IN BRIEF (Page 6)

1,686 robotics firms set up in 2017

China's robotics industry saw steady development in 2017 with about 1,686 robotics companies established last year, according to a report released at the ongoing 5th China Robot Summit. By the end of 2017, the number of robotics companies in China exceeded more than 6,500, mainly located in China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, said the report. In 2017, the global robotics industry market reached $23.2 billion, with average annual growth of 17 percent between 2012 and 2017.

Yuan strengthens against US dollar