The Russians — officials, business people and media — turned out in force, but the only American in view at a gigantic, high-tech trade fair last week in central China was Elon Musk, or at least his disembodied voice, booming out from a Tesla video pitching “humanoid robots.”
The Tesla booth was one of hundreds at the jamboree of dazzling and sometimes quirky technological innovations. The expo featured boxing robots, robots that clean toilets, emotional support robots for older adults, automated police vans, a self-driving yacht and many of the more than 100 Chinese electric vehicle brands engaged in increasingly cutthroat competition for market share.