A technician in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, explains to children how a robot works. About 36,560 industrial robots were sold in China last year, up 60 percent from 2012. Liu Yang / For China Daily

China has overtaken Japan as the largest buyer of industrial robots, according to a trade report.

One in five robots sold globally in 2013 was purchased in China, as surging labor costs forced it to speed up productivity via automation, according to the International Federation of Robotics, an industry group based in Germany.

About 36,560 industrial robots were sold in China last year, up 60 percent from 2012, said the IFR report. Japan, which had long taken first place in purchases of industrial robots, accounted for 26,015 units in 2013, followed by 23,679 in the United States.

The IFR classifies robots into two categories: industrial and service. Industrial robots are used to automate manufacturing processes, and the market last year was worth $8.5 billion, the federation said. The service sector accounted for $636 million in robot sales.

"China has the fastest-growing robot market. In a few years, China will be significantly larger than the second- and third-largest robot markets," Per Vegard Nerseth, head of robotics for Swiss engineering group ABB Ltd, told the Financial Times.

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