Robotic competitions have existed since the late 1970s, bringing together students, researchers, and hobbyists from around the globe to explore how computer programming and robot design can be used to solve a diversity of challenges.
The results from these team-based competitions have always been published publicly, contributing to the world’s knowledge of robotics. But recently, contrary to this collaborative philosophy, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has suppressed the data and results of its competing teams.
The most enduring robotic competitions include the All Japan Robot-Sumo Tournament and the Trinity College International Fire Fighting Robot Contest in Hartford, Connecticut. A high school team from Guangzhou, China, won the latter competition in 2019.
Since then, robotic competitions have evolved significantly, ranging from the FIRST Robotics Competition to Japan’s Robocup and Robo One, and the World Robot Olympiad (WRO).
Companies like Lego and VEX have also established regional leagues, where competitors have all made contributions to the transparency of our evolved knowledge of robotics. The VEX Robotics World Championship is recognized as the largest robotics competition in the world by the Guinness World Records.
The 2023 World Robot Olympiad (WRO) took place from Nov. 11 to 16 in Panama, with 451 student teams from 82 countries and regions competing.
According to the website of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Nov. 9, the Chinese ambassador to Panama visited the Chinese delegation participating in the WRO at the new convention center in Panama. He interacted with about 50 players from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, but the results of the competition were not reported on by Chinese state media.
Earlier, the FIRST Global Challenge 2023 (FGC), organized by the U.S. non-profit organization FIRST Global, took place in Singapore in early October. Thousands of students from 191 countries and regions competed in the FGC.
Before the global robotics challenge of FGC began, the CCP’s media outlet Beijing Daily published a news article on Oct. 6 titled, “Chinese Youth is Here! First Global Robotics Challenge Kicks Off in Singapore.” The exclamation mark indicated confidence in their outstanding performance.
The article mentioned that the Chinese team in FGC was established in 2017, and after rigorous selection, the students participating each year saw a continuous rise in world rankings, reaching the top spot in 2022. The news stated that this year’s Chinese team had set out with high hopes for another outstanding performance. However, at the close of the event, there were no related reports on the tournament on any CCP media websites.
China’s Robotic Competitions Lack Transparency
China’s entry into robotic competitions began in 2015, resulting in eight events leading up to the 2023 “World Robot Conference (WRC)” held last August in Beijing, also concurrent with the World Robot Contest Championship (WRCC). According to official statements, this conference was international in scope and jointly organized by the Beijing municipal authorities, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Media coverage was provided by the Chinese state central media outlets, including CCTV and Xinhua.Before the conference, China hosted its eighth World Robot Contest (WRC) in over 20 cities nationwide. Despite being hyped by the ruling regime as an international event, this year’s WRC saw only the participation of Chinese youth, with no reports mentioning the involvement of teams from other countries. According to the event program, the WRC was supposed to have hosted over 20 overseas championships globally. However, no information about competitor recruitment or which countries were involved could be found online.
Adding to the mystery surrounding the 2023 WRC, photos from an overseas event depicted only Chinese competitors.
The report did not provide basic details such as participating countries and the number of participants. Upon investigation, Epoch Times reporters found no relevant reports in local Malaysian media.
Similar situations were observed in other overseas championships, with information only available on the official Chinese competition website.
For a WRC with only Chinese participants, the organizers announced that the winner of the final would be selected to participate in the 2023 Robotex World Robot Conference International Finals.
Robotex International held its first robot festival in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2001. Shanghai hosted the Robotex2018 China Finals in August 2018. In 2019, the communist regime vigorously supported hosting Robotex competitions and related product exhibitions in China, securing the hosting rights for Asia.
Estonia, situated at the crossroads of Northern and Eastern Europe, with ports facilitating direct cargo transportation to China, plays a crucial role in the Chinese regime’s “Belt and Road” initiative in the European region. This shows why the regime spent so much money and effort to support Robotex.
