China’s quiet machine revolution reshapes its factories and future of work

China is rapidly expanding its robotics and AI-driven manufacturing, with over two million factory robots and a government push to lead in 'new productive forces'; vocational institutes are training engineers to design, program and even build robots while factories increasingly automate repetitive tasks, aiming to offset a shrinking, aging workforce by 2035; the transition could boost output but raises concerns about job losses and whether China can keep pace with AI development, all within a tightly controlled information landscape.