China's advanced manufacturing empowers robot industry

China's advanced manufacturing has empowered its robot industry in crafting the "super brain", which becomes a highlight at the ongoing second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE). China is the world's largest industrial robot market. Currently, the market size of specialized robots in China exceeded 20 billion yuan (about 2.76 billion U.S. dollars). Over the past five years, the average annual growth rate has been close to 30 percent, thanks to the support and assistance provided by its advanced manufacturing.

"Connecting the World for a Shared Future," the expo, hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, kicked off in Beijing on Tuesday.

The 2024 expo has introduced a new exhibition area dedicated to advanced manufacturing, adding to last year's clean energy, smart vehicle, digital technology, healthy life, green agriculture and supply chain service areas.

A complete global advanced manufacturing industrial chain is being showcased in the new area, focused on four categories -- research and development and design, application of new materials, key components and processing, and intelligent manufacturing and high-end equipment.

Within the advanced manufacturing exhibition area, a standout display features an explosion-proof firefighting robot equipped with a 360-degree camera that transmits real-time images to the central control system. This robot is capable of assessing changes at the scene of the fire, thanks to its central control system.

A special robot comprises hundreds of components. What sets it apart from traditional robots is right here - its powerful "brain".

The "super brain" of specialized robots can assess surrounding toxic gases, oxygen levels, temperature, dust, humidity, and others, each of which requires continuous fine-tuning and adjustment by technical personnel at the robotics research and development center in Tangshan City of north China's Hebei Province.

"We are all young people, and we are quite hardworking. Basically, we produce 10,000 to 20,000 drawings a year," said Min Guiyuan, an engineer of robotics research and development.

"Some iterations of new technologies are the result of our collective efforts," said Wang Bingnan, another engineer of robotics research and development.

In Tangshan today, a robot industry cluster has been initially formed, centered around industrial robots, with a focus on specialized robots, integrating research and development, production, and services.

Over the years, China's robot industry has made great progress in innovation and development, and new breakthroughs have been achieved in the research and development of bionic perception, cognition, planning and control technologies.

China's advanced manufacturing empowers robot industry

Iran's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani on Tuesday urged the UN secretary-general and the Security Council to condemn the United States for inciting violence and threatening to use force against his country.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Somali UN ambassador Abukar Dahir Osman, who serves as the rotating president of the Security Council for January, Iravani accused U.S. President Donald Trump of openly inciting violence in Iran, citing Trump's post on social media platform Truth Social.

"This reckless statement explicitly encourages political destabilization, incites and invites violence, and threatens the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iravani said in the letter.

He also called on the UN secretary-general and the Security Council "to fulfill their Charter-based responsibilities by unequivocally condemning all forms of incitement to violence, threats to use force, and interference" in Iran's internal affairs by the United States.

Iran is also urging all UN member states to refrain from provocative and irresponsible statements or actions that violate the UN Charter, including the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Iran, the letter said.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Iran's mission to the UN accused the U.S. of trying to stage "regime change" in the country, using sanctions, threats, engineered unrest and chaos to manufacture a pretext for military intervention.

With U.S. officials repeatedly threatening to intervene, Chief Commander of the Iranian Army Amir Hatami has stressed that the Iranian armed forces are in a state of full readiness, warning that any miscalculation by "enemies" would trigger a decisive response.

Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh has also said that the country will respond forcefully to any attack and "defend the country with full force and until the last drop of blood."

The United States virtual embassy in Iran on Tuesday urged U.S. citizens to leave the country.

According to media reports on Wednesday, the U.S. is withdrawing some of its personnel from its military bases in the Middle East as a precaution amid heightened regional tensions.

Qatar has also confirmed that personnel are departing U.S. bases there over "regional tensions."

Meanwhile, media reports quoted anonymous sources saying that Iran has warned neighboring countries hosting U.S. forces that U.S. military bases could be targeted if the U.S. intervenes in the ongoing unrests.

Iran calls on UN chief, Security Council to condemn U.S. for inciting violence