Rabat / Anadolu

Official data released on Monday announced that China developed more than 400 humanoid robots in the first half of 2026, thereby accounting for more than half of the global total.

This development is part of China's efforts to strengthen its position as a global leader in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Statistics from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, published by Xinhua News Agency, revealed China's expanding presence in the humanoid robot sector.

The data added that 'quadruped robots developed by China accounted for about 70 percent of global sales in the first half of the year.'

Beijing considers robots as one of the key technologies it relies on for developing artificial intelligence applications.

This comes amid rising technological competition between China and the United States in the fields of artificial intelligence and robotics, alongside the accelerated development of low-cost Chinese models.

Washington imposes restrictions on the export of some advanced electronic chips to China, including H200 chips used in artificial intelligence applications, as part of the escalating trade and technological competition between the two countries.

In May 2025, the Chinese capital hosted the world's first half-marathon race combining humans and robots, before hosting in August of the same year the first global humanoid robot competition, in which robots competed in sports events and various performances.

The escalating technological competition between China and the United States is pushing each side to accelerate the pace of innovation and investment. US restrictions on the export of advanced chips pose a challenge to China, but they also stimulate the development of low-cost local alternatives. Events such as the half-marathon with robots underscore Beijing's ambition to integrate these technologies into daily life.