China unveils its plan to dominate the future of technology and AIBy China correspondent Allyson Horn and Kat Tse in BeijingTopic:AI3h ago3 hours agoFri 13 Mar 2026 at 8:32pmChina believes that winning the tech, robotics, and AI race will enable it to become the world's leading power. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)In shortChina has unveiled its Five-Year Plan to achieve global dominance in technology and AI industries and outcompete the United States.It aims to integrate AI into 90 per cent of the country's economy by 2030, and to stop relying on the US for advanced semiconductor chips.The strategy also includes keeping AI models open-source to promote entrepreneurship and development.China has just unveiled a new blueprint to achieve technological and AI world dominance by 2030.The plan focuses on propelling China to the forefront in everything from humanoid robots and AI operating systems in the workforce, through to brain-computer interfaces and flying cars.The ambitious project was revealed in China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which as the name suggests, sets out the goals and priorities for the country until 2030.Deepseek, a Chinese-developed, AI language-learning model rivals technology from western tech firms. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)China has specifically set a target of integrating artificial intelligence into 90 per cent of the country's economy within the next five years.China views this plan as the linchpin in winning a fierce battle with the United States for tech supremacy.But it is also viewed as a crucial way to offset the country's long-term economic slowdown and ageing workforce.The success of the AI strategy will rely heavily on Beijing's ability to achieve total self-reliance — that is, cutting America out of the supply chain.And based on China's history, the implications of these developments will greatly impact the way the rest of the world works.What's in China's tech and AI blueprint?Billions of dollars will be pumped into developing 10 areas, including:Humanoid robots, designed to carry out human tasks at work and at home.AI workplace systems, establishing tools to automate routine tasks.Future industries, including nuclear fusion, quantum technology for space exploration, biomanufacturing and 6G.Low-altitude equipment — think flying cars and drone deliveries, which are already operating but need further refinement to scale up production and usage.Brain-computer interfaces, using AI to turn neural into commands.Getting AI into everythingChina's grand strategy centres largely on AI and using AI systems to perform jobs with minimal human oversight.Already, such systems are woven into large sectors of Chinese life.For example: car manufacturers have integrated AI assistants and smart driving capabilities into their vehicles for autonomous driving; tech companies have already developed AI wearable devices; newly released AI video generation models have sent Hollywood and film makers into a panic because of their hyper-realistic results; and of course, there are humanoid robots.AI would also be integrated into everything from manufacturing and e-commerce through to managing traffic flows and energy usage.Besides AI and robotics, China is pumping billions of dollars into developing emerging technology. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)China's government has revealed it will spend billions of dollars in incentives and tax deductions to help entrepreneurs and tech researchers propel these discoveries forward.Brookings Institute fellow Kyle Chan said a pillar of China's development plan would be keeping most of its AI models open source, allowing them to be freely downloaded and customised."In contrast, most of the top AI models in the United States are proprietary and closed-source, requiring paid subscriptions or token-based access," he said."China's open-source approach to AI aims to drive adoption by giving the models away for free, fostering a broader software ecosystem, and then providing paid services around model integration and support."What these developments will mean for jobs in the future is largely unknown.A China court ruled in 2024 that dismissing employees with the sole intention of replacing them with AI was considered illegal.But China has a major workforce shortage risk, so the country's decision makers are hoping AI will be able to deliver market stability and even recovery.A robot revolutionChina's plan for technological advancement includes the widespread industrial deployment of robots and humanoid robots to perform jobs in sectors suffering from traditional labour shortages.The move would provide relief to China's flagging economy and a solution to its aging workforce and demographic crisis.Chinese firms have already begun limited commercial-scale production.Humanoid robots are designed to behave like humans and perform routine tasks at work and at home. (Reuters: Benoit Tessier)Global technology market research firm Counterpoint found an estimated 16,000 humanoid-robots were sold across the world in 2025, and about 90 per cent of them came from China.China also recorded more than 150 humanoid robot companies in 2025 — a number expected to increase with demand and commitments for additional government incentives.The humanoid robots would also be heavily supplemented by more traditional robots — referred to as industrial robots — which are already used extensively in factory environments like car manufacturing to weld, cut, assemble and transport materials across factory floors.A report released by the International Federation of Robotics found there were more than 2 million robots working in Chinese factories in 2024, and overall, China had five times as many robots working in factories as the US.China is also expanding its highly automated "dark factories", where robots outnumber workers and operate with minimal lighting.The applications for robotics are already being expanded in China to the food and beverage industry, e-commerce sector and warehouse logistics, and the potential markets are expected to surge in coming years.How will China cut US out of supply chain?The major roadblock to China's plan for technological supremacy lies in its ability to become entirely self-sufficient, that is, cutting the US out of the supply chain.Despite China's recent considerable breakthroughs with technology and AI, Beijing has continued to rely on US supplies, specifically high-performance AI chips, which it needs to develop and train its AI models.Despite China's technological advances, the US still leads the way in developing advanced semiconductor chips. (Reuters: Florence Lo)In 2022 the US banned exports to China of the most powerful AI chips, in an attempt to hinder Beijing's development of AI models at scale.Since then, export controls on the highest-grade chips have been loosened, tightened and then loosened again, resulting in an irregular supply of critical components for China.The export instability has led China to urgently forge its own development of AI chips, though they are generally seen as much poorer quality than the US hardware.An analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations found the best offering from one of China's leading technological powerhouses, Huawei, was still five times less powerful than the best US AI chips.Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Chris McGuire said this disparity in quality would greatly affect China's ambitions going forward.He predicts the US will not easily hand China an open path for further development, which could seriously hurt Beijing's chances of achieving its objectives."China's strategy of producing larger quantities of inferior chips is not working, and the fundamental constraints imposed by US and allied export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment ensure that this will not change in the foreseeable future," he said."The United States holds a commanding lead in AI hardware production, and that lead is growing."There is no strategic rationale for giving it away."Will China be able to achieve its tech supremacy goals?Similar goals in the past for worldwide industry dominance — such as in the electric vehicle market — have been met and surpassed.But the AI and technology race, and the war to win it, is far more competitive."Which countries successfully implement AI in the coming years will determine who leads the AI revolution," said Rebecca Arcesati, lead analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies."China's focus on diffusing this powerful technology for use in specific sectors of the economy is often credited for its pragmatism."In contrast, the United States is pouring billions into the quest for super intelligence."Instead of letting go of traditional sectors as the economy climbs up value chains, China's leader Xi Jinping wants it all: strong future industries [such as embodied AI and nuclear fusion energy powering data centres], self-sufficiency in foundational technologies like semiconductors, and an upgraded manufacturing base bolstered by AI."