China's machinery industry sees steady growth from Jan to April

China's machinery industry production and investment have both seen stable growth in the first four months of the year, according to data released by the China Machinery Industry Federation on Friday.

The data reveals that the value added of the five key sectors of the machinery industry maintained growth from January to April. Specifically, the manufacturing of general-purpose machinery grew by 9 percent, special-purpose machinery by 4 percent, automotive by 11.2 percent, electrical machinery and apparatus by 12.7 percent, and measuring instruments and meters by 9.2 percent.

Regarding fixed asset investment, the investment in general-purpose machinery manufacturing sector increased by 17.9 percent, special-purpose machinery manufacturing by 8.4 percent, automotive manufacturing by 23.6 percent, while investments in the electrical machinery and apparatus sector saw a decline of 7.5%, and measuring instruments fell by 15.1 percent.

The China Machinery Industry Federation also noted that among representative products in the machinery industry, the cumulative production of metal cutting machine tools in the first four months reached 260,000 units, a 16.8 percent year-on-year increase. The cumulative production of industrial robots reached 221,000 units, reflecting an even more robust growth of 34.1 percent.

From the perspective of key indexes, the macroeconomic policy measures have been taking effect in the first four months of this year, boosting the growth of production and supply. In addition, driven by the enhanced dual policies on promoting large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins, as well as vibrant industrial upgrades, the equipment manufacturing sector continued its rapid growth. As the consumer goods trade-in policy continues, China's domestic demand has seen a steady expansion.

China's machinery industry sees steady growth from Jan to April

A new robotic traffic officer began its duty on the streets of Wuhu City in east China's Anhui Province on Saturday.

This domestically developed robot is now undergoing on-the-job training, participating in front-line traffic management and order maintenance.

At the intersection of Chizhushan Road and Huizhou Road in Wuhu, the robotic officer, wearing a white police cap and a traffic vest, was seen directing traffic with standard hand gestures.

It reminded passing vehicles of traffic rules and coordinated with on-site human officers to promote civilized road behavior.

"It looks just like a real person at first sight, while radiating a strong sense of technological sophistication. It serves as a deterrent to both drivers and helmet-less riders alike," said Zhang Xiaoping, a local resident.

The robotic traffic officer is equipped with six cameras and one light detection and ranging system, enabling it to perceive road conditions, avoid obstacles autonomously while moving, and transmit collected data to a backend system.

Currently, the robot is primarily undergoing training for application scenarios such as disseminating traffic regulations, assisting with intersection command and control, and intelligently identifying and advising against uncivilized behavior.

Robotic traffic officer on duty in east China's Anhui