--- title: "Chinese Government Wants Mass Production of Humanoid Robots By 2025" description: "The Chinese government is pushing mass production of humanoid robots — and apparently wants it done in the next few years." date: "2023-11-05" modified: "2023-11-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-humanoid-robots-mass-production-2025" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "china" - "Humanoid Robots" - "robot soldier" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Government Wants Mass Production of Humanoid Robots By 2025 ![The Chinese government is pushing mass production of humanoid robots — and apparently wants it done in the next few years.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Rapid Robots The Chinese government is pushing mass production of humanoid robots — and apparently wants it done on an astoundingly rapid timetable. As the [*South China Morning Post* reports](), the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued a nine-page advisory calling on the country's manufacturing sector to "establish a humanoid robot innovation system, make breakthroughs in several key technologies and ensure the safe and effective supply of core components" by 2025, and to become the global leader in the tech by 2027. Sure, no biggie, right? The MIIT is specifically looking for the industry to develop — bear in mind there may be some translation issues here — the "brain," "cerebellum," and "limbs" of humanoid robots, which according to the *SCMP* will be aided by recent leaps in artificial intelligence capabilities. The ministry also called for these robots to be usable in "harsh" and dangerous conditions, though neither the newspaper nor a translation of the advisory viewed by *Futurism* spelled out what kind of conditions Beijing is talking about. But the country's past forays into the deployment of [firefighting]() and [police robots]() suggests this may be more infrastructural and less military than some [jingoists may warn](). ## Arms Race That said, both the United States and China have been racing to create so-called killer robot warships and fighter jets to menace each other. But when it comes to humanoid robotic soldiers — and, even more freakishly, [integrated robot-human soldiers]() — the US still likely has a major edge over Beijing. Back in 2014, reports even emerged that the [US Army was looking into replacing human soldiers with autonomous ones]() in the coming years, though nearly a decade on we haven't seen much in the way of robo-fighters being deployed onto actual battlefields just yet. Meanwhile, humanoid robot industry leader [Boston Dynamics has been aiming to tamp down]() growing calls for [armed robots](). Unlike their [hoo-ah American counterparts](), China acknowledged in the advisory that to get to the level of mass production they're seeking, humanoid robot tech must be "significantly improved" so that "a safe and reliable industrial supply chain system will be formed an industrial ecology with international competitiveness will be constructed." **More on China:** *[Chinese Scientists Ponder Moon Base Inside Ancient Lunar Lava Tube]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()