Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress, attends a press conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 4, 2026. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature, held a press conference on Wednesday, one day ahead of the opening of its annual session. Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the fourth session of the 14th NPC, briefed the press on the session. 

Responding to a question about how he views China's sci-tech innovation system represented by artificial intelligence, as China's humanoid robots had made a strong impression during the Spring Festival Gala for two consecutive years, Lou said that China will strengthen original innovation and intensify efforts to achieve breakthroughs in key core technologies during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), while accelerating the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation and striving for decisive progress in critical technologies across key sectors along the entire innovation chain.

Lou said the past year was undoubtedly a crucial one for China's domestically developed humanoid robot industry, which achieved major advances both in technological breakthroughs and in the real-world application of scenarios. As the technological capabilities and application scenarios of humanoid robots continue to expand, they offer a glimpse of a future filled with vast possibilities, he said.

Humanoid robots integrate frontier technologies from multiple fields, including artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing and new materials, Lou said, adding that the development of AI requires intelligent computing, high-speed data transmission and massive data storage capacity, relying on a coordinated technological system that brings together intelligent chips, algorithm models and big data.

He noted that the perception, control and execution systems of humanoid robots also involve advanced technologies such as intelligent acoustics, electronic motors, additive manufacturing and composite materials. Theories and technologies from multiple disciplines and sectors are interacting, driving cross-disciplinary innovation, he added.

"In recent years, China has accelerated the development of the artificial intelligence industry, with the scale and capacity of computing infrastructure steadily improving, high-quality datasets emerging at a faster pace, and domestically developed algorithm models helping to lead an open-source innovation ecosystem," the spokesperson said.

Under real-world conditions, the key to technological innovation and development lies in achieving independent and controllable core technologies, he added.

At the same time, enabling robots to perceive, think, make decisions and act in ways comparable to humans will still require global efforts in both scientific theory and technological development, Lou said. He noted that the rise and wider application of humanoid robots will also bring new issues in areas such as ethics and social governance, which the international community needs to address together.

Scientific and technological innovation cannot be separated from an open, inclusive and mutually beneficial global ecosystem, Lou said, adding that "China is willing to work with all countries to promote the establishment of an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory global environment for technological development, so that the outcomes of scientific and technological innovation can benefit more countries and people." 

Global Times