China's robot squad takes the games — and the world's attention

China sent a 20-unit humanoid robot team to the 2025 International Robot Games in Shanghai. The machines were built by 14 companies, mostly startups, and they competed in five events: walking, running, climbing stairs, pushing a cart, and lifting a box. Most finished without major falls.

The Chinese government is pushing this hard — 2025 is the Year of the Robot, and Beijing is funding the sector through direct grants and tax breaks. The aim is to build a domestic supply chain for humanoid robots, which could eventually feed into manufacturing, logistics, and even labor markets. The robots are still rough, but the scale of the effort is what catches the eye.

Outside China, the race looks different. Boston Dynamics, Figure, 1X, and Unitree are all racing toward the same milestones — but the Chinese push is notable for its state backing and the sheer number of entrants. The games are a showcase, not a competition with a single winner, but the signal is clear: Beijing sees humanoid robots as a strategic industry.

Why this matters for us: if China's pushing cheap humanoids into factories and warehouses, it's a direct shot at the kind of work Brown and Black families have relied on — and the jobs that come with it.