CHANGSHA, Oct. 28 -- A robot competition kicked off Friday in the central Chinese city of Changsha, with robots battling it out in 17 events.

Smart robots will try to edge out each other in simulated rescue missions as well as on the soccer pitch, according to the organizer in Hunan Province. Robot experts from around the world will convene during the competition to discuss the industry.

Launched in 1999 and headed by the China Association of Automation, the competition drew about 1,200 teams from more than 240 colleges this year.

With an aging workforce and rising labor costs, China is determined to lead robot development worldwide. According to statistics released by the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, the output value of China's homegrown robots in 2015 stood at 1.64 billion yuan (243 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 55 percent.

The Chinese market for industrial robots is huge. According to the China Robot Industry Association, 68,000 industrial robots were sold in China in 2015, up 20 percent compared to the same period of 2014. China accounted for about a quarter of robot sales globally in 2015, making the country the biggest market for industrial robots for three consecutive years.