Beijing, March 6,2026: China’s central artificial intelligence (AI) sectors were valued at more than 1.2 trillion yuan ($173.9 billion) by 2025, as technology emerges as a powerful driver of high-quality economic development, a senior Chinese official said.
The number of AI companies in the country exceeded 6,200 last year, Li Lecheng, minister of the Ministry of Industry and IT, said on the sidelines of the annual session of China’s national legislature.
AI is increasingly being deployed in factories and everyday life in China. By the end of 2025, more than 30% of manufacturing companies with annual billing of at least 20 million yuan from major businesses had adopted AI technologies, while Chinese companies have launched more than 300 humanoid robot products, according to Li.
Li added that AI models developed by China are gaining global traction as the country ranked first in downloads of open-source AI models last year.
AI was highlighted in this year’s government work report, which was presented on Thursday at the fourth session of the 14th National People’s Assembly for deliberation.
China will work to create new forms of smart economy this year, according to the report. Specific measures include encouraging large-scale commercial application of AI in key sectors and areas, launching new infrastructure projects in hyper-scale intelligent computing clusters, and accelerating satellite Internet development.
Courtesy CRI
