A floral installation stands at Beijing Financial Street in Xicheng District, Beijing. The 2026 Annual Conference of the Financial Street Forum opened in Beijing on October 19, 2026. Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

China's robotics sector offers promising investment opportunities for international investors, with financial institutions playing an important role in channeling capital toward emerging technologies, Tim Adams, president and CEO of the Institute of International Finance (IIF), told the Global Times in an interview at the Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2026 in Beijing.

"China is a world leader in advanced manufacturing and robotics, both industrial robotics and humanoid robotics," Adams said, identifying biotechnology, AI, pharmaceuticals and research related to aging as promising areas for foreign investment and cooperation with Chinese companies.

Asked where he would invest additional capital in China, Adams singled out robotics, citing the country's competitiveness in the sector.

"China seems to be incredibly competitive in that space," he said. 

To turn such technological opportunities into growth drivers, financial institutions and markets have an important role to play, according to Adams. They can help channel China's high savings toward frontier technologies, including AI, pharmaceutical research, biotechnology, nanotechnology and robotics.

"I do think that focusing on the central role of financial institutions and financial markets and developing those markets is key to future growth," he said.

The investment momentum in these emerging sectors is also reflected in official data. Capital investment in frontier sectors such as AI and humanoid robotics surged 184.1 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2026, according to official data.

Against this backdrop, Adams said international financial cooperation could help businesses and investors tap into opportunities in China's economy, which he said international financial institutions see as substantial.

Tim Adams, president and CEO of the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

The importance of cooperation is particularly evident in AI, another field Adams identified as offering investment potential. He said AI models were developing rapidly around the world, including some advanced models and open weight models, many of which originated in China.

"The global industry will compete but will also need to collaborate. It's just the nature of the technology," Adams said, adding that government officials worldwide would need to work together to establish appropriate safeguards for AI.

Adams also highlighted China's progress in fintech innovation, saying discussions with executives of major financial institutions in recent days had repeatedly focused on fintech, digital channels and new ways to develop products for clients and consumers.

"Financial leadership here in Beijing specifically, in China generally, is very digitally and technologically savvy," he said.

As AI adoption expands, managing the technology's costs, risks and potential disruptions has also become a major concern for business leaders, Adams said. He described the current period as the beginning of a multi decade technological revolution that could profoundly change consumer behavior and the way businesses operate.

While AI could bring significant opportunities, he said, governments and societies would need to address the vulnerabilities associated with its deployment.