Beijing – September 20, 2026 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered sustained expansion of advanced manufacturing, calling for smart, green and integrated industrial upgrading to strengthen supply-chain self-sufficiency, according to instructions conveyed at a national conference on advanced manufacturing in Beijing reported by Xinhua News Agency.
Xi, who also chairs the Central Military Commission, said industrial chains must become more self-supporting and risk-resilient while pursuing higher-quality development and greater security. Premier Li Qiang told the conference that developing advanced manufacturing must be treated as a major strategic task.
High-tech manufacturing output rose 14.2% in the first eight months of the year
Value-added industrial output of major enterprises grew 5.3 percent year-on-year in the January-August period, with high-tech manufacturing expanding 14.2 percent, Xinhua data show. In August alone, equipment manufacturing output climbed 12.1 percent and high-tech manufacturing 16.7 percent, with new growth drivers led by high-tech and digital product manufacturing accounting for more than 60 percent of that month's industrial output growth.
Industrial robot production surged 34.6% in August
Industrial robot output jumped 34.6 percent year-on-year in August, reflecting accelerating automation deployment across factories. AGIBOT told the Global Times its Genie G2 humanoid robot is now performing precision loading and unloading on a tablet production line in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, with a reported 99 percent success rate. Yao Maoqing, AGIBOT co-founder and Maniformer Technology chairman and CEO, said embodied intelligence is accelerating from technological breakthroughs toward large-scale industrial application.
DEEP Robotics said it is integrating AI with motion control, environmental perception and autonomous navigation to deploy robots in energy, power inspection and emergency-response settings, while adapting products for overseas markets and building local partnerships.
Shenzhen's "Robot Valley" hosts over 200 robotics firms with 90% component localization
Shenzhen's robotics cluster, spanning roughly 28 square kilometers, has attracted more than 200 robotics-related companies, including over 25 humanoid robot manufacturers. The cluster's supply chain covers AI models, tactile sensors, lidar, servo motors, joint modules, robotic arms and dexterous hands, with localization of key components exceeding 90 percent.
China targets 500 zero-carbon factories under its 2026-30 plan
Beyond robotics, the CR450 high-speed train has completed whole-vehicle testing, the Zhuque-3 Y2 reusable carrier rocket achieved a land recovery of its first stage, and the domestically built cruise ship Adora Flora City is scheduled for delivery in November. Under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), China plans to develop 500 zero-carbon factories and push steel, nonferrous metals and petrochemical producers toward cleaner raw materials and low-carbon technologies. By 2030, output from green factories is targeted to reach 45 percent of total output among major manufacturing enterprises.
Chen Jing, vice president of the Technology and Strategy Research Institute, said competitiveness in advanced manufacturing will increasingly hinge on innovation capability, industrial security and low-carbon performance rather than production volume or price alone. Bian Yongzu of Modernization of Management magazine said Chinese manufacturers are shifting toward supplying higher-tech, cost-effective products to overseas markets as domestic capabilities strengthen.