China's rapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robotics is being powered by the country’s "patient capital" - strategic, long-term investment that allows innovation to flourish. At the four-day Annual Conference of the Financial Street Forum 2025 that concluded on Thursday, humanoid robotics pioneer Galbot showcased how financial support is driving its growth, helping it expand its market presence and advance its core technologies. The Chinese startup launched the world's first fully autonomous, humanoid-operated store in August in Beijing. Occupying a stall of 9 square meters, the robot salesclerk can complete all the necessary tasks to sell beverages -- receiving clients, placing orders, and fetching products. The robot can even interact with customers in different languages. Galbot's Galaxy Space capsule has already operated in nearly 20 cities across China. "Our key competitiveness is a massive, billion-scale intelligent dataset. This has allowed us to develop our VLA model, which is why our robots are now deployed in real-world scenarios across industry, healthcare, and retail," said Zhao Yuli, Galbot's chief strategy officer. The technology's impressive leap to widespread adoption is inseparable from the nation's strategic support. China's "AI+" initiative provides "patient capital" for innovators like Galbot. "Supporting innovators through full-life-cycle services, ICBC provides continuous financial backing for tech transformation projects like Galbot," said Deng Lichuanzi, deputy director of Business Office at the Haidian West Sub-branch of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Beijing Branch. International platforms like the Financial Street Forum provide the essential runway for global expansion of the emerging companies. "At this forum, I've met experts from across Europe. We plan to leverage this platform to execute our global strategy," said Zhao. As a result, even global investors are taking note of opportunities arising from China's rapid adoption of AI. "I think the U.S. and China are the only two global competitors in this arena, and if you think from hardware GPU to software like big tech firms, e-commerce adoption, to the ecosystem, thinks like you have to have super computing center, you have to have power generation, broadband, a lot of things to support as infrastructure, China is the only country who has that edge, probably on par with the U.S.. In the next decade, we will see both U.S. and China doing well with the AI, that's why global investors and corporates are also very interested on having certain exposure to Chinese AI," said Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley. SHOTLIST: FILE: Beijing, China - 2025 1. Various of Galbot humanoid robot working in beverage booth, customers, poster; Beijing, China - Recent 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Zhao Yuli, chief strategy officer, Beijing Galbot Co., Ltd (starting with shot 1/ending with shot 3): "Our key competitiveness is a massive, billion-scale intelligent dataset. This has allowed us to develop our VLA model, which is why our robots are now deployed in real-world scenarios across industry, healthcare, and retail."; FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown 3. Various of Galbot robotics on display, visitors at exhibition; Beijing, China - Recent 4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Deng Lichuanzi, deputy director, Business Office, Haidian West Sub-branch, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Beijing Branch: "Supporting innovators through full-life-cycle services, ICBC provides continuous financial backing for tech transformation projects like Galbot."; FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown 5. Various of sign, sculpture of Financial Street; Beijing, China - Oct 27, 2025 6. Sculpture, sign of Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2025; 7. Various of venue for Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2025, posters; Beijing, China - Recent 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Zhao Yuli, chief strategy officer, Beijing Galbot Co., Ltd (ending with shot 9): "At this forum, I've met experts from across Europe. We plan to leverage this platform to execute our global strategy."; FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown 9. Various of Galbot robotics on display, visitors at exhibition; Beijing, China - Recent 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Robin Xing, chief china economist, Morgan Stanley (partially overlaid with shot 11): "I think the U.S. and China are the only two global competitors in this arena, and if you think from hardware GPU to software like big tech firms, e-commerce adoption, to the ecosystem, thinks like you have to have super computing center, you have to have power generation, broadband, a lot of things to support as infrastructure, China is the only country who has that edge, probably on par with the U.S.. In the next decade, we will see both U.S. and China doing well with the AI, that's why global investors and corporates are also very interested on having certain exposure to Chinese AI."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown 11. Various of Galbot robotics on display, visitors at exhibition; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Beijing, China - 2025 12. Various of humanoid robot dancing, performing acrobatic movements; spectators. 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