In recent years, Chinese companies have been shifting towards innovation, and exporting high-quality products that meet the rigorous standards and expectations of global consumers. The development of artificial intelligence and robots signals a dramatic change in the country's manufacturing sector. CGTN's Guan Yang has more from Shenyang, a city that boasts China's largest production base for robots.

Athletes weren't the only attraction at the 2018 Winter Olympics. 24 robots danced to the rhythm during China's eight-minute show at the closing ceremony, causing a sensation in the world of robotics. Head of the design crew, Zhang Lei, once thought his brief was mission impossible.

ZHANG LEI SIASUM ROBOT & AUTOMATION CO. "The organizing committee and my team were completely stunned when the director of the 8-minute show revealed the maneuvers he wanted the robots to perform. We had only 2 to 3 months to prepare everything from scratch."

The 8 minutes in PyeongChang showcased how much China's intelligent manufacturing has progressed in recent years. Here in Shenyang, a city that boasts the country's largest robot production base, more of its products are being deployed to the service sector. While these robots are mainly having a positive impact, in the reception of one local electricity center, the manager points out some areas where there's still room for improvement.

JU SHIBO, MANAGER HUNNAN ELECTRICITY CENTER, CHINA NATIONAL GRID "Sometimes, the robot gets confused in noisy surroundings. It can mix up the orders of different people. Other than that, it is doing well, considering the service requirements and the amount of information it provides."

GUAN YANG SHENYANG, LIAONING PROVINCE "How do you determine how advanced a country is when it comes to robotics? One measure is "robot density", it shows the number of robots in every 10,000 workers. Robots are at the core of the government's sweeping Made in China 2025 plan to upgrade factories and make them highly automated. The country wants to reach a robot density of 150 units by 2020."

The increase in robot density in China is the most dynamic in the world, particularly between 2013 and 2016. The density rate during that time rose from 25 units to 68 units. Beijing intends to forge ahead and get China into the world's top 10 automated nations in just 2 years.

WANG KECHENG, MANAGER OF INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING DIVISION SIASUM ROBOT & AUTOMATION CO. "It's a realistic target, as labor costs are rising in China, pushing up the cost of manufacturing. Also production techniques for robots continue to improve, which in turn makes the robots more cost-effective."

The "Made in China 2025" plan aims to move the country's manufacturing sector up the value chain, but some argue the level of automation required is several steps ahead of China's current level. If domestic robot manufacturers hope to fill the gap, they will no doubt face fierce global competition. GUAN YANG, CGTN, LIAONING PROVINCE.