What happened in China China installed 295,000 industrial robots in 2024, a 7 percent rise year-on-year and a new record. That single-year figure represents 54 percent of all industrial robots deployed globally. China's total operational stock now stands at 2,027,200 units — approximately five times more than the United States has in active use. Then came the policy layer. China's 15th Five-Year Plan, unveiled in early 2026, explicitly enshrines robotics and AI as core national development priorities. Beijing has set a GDP growth target of 4.5 to 5 percent for 2026, and automation is central to how it intends to get there. This is not a new instinct — robotics featured in the original 'Made in China 2025' plan — but the 15th Five-Year Plan signals an acceleration, not a continuation. ## How it works / the detail The operational expression of this policy is the dark factory: fully…