Getting robots in ‘our own hands’: Structural drivers, spatial dynamics and multi-scalar industrial policy in China

Abstract

Robots are a key digital production technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In 2020, China accounted for one third of all industrial robots in operation globally. The emerging literature has mainly focused on the effects of robotization, while evidence on its drivers and spatial diffusion remain limited. We address this gap by producing new evidence on the complex mix of structural and policy factors driving fast robotization across China and its regions. We identify three ‘structural drivers’ of robotization – demand pull, supply push and capability preconditions – and study the resulting spatial dynamics of technology adoption. We find significant heterogeneity in robots’ adoption across regions and sectors, in robots manufacturing and technological capabilities. Furthermore, we highlight the key role of a fourth ‘policy driver’ – industrial policy – and conduct an in-depth analysis of robotization policies at the national and province levels since 2016. We identify four main robotizing regional hubs in China – Guangdong, Yangtze-River-Delta, Beijing-Tianjin and Jilin-Liaoning. We finally analyse three emerging policy interfaces linking Made in China 2025 (within which China’s robotization policy is framed) and the Belt and Road Initiative – that is, opening markets, shaping industry and standards, and directing finance. With this new multi-scalar industrial policy configuration, China is further reshaping the domestic and international political economy of robotization, ultimately moving the country ahead in the digital technology race.