German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday concluded his two-day visit to China with a tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing and a boxing match between robots in the eastern high-tech metropolis of Hangzhou.
After meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday that focused on strengthening economic and diplomatic ties, the second day of Merz’s visit featured a more diverse programme, starting at the historic Forbidden City.
The complex, which served as the imperial palace for more than 500 years, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China’s most important attractions.
In a reference to the newly begun Year of the Horse, Merz wrote in his guestbook entry at the palace that he wishes Germany and China speed, strength and energy for “a year of cooperation and growth.”
He also added a line from German poet Friedrich Schiller’s poem “The Proverbs of Confucius.”
The chancellor then set off for Hangzhou, a city of 12.6 million inhabitants near Shanghai that has become a hub for high-tech firms such as Alibaba and China’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) company, DeepSeek.
Another high-profile business in Hangzhou is Unitree Robotics, founded in 2016 by Wang Xingxing, which has made a name for itself in China with its humanoid robots.
The robots caused a great stir when they performed a folk dance on stage at the TV gala for the Chinese New Year festival in 2025, and showed off their fighting prowess in the latest New Year show earlier this month.
Merz witnessed a boxing match between the robots, which are 1.3 metres tall and make use of AI technologies.
The humanoid robots are yet to find practical applications, with only 5,500 units being sold by Unitree in 2025. According to media reports, the company is hoping to boost sales up to 20,000 this year.
The chancellor also toured a high-voltage switchgear facility operated by German firm Siemens Energy in Hangzhou since 1995.
At the end of his two-day trip, Merz said he would return home with “deep impressions,” highlighting areas of “good cooperation with China” but also “some challenges” such as overcapacity in Chinese industry.
The chancellor did not hold a joint press conference with Chinese officials during the visit, and was unavailable for questions in his two briefings to journalists, a highly unusual practice.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the company Unitree Robotics in Zhejiang province and is given a tour of the showrooms by founder and Managing Director Wang Xingxing (L). The company is known for its humanoid robots. Michael Kappeler/dpa