(Yicai Global) Aug.16 -- The link betweenthe recent decline in the growth of China's robot production and the USimposition oftariffs is still unclear, but China's roboticsmarket still enjoys a considerable scale with great potential in various areas, said Cong Liang, spokesman forthe country's National Development and Reform Commission.

The US set25 percent addedduties on 818 categories ofChinese goods worth USD34 billionfrom July 6, robots included. Foreign media questioned whether, since the yearlygrowth rate of China's industrial robot production was 35 percent in May, 7percent in June, and 6percent in July, the additionalUStariffs have impactednationalproduction.

Cong made theabove reply atabriefing of theInformation Officeof the country's cabinet the State Councilyesterday, news portal chinanews.comreported.

As the heftytariff hikekicked in startingJuly, the nexusbetween the recent decline in the growth rate of automataproduction and the punitive duties was still unclear, Cong said.

China's roboticsmarket has grown swiftlyin recent years, he noted. Many Chinese companies are also gravitatingtoward intelligence and automation, with logistics, production and business firms quite active inrobot applications.

Chinese factoriessuch ascarmaker FAW Group have popularized industrial robots, particularly inwelding where theyare now the major force, he further noted. Logistics firms are also automating theirentire handling process, especially forklifts, which are actually a typeof transfer robot.

China's entire roboticsmarket is indeedlarge, Cong stressed. Great potential still exists for robots more extensive use and reconfiguration of traditional intointelligent production lines and processes.

The decline in the growth rate is likely just short-term, but this remains to be seen, he added.

China soldnearly90,000 robot unitsin 2016,a 27 percent rise on the year before. The countryclaims30 percent of theglobal marketandhas had the most industrial robots in useworldwidesince 2016, foreign direct investmentservices firm Derzan Shera & Associates reported in their China Briefing newsletter, citingthe International Federation of Robotics.

The countryis setto produce 150,000 industrial roboticunits and have 950,300 industrial robots in use by2020.China's robot density is, however,below the global average, with only 68 units per 10,000 workers in 2016, per the Derzan Sherareport.

The greatestdemand for robots in China comesfrom international firms and domestic producers dependheavily on imported technology, the reportsaid.

Editor: Ben Armour