China’s Unitree sees robot delivery surge on global interest

Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics, said on July 15, 2025 that China’s humanoid robots are gaining global interest.

There is a rising international demand for these innovations.

Data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics indicates that the country produced 369,316 industrial robots in the first half of 2025.

This marks a year-on-year increase of 35.6%.

Additionally, service robot production rose by 25.5%, reaching 8.8 million units during the same period.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ China’s robotics market growth follows years of strategic government planning

Unitree’s rise to unicorn status is part of China’s broader robotics expansion strategy that began nearly a decade ago with the “Made in China 2025” initiative that specifically targeted robotics advancement 1.

This long-term approach has yielded remarkable results, with China now accounting for 51% of global industrial robot installations, with 276,288 units deployed in 2023 alone 2.

The robot density in Chinese manufacturing has increased dramatically to 470 robots per 10,000 employees in 2023, surpassing both Germany and Japan, reflecting successful national automation policies 2.

China’s government has systematically built this ecosystem through financial incentives, dedicated R&D programs, and creating specialized facilities to train humanoid robots for various applications 3.

The state’s role extends beyond funding to creating demand, as evidenced by the substantial 124 million yuan orders from state-owned China Mobile mentioned in the article, demonstrating how government procurement drives market growth.

2️⃣ China’s domestic robotics manufacturers gaining global competitiveness

Chinese robot manufacturers have significantly closed the gap with international competitors, increasing their domestic market share from just 17% in 2015 to over 30% in recent years 2.

This shift represents a strategic transformation from primarily importing foreign robots to developing indigenous capabilities, with companies like Unitree and SIASUN emerging as national champions 4.