China deploys humanoid robots and smart kiosks at Hangzhou border
Border inspections at Hangzhou International Airport have gone high-tech with the deployment of humanoid robots and self-service kiosks, as part of a broader effort to streamline immigration processes and manage rising cross-border travel.
The robots, now active in the inspection zone, assist travellers with routine queries about immigration policies and travel procedures. Police officer Wu Liang said the goal is to continuously improve the robots’ capabilities so they can handle “various complex inspections and respond rapidly to emergencies.”
The tech upgrades come as Hangzhou sees a significant increase in border traffic. “In the first half of 2025, we handled over 2.55 million border crossings, a 12.3 percent year-on-year increase,” said officer Liu Jiani. “Of those, foreign entries accounted for 206,000, up 33.5 percent year on year,” she told Viory.
To further ease congestion and enhance digital convenience, smart kiosks for foreign entry cards were introduced in January. These machines allow travellers to submit declarations via QR codes or mobile mini-programs and currently support seven languages, English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
As of mid-July, more than 86,000 passengers have already used the self-service kiosks.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
