The city of Changsha, Hunan province says it will have 100 industrial robots for every 10,000 of its people by the end of 2017 as part of its three year plan (2015-17) to boost robotics.

The mayor, Hu Henghua, made the announcement at an interview with China National Radio, on March 15, where he reiterated that this is the government's resolution for large-scale robotic applications in major industries.

The city wants to cultivate a robot industry worth more than 10-billion yuan ($1.54 billion) annually by 2017, and it has increased financial support by giving out 100-million-yuan subsidies for industrial growth and has established Hunan's first industrial park for robots. Earlier this year, it has brought in the world-leading technology to become China's first production base for Rethink collaborative robotics.

Manufacturing is Changsha's major industrial advantage and most of the city's innovation is in this sector, especially in new materials, energy-saving devices, and biomedicines, the mayor explained, noting that industrial upgrades led by intelligent manufacturing is one of their basic approaches to industrial growth in 2016.

"The government should be well aware of its part to play in the process and fully respect the market rules," he added.

In the meantime, the Central Chinese city will speed up development in the service sector by means of China's new "Internet Plus" idea.