A robot participates in a martial arts performance during the 2026 Spring Festival celebrations in Beijing, China, on February 16, 2026.
Video Visual China Group | Getty Images
China’s humanoid robots have been making headlines for their standout performance at the country’s annual Lunar New Year celebrations earlier this week, with videos of the event being widely shared online.
The show, widely considered the most-watched television show in the world, featured robots from several startups performing everything from kung fu moves to choreographed dances to elaborate gymnastics displays.
The show was in marked contrast to the 2025 gala, which featured a less advanced version of a handkerchief-twirling robot in a wobbly folk dance.
At the time, public demonstrations of humanoid robots were often met with skepticism, with a marathon race in April featuring stumbles, collisions, and malfunctions making headlines.
But even after a year, it makes a huge difference. Viewers of this week’s event expressed opinions ranging from admiration for the advancement of technology to concern about what it means for the workforce and the U.S.-China technology race.
As we watch them push the boundaries of human ability, it becomes clear that they are capable of human-level behavior and, ultimately, superhuman-level performance.
Lake Knutzen
semi-analysis analyst
Analysts told CNBC that while humanoid robots still have much to prove, their progress over the past year deserves global attention.
“People should absolutely take these robots seriously,” Semianalysis analyst Lake Knudsen told CNBC. “After this spring’s celebratory demonstrations, they are visibly becoming leaner, more fluid, and more capable.”
“As we watch them push the boundaries of human ability, it becomes clear that they are capable of achieving human-level behavior and, ultimately, superhuman-level performance,” he added.
China leads early
China has already established an early lead in manufacturing and deploying humanoid robots, according to Barclays data.
Analysts at the company estimate that China will account for more than 85% of the approximately 15,000 humanoid robots installed in 2025, compared to just 13% in the United States.
“China’s fundamental advantage is its almost vertically integrated robotics value chain, from rare earths and high-performance magnets to physical components and batteries,” Zornica Todorova, head of thematic FICC research at Barclays, told CNBC.
Leading Chinese humanoid companies like Unitree hope to maintain this lead this year. The startup, whose robots made headlines during Chinese New Year celebrations, expects to ship between 10,000 and 20,000 robots in 2026, its CEO told local media shortly before the show ended.
The increased dexterity demonstrated in routines such as aerial flips and weapon handling shows strong potential for economic benefits in physically demanding tasks that involve delicate tool handling and precise movements.
Lian Jie Soo
Omdia Chief Analyst
Todorova also said China’s manufacturing advantages and government support have allowed Chinese robot makers to produce products at much lower prices than their competitors.
For example, Unitree advertises a base price of $13,500 for its G1 humanoid robot.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s Optimus, the US humanoid leader, is expected to continue rising in price in the short term. CEO Elon Musk said in an earnings call in January 2025 that the final price will depend on market demand, but the cost to produce the robots could drop below $20,000 if annual production reaches 1 million units.
Analysts say they also expect U.S. humanoid robot makers to ramp up production this year, but there will likely be a shortage of jobs.
“Other markets will also grow, but will likely lag due to China’s established supply chain and production scale,” said Lian Jie Su, principal analyst at Omdia, adding that China is likely to lead the way, at least for the next few years.
warning remains
Although Chinese New Year celebrations have shown rapid progress, analysts have warned that humanoid robots still face technical hurdles.
“The increased dexterity shown in routines such as aerial flips and weapon handling suggests strong potential for economic benefits in physically demanding tasks that involve delicate tool handling and precise movements,” said Omdia’s Su.
“However, when it comes to sensitive tasks such as healthcare or domestic help, reliability must be proven even in unstructured, human-centric environments, requiring continuous AI and machine upgrades.”
For these tasks, advances in underlying AI and detailed mechanical engineering are more important than raw production or shipment numbers.
“The competition for AI models is still undecided, but robots will be only as useful as their models, so that will ultimately be the deciding factor,” Knutzen said.
Chinese robot companies have been impressing audiences with flashy kung fu routines, but advances in reasoning, extended work times and the ability to chain multiple tasks together to perform a variety of chores will be more important this year, analysts said.
“I think there’s a lot of economic value here, and it’s steadily improving.”
