Tech pilgrims flock to China as global innovation race heats up

Humanoid robots working on factory floors, ​AI models challenging global rivals and electric-vehicle plants churning out cars at breathtaking scale are ​drawing a new wave of foreign visitors to China.

Investors and entrepreneurs are paying thousands of dollars for rare access to Chinese factories, seeking a front-row seat to ​what many believe could be the next technological revolution.

The influx reflects mounting fears of a “China shock 2.0”, with Western boardrooms and capitals confronting the possibility that Chinese companies are seizing the lead in advanced manufacturing and cutting-edge technologies.