China is undergoing a profound industrial transformation. From robotics and electric vehicles to advanced batteries, autonomy, and next-generation materials, China is building the world’s most sophisticated and scalable manufacturing ecosystem. 

The consequences of these advances will be impactful for the world. We have already seen how the progression of the manufacturing base in China over the past 40 years has resulted in wave after wave of exports out of China – garments, toys, furniture, consumer electronics, solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, and most recently, automobiles. Many of these waves were not anticipated by the West, but they resulted in significant winners (eg. Apple) and disruption (the global car industry).  

The same preconditions exist today for another massive wave of increasingly sophisticated Chinese exports. China already produces and consumes more than half the world’s robots and other industrial automation equipment. The world has not yet seen a flood of Chinese robots and factory automation systems exports – but this is coming.  

If anything, the Chinese industrial base is better suited to develop a world class robotics industry today than the EV industry ten years ago.  Here are my conclusions from our delegation in October 2025 visiting numerous Chinese robotics companies. 

• China enjoys multiple advantages which will permit it to become the market leader in robotics and automation: 

• The largest manufacturing sector in the world, which is an enormous natural customer base to build from; 

• The world's largest electronics, mobility and battery industries, along with the associated supply chain, all useful to build robots; 

• Very fast development and execution of new products and technologies; 

• Pricing at half or less of global prices; 

• The world's second strongest AI sector, with an emphasis on practical integration into commercial applications such as robotics; and 

• Very strong government support for the sector. 

• Chinese companies are eager to go global. Their domestic markets are intensely competitive, and many see global expansion as essential to improving profitability and sustaining growth. 

Thus, we believe robotics and industrial automation will be the next major export tsunami that will come out of China. There are multiple indicators signaling this, but most of the business world is not yet aware. 

These developments are of strategic importance to executives and investors around the world. Western manufacturing companies need to determine whether Chinese companies will be their future competition or partners – or both. Gaining a clear picture permits companies to decide when to compete and when to collaborate, what products, components and technologies to buy from China, what Chinese companies to collaborate with and where. 

To help global executives and investors understand the Chinese market first-hand, Doon Insights is organizing the China Advanced Manufacturing Study Tour 2026 — a curated, one-week immersion into China’s most dynamic and influential technology sectors. 

This program follows the success of our October 2025 China Robotics Tour, which brought delegates from the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America for an eye-opening look inside China’s robotics market. (See Appendix A below for our notes from that Tour.)