The Strategic Integration of Chinese Dual-Use Robotics (warontherocks.com)

• Unitree captured 60% of the global quadruped market share by 2023.
• Systemic state alignment undermines voluntary corporate weaponization pledges.
• Strategic shift from commercial innovation to state-aligned industrial policy.

"Despite early pledges to remain non-military, Chinese robotics firm Unitree has become a global leader in quadruped robotics, raising concerns over the systemic integration of commercial tech into military supply chains. Unitree’s rapid growth, backed by high-profile capital, highlights a pattern where private innovation is absorbed into state-led dual-use frameworks. This development complicates international efforts to prevent the weaponization of autonomous platforms and exposes the vulnerabilities in global technology governance as Chinese firms shift from civilian prototypes to potential battlefield applications."