China is looking beyond America to sell its humanoid robots, with manufacturers targeting Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia as US restrictions tighten.

The industry is expanding rapidly, with companies scaling up production, adding artificial intelligence and cutting costs to make robots more reliable.

Factories are a major target. Humanoid robots could take on repetitive, dangerous and physically demanding jobs, with some machines potentially matching the output of two workers in certain tasks.

China’s vast supply network, spanning more than 500 key suppliers and possibly over 1,000, gives manufacturers a strong base. With labour shortages and production costs rising worldwide, they are betting that demand for automation will outweigh the loss of US customers.