Despite All Their 'Cheap' Labor, the Chinese Embrace Robots Too RealClearMarkets

Those who still think China has a never-ending army of cheap labor should think again. Chinese wages are rising, the population is aging - and China's government is promoting a robot revolution in manufacturing. Over each of the next three years, the growth of the use of robots in China is estimated to exceed 20 percent. Rising wages - driven by decades of growth - are eating into profits, pushing companies to shift manufacturing to Southeast Asia. Shanghai's minimum monthly wage is two-and-a-half times what it was a decade ago.