National People’s Congress deputy Zhong Zheng, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Midea Group, has outlined critical policy recommendations to accelerate China’s robot industry development. In an exclusive interview, Zhong emphasized the strategic importance of technological innovation and cross-sector collaboration for maintaining global competitiveness in the rapidly evolving robot industry landscape.
1. Midea’s Strategic Expansion in Robotics
Midea Group has significantly advanced its position in the robot industry since acquiring German industrial robotics firm KUKA in 2017. “Over 60% of our current robotics products serve industrial applications,” Zhong revealed, highlighting the company’s deliberate focus on high-value manufacturing solutions. The corporation has developed substantial expertise in core components including joints, sensors, and control systems – foundational elements for next-generation robotics. Midea’s diversification strategy extends beyond traditional industrial robots into collaborative robotics, where its seven-axis collaborative robots demonstrate enhanced precision and adaptability across medical, industrial, and consumer electronics sectors.
The robot industry expansion includes specialized R&D in heavy-duty industrial robotics, where Midea secured national laboratory certification in 2022. This platform enables concentrated development of three critical subsystems: reduction gears, motors, and servo control systems. Zhong confirmed tangible progress: “We’ve achieved breakthroughs in control systems, motors, and harmonic reducers, with several products already commercialized.” The ongoing challenge remains RV reducer technology, requiring sustained investment and talent acquisition to solidify China’s autonomy in this vital robot industry component sector.
2. Policy Framework for Robot Industry Advancement
Zhong proposed a comprehensive three-point policy framework to strengthen China’s robot industry ecosystem:
- Industrial Environment Enhancement: Implement targeted policies to incentivize innovation investment and accelerate commercialization of high-quality robotic solutions across the robot industry value chain.
- Technological Breakthrough Support: Establish coordinated national efforts integrating industry, academia, and research institutions to overcome core technical bottlenecks. Prioritize funding and policy assistance for critical components like reduction gears and servo control systems that currently constrain robot industry progress.
- Supply Chain Integration: Create collaborative platforms enabling vertical and horizontal partnerships within the robot industry to achieve cluster synergies and reduce fragmentation.
“The robot industry requires systematic support to transform technological potential into industrial leadership,” Zhong emphasized, noting that such measures would help Chinese enterprises avoid low-value market saturation through continuous innovation.
3. Innovation Investment and Future Roadmap
Midea Group exemplifies the innovation commitment required for robot industry leadership, with projected R&D expenditure exceeding 16 billion yuan in 2024. “Our sustained investment creates scale advantages that drive product evolution,” Zhong stated. This strategy supports Midea’s dual transformation toward green manufacturing and intelligent systems, where artificial intelligence integration already delivers measurable efficiencies in smart manufacturing and home automation divisions.
The future roadmap focuses on scaling AI-enabled robotics applications internally before extending these solutions throughout the robot industry supply chain. Zhong confirmed ongoing development in humanoid robotics: “After years of foundational work in key components, we’re accelerating humanoid robot design and development to broaden our robot industry portfolio.” This expansion complements Midea’s established industrial robotics business while creating new growth vectors in emerging robotics categories.
4. Catalyzing Private Sector Innovation
Addressing broader innovation dynamics, Zhong stressed that private enterprises must proactively embrace technological advancement to escape commoditization traps. “For SMEs in the robot industry, targeted government support through funding and policy guidance can overcome technical barriers,” she advised. Larger corporations require different enablement frameworks – particularly innovation ecosystems fostering university-industry research partnerships and open collaboration platforms.
Zhong concluded that China’s robot industry advancement depends on recognizing private enterprises as vital innovation engines: “Creating fertile environments for cross-sector collaboration allows private firms to leverage external expertise, accelerating technological maturation across the entire robot industry.” Her recommendations arrive amid intensifying global competition in robotics, where systemic advantages increasingly determine industrial leadership.