China "highly alert" of overcapacity in robotics: regulator

China is highly alert of redundant construction and overcapacity risks in its robotics industry amid rapid development, a senior regulating official said Saturday.

"We do think that there are risks from the low-end production of high-end products and the overcapacity of low-end products in the field of robotics," Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology, told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session.

China now has more than 800 robotics enterprises, with some 72,400 industrial robots produced in 2016, up 34.3 percent year on year, according to Xin.

Affirming technological progress in the robotics industry, Xin said the ministry will move on to encourage innovation and the use of robots in emerging industries.

To avoid redundant construction, the ministry will strengthen government guidance for local authorities and robot producers in accordance with the country's "Made in China 2025" plan, the official said.

The ministry will also set strict and clear criteria for market entry to promote scientific and rational development of the robotics industry, he said.

The country introduced the "Made in China 2025" blueprint in May 2015 to move its manufacturing sectors up the value chain, promoting development in 10 key sectors including robotics.