Chinese manufacturers are said to have shipped more than 40 000 humanoid robots in the first half of 2026. The figure comes from the 2026 Humanoid Robot Industry Development Report, compiled by the committee on humanoid robotics and embodied AI (China Humanoid Robotics and Embodied Intelligence Committee of 100) and released on 20 August 2026 at the World Robot Conference in Beijing.

A news agency dispatch published on the same day places the Chinese share at 97 % of global shipments of humanoids. The two figures are not a single measurement and do not derive from one another: they are presented separately, and no independent count corroborates them.

It is this same dispatch that attributes the presentation of the report to Zhang Feng, Party secretary at the Chinese Institute of Electronics and president of the association on humanoid robotics and embodied AI. No other source cites him.

What the report says — and what it does not

The document asserts that China now has production capacity across the entire chain, from key chips and components to complete machines.

Its scope of analysis covers five countries — China, the United States, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. Again, a single reprint carries the information.

The applications, however, come from the trade fair, not the report. Exhibitors demonstrated:

  • inspection of electrical installations 
  • firefighting 
  • evacuation of the injured 
  • inspection of tanks 
  • surface grinding 
  • welding 
  • cleaning.

These are stand demonstrations, not usage records compiled by the report. And some involve machines that are not humanoids: climbing robots, quadrupeds.

Contextualising the sector’s revenue

The revenue of the Chinese robotics industry stood at 165.5 billion yuan in the first half, up 24.5 % year-on-year. A single source carries the figure here as well.

The World Robot Conference 2026 took place from 19 to 23 August in Yizhuang, on the outskirts of Beijing, across approximately 50 000 square metres spread over four halls, with more than 300 exhibitors (+36 % year-on-year), more than 2 000 exhibits, and more than 150 products making their world debut. Forty-nine central state-owned enterprises exhibited together for the first time, in a dedicated pavilion built around twelve application scenarios: energy, aerospace, industry, logistics, and emergency rescue.

The first Western market closes at the same time

The record share is announced just as the US Federal Communications Commission has placed foreign-made humanoids and quadruped robots on its “ Covered List ”, banning the import of new models on grounds of cybersecurity and national security risks, with China explicitly targeted. The measure only affects new models subject to certification and does not recall machines already sold. Chinese manufacturers are redirecting their sales to Europe, the Middle East, and South-East Asia.

Provenance of the figures. The 40 000 shipments and the 97 % share are declarative data, originating from a report by a Chinese trade association presented at a Chinese trade fair. The Swiss reprint is a news agency dispatch relaying China National Radio, the Chinese state radio: it is not an independent verification. No independent source corroborates these figures to date. A numerical benchmark elsewhere, also of single source: AgiBot reported 15 000 robots produced in cumulative total by the end of June 2026, and pre-orders for UBTech’s U1 reached 13 361 units on the same date.

Sources : Global Times, 19 August 2026 and 20 August 2026  Swissinfo, 20 August 2026.