Artificial intelligence and automation have accelerated the transformation of traditional manufacturing in China, creating huge amounts of investment opportunities, according to Jack Perry, chairman of the London-based 48 Group and executive chairman of LEC Robotics.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2026 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, Perry said investors should pay close attention to the growing capabilities of the robotic technologies being deployed in Chinese production facilities.
"If you're looking at where automation and AI is being used, you're seeing it really being used in factories. Two years ago, I would go into a Chinese factory and there were no lights on. It was mainly just robotics or automation. But now the robotics are taking the opportunity to do different things within the automation. So being able to move fabric from one place to another one of autonomous forklift truck, cleaning the floor, the whole ecosystem is being changed and that's not just automation. Robotics is under the umbrella of automation," said Perry.
"If you're analyzing investment opportunity, technology is the umbrella that you're thinking about, but technology is so broad. So you've got to think what areas in technology really have the opportunity -- well, AI, obviously. The foundation of what you need in AI is data, expertise and then labeling of that data and then implementation. And then that lends itself to robotics. So those things that I would say other places to focus on -- robotics and evolution of AI," he said.
Running from Tuesday to Friday, this year's BFA conference is themed "Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation."
Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.
AI reshaping China's manufacturing landscape: British business leader
As the diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran continues despite a faltering ceasefire, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that Iran is prepared to use military power to break the U.S. maritime blockade should the negotiations collapse or run on too long.
Mohsen Rezaee, who also currently serves as a member of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, struck a confident tone about Iran's current trajectory in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Tehran on Wednesday.
He said the country has withstood over two decades of crippling sanctions and continued to move forward.
"We have been under sanctions for more than 20 years. The number of sanctions likely exceeds 2,000, targeting individuals, enterprises, corporations, ships, insurance companies, and even foreign countries that interacted with us. However, we have managed to find solutions to neutralize these sanctions, and we will continue to do so moving forward," he said.
He said Iran aims to ease the sanctions burden through talks with the U.S., although at the same time, he said, Iran is ready to shift to a military response if the path to a peaceful resolution closes.
"Furthermore, we will compel the U.S. to lift these sanctions. We will force the U.S. to end the maritime blockade -- either through negotiations or, should they resist, through direct action and we will attack U.S. warships. Therefore, despite all the pressures, the future of our economy is bright and promising, while the future of the US economy is bleak," he said.
While any new war against Iran would be a dead end, the best way out for the U.S. is to continue talks, according to the senior official.
"We have prepared ourselves so that if the maritime blockade continues beyond a certain timeframe, we will launch an attack and break the blockade. The Americans have no choice but to negotiate. Continuing this war is a journey into a very dark tunnel for the United States. The more America chooses to fight, the deeper it enters a tunnel with no end. Yet for us, the path is perfectly clear. America is moving toward us in the dark, while we are monitoring their every move," he said.
Former IRGC chief says Iran ready to break U.S. naval blockade by force if talks fail
