broader, more resilient connectivity that helps close the digital divide,” said Shi Shengqing, co-founder of a Beijing-based tech firm.

Beyond expanding coverage, satellite internet serves as critical digital infrastructure for emerging sectors such as smart transportation, offshore resource development, and energy exploration. It also enhances disaster resilience: when terrestrial networks fail due to earthquakes, floods, or other crises, satellite systems can rapidly restore communications, supporting emergency response and rescue operations.

As a strategic industry with the potential to become a pillar sector, China’s satellite internet ecosystem spans satellite design, launch services, ground equipment, end- terminals, and operational services. 

A key priority is to enable satellites to be produced in large quantities at lower cost and with greater efficiency. To this end, China’s commercial satellite industry is rapidly moving toward standardized, scaled, and industrialized production.

GalaxySpace, a leading provider of satellite internet solutions, has integrated robotic assembly lines, intelligent testing systems, and digital engineering workflows, drastically shortening development cycles. Similarly, Hong Qing, China’s only integrated satellite constellation solution provider with full ecosystem capabilities, has brought the assembly-line concept used in the automotive industry into satellite manufacturing. Its intelligent satellite mass-production line in Xiong’an New Area, north China’s Hebei province, has cut the time needed to produce a satellite to around 30 hours.

MinoSpace, a major R&D and manufacturing hub in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, operates a dedicated line for 200-500 kg commercial satellites, with an annual capacity exceeding 150 units.

Advancements in launch vehicles are equally vital. Rockets act as the indispensable “ladder” to orbit. China has significantly strengthened its launch vehicle supply chain. Reusable rocket systems are steadily maturing, driving down costs and improving mission efficiency across the industry.

One of the key applications of satellite internet, direct-to-phone satellite connectivity, has become a major focus of global competition. International institutions forecast that the number of monthly active users of direct-to-phone satellite services worldwide will reach 411 million by 2030. China is actively exploring applications that connect smartphones directly to satellites and has made notable progress.

China’s Tiantong satellite communications service has introduced direct-to-phone satellite packages, with monthly subscription fees of around 10 yuan ($1.49), while call rates have gradually fallen. Smartphone makers, including Huawei, HONOR, Xiaomi, and OPPO, have also introduced support for satellite calls. Users do not need to change their SIM cards or phone numbers and can make satellite calls or send text messages directly from their smartphones when terrestrial signals are unavailable.

Yet communications represent only one facet of next-generation satellite internet. Experts generally anticipate that future constellations will converge communication, navigation, and Earth observation capabilities, enabling multi-mission satellites and interoperable systems.

Li Fenghui, founder of Tianjin Yunyao Astronautics Technology Co., Ltd., said traditional satellites essentially serve as nodes for data collection and transmission, with much of the computing performed on the ground. This can result in slower response times and place greater pressure on transmission links. With computing power in space and the support of AI, satellites are evolving into intelligent agents capable of sensing, computing, and making decisions in orbit.

Ren Jiadong, deputy head of the satellite system technology department at GalaxySpace, cited the recently launched PEGA-SUS1, a multi-purpose satellite the company jointly developed with Pengcheng Laboratory, as an example.

“The satellite is China’s first technology-demonstration satellite to integrate a 5G non-terrestrial network base station, core network functions, onboard AI computing, and both space-to-ground laser and microwave communications,” Ren said.

The satellite can move the core network — the “brain” of a 5G network that would normally be deployed in a ground-based data center — directly into space. Ground users only need to connect to the satellite network to access information analyzed by the satellite in real time, much as they would browse the web under normal circumstances.

Shi said space-based intelligence can use large models to process data collected in space, enabling the development of space-native large models and intelligent agents. “Ubiquitous intelligence” can use satellite internet and cloud-edge-device collaboration to make computing resources available across the globe. A space-ground collaborative computing network, meanwhile, would enable distributed coordination between computing and energy resources across space and Earth, allowing them to complement each other more efficiently.

“Moving computing power into space offers unique development advantages,” Shi said. “The efficiency of obtaining solar energy is six to eight times higher than on Earth, while the vast expanse of space could provide virtually unlimited room for large-scale computing infrastructure.”