Much of Germany's car parts manufacturing is done in China as well. The robots are for assembly. I've been to Chinese manufacturing plants where all their sophisticated machinery is made in Germany.Rear Earth Metal dependency is an old myth. Research.
As for mfg coming or not coming back, it is dependant on the political will upstairs. Change the taxation structure, introduce sensible legal framework for environmental protection, and the robots will start humming anywhere in the US in no time. Anyone wondered why Chinese are in a rush to buy robots themselves? Cost of labor is a temporary factor in a long-term game. Germany can get by quite lovely with the expensive labor...