HEFEI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- At an exhibition booth, a dual-arm robot works with remarkable precision, gripping a delicate test tube with one arm while handling reagents with the other.
"It is more than a robot that simply executes pre-programmed commands," said Wang Wandong, assistant director of the Center for Scientific Intelligence and Innovation. An onboard foundation model for scientific research enables it to understand a research task, generate an experimental plan, and carry out tasks on its own.
The "thinking" robotic arm, according to Wang, offers a glimpse into how Chinese manufacturers are combining sophisticated hardware with increasingly capable homegrown artificial intelligence (AI).
At the Binhu International Convention and Exhibition Center in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, more than 1,200 companies are showcasing over 15,000 products across a 70,000-square-meter exhibition area as part of the 2026 World Manufacturing Convention that opened Sunday.
Humanoid robots play rock music, practice boxing and sing traditional Chinese operas, while sleek electric vehicles sit alongside displays of chips, electronic panels and other key components. Around them, exhibitors display technologies ranging from quantum applications to artificial intelligence.
China's manufacturing value-added accounts for nearly 30 percent of the global total, the largest share worldwide for over a decade. The country's manufacturing sector is placing greater emphasis on improving quality and efficiency, aiming for high-end technology and smarter, greener production.
Anhui, an inland province, has in recent years seen rapid growth in manufacturing sectors such as electric vehicles, semiconductors, quantum technology and robotics.
From January to July this year, the output value of Anhui's strategic emerging industries grew 17.3 percent year on year. During the period, the output of new energy vehicles, integrated circuits and robots increased 27.5 percent, 28.6 percent and 32.8 percent, respectively, year on year.
At the opening ceremony, Hefei-based Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) announced its latest fifth-generation technology platform, which improves product capacity, power consumption and stability.
The company, which went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's STAR Market in late July, became the most valuable listed company on the A-share market. Luo Xiaodong, vice president of CXMT, said that, in developing the new platform, the company introduced a tailored AI large model and digital simulation covering the entire production process, significantly improving R&D efficiency.
This year's convention also puts a greater emphasis on showcasing entire industrial chains, shifting from individual products to broader ecosystems, the event organizer said.
Anhui ranked first nationwide in automobile production, new energy vehicle production, automobile export volume and export value in the first half of this year.
In the intelligent connected new energy vehicle section of the exhibition, displays span the full chain, from complete vehicles and power batteries to chips and chassis. Industrial data showed that more than 3,000 core parts suppliers now support automobile manufacturing in the province.
The province's growing industrial clusters are bringing manufacturers, technology companies and suppliers closer together, strengthening links between innovation and production, analysts noted.
"Anhui is helping shape the future of manufacturing," said Peter Wilson, the British ambassador to China. He added that Anhui has developed a globally significant manufacturing base, built world-class industrial clusters and is a center for emerging technologies.
Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology, said at the opening ceremony that China welcomes industrial enterprises from around the world to share opportunities here.
China will continue to expand high-level opening-up and create a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, he added.
China removed all market access restrictions for foreign investors in the manufacturing sector in 2024, and in its latest edition of the Catalog of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, effective Feb. 1, it added and expanded relevant items in the advanced manufacturing sector.
"Partnership creates opportunity," said Wilson, adding that Chinese and British businesses have been contributing to each other's manufacturing sectors.
"Let's learn from each other, work together, empower each other, and succeed together," the ambassador said. ■
