China is using its annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the country’s most-watched television event, to showcase its growing dominance in humanoid robotics and artificial intelligence during Lunar New Year celebrations, Reuters reported.

Axar.az reports that four emerging robotics companies, Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix, and MagicLab, will present their humanoid robots during the gala, a platform often used by Beijing to highlight technological achievements.

The robotics sector has received unusual political visibility. Xi Jinping has met multiple robotics founders over the past year, signaling strong state backing. Last year, 16 humanoid robots from Unitree performed at the gala, shortly before its founder met Xi at a high-profile tech symposium.

China is positioning robotics and AI at the core of its “AI+ manufacturing” strategy to counter economic pressures from an aging population and boost productivity.

Analysts say humanoid robots symbolize China’s combined strengths in AI development, hardware supply chains, and industrial manufacturing.