China aims to boost robot output

A robot demonstrates precision by writing Chinese calligraphy in Hefei. Photo/Xinhua

China became the world's largest market for industrial robots in 2013, surpassing Japan, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

The organization estimates that the country will continue to drive demand for various types of robots due to the automation of its factories and increasing demand for service robots in an aging society.

Increasing labor costs and labor shortages are pushing some manufacturers to adopt robots in product lines.

Feng Xisheng, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said robots will be able to complete more complicated tasks in the future.

"The future of the robotics industry will be heavily overlaid with other technologies, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality. This will be the areas that local companies work on," Feng said.

The ministry will also encourage Chinese robot manufacturers to gain a bigger presence in the high-end market, an area currently controlled by overseas giants such as Fanuc Corp from Japan and the multinational ABB Group based in Switzerland.