Official statistics released by China’s General Administration of Customs on Saturday showed that China’s robot exports were worth 11.32 billion yuan (about $1.66 billion) in the first quarter of this year, with the robots going to 148 countries and regions around the world.

Cleaning robots have become a prominent feature as a newly added tax figure this year, with exports valued at 7.75 billion yuan, accounting for 68.5 percent of the total, making them a major force in Chinese robot exports in the first quarter, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, China exported industrial robots worth 3.16 billion yuan, a 42 percent year-on-year increase.