German robotics companies are confident industrial customers will turn to them rather than Chinese challengers that are rapidly expanding globally, a sharp difference to US firms appealing for government help.

Europe’s largest economy, like many wealthy nations, is eyeing autonomous bots to address its struggling industrial base and aging workforce.

The CEO of leading German startup Neura Robotics told Semafor he is confident his customers will “think twice of where the technologies come from,” while the head of Munich-based industrial bot maker RobCo argued Chinese firms face a “very tough pitch” when it comes to reliability and data security. It’s a marked contrast from the US, where robotics firms are urgently pushing for a national strategy to counter China.