Industry Ministry Reviews Robot Development Plan

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently held a special meeting to review the Robot Industry Development Plan (2016-2020) drafted by the Department of Equipment Industry.

The robot industry has received more policy support and greater market attention since 2015. Robots and high-end numerically-controlled machine tools are one of the 10 key areas requiring major breakthroughs in the "Made in China 2025" plan. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang both sent their letters of congratulation to the World Robot Conference held not long ago. Li Keqiang pointed out in his message the significance of the convocation of the World Robot Conference in Beijing in promoting the development of robotic technology and industry in China and the world at large. China is implementing an innovation-driven development strategy and promoting mass entrepreneurship, mass innovation, "Internet plus" and "Made in China 2025", which would encourage the growth of the emerging robot industry and create the world's biggest robot market.

China sold 37,000 industrial robots in 2013. Industry players expected annual sales of industrial robots to reach 150,000 by 2020, with robots in service reaching 800,000. By 2025, annual sales will reach 260,000 units, with the number in service reaching 1.8 million. The output value of robot industry clusters in China is expected to exceed Rmb100 billion by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).