Dancing, Boxing, Kung Fu: China's Unitree Robots Showcase Tech Prowess For Germany's Chancellor Merz | Watch Viral Video

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stood front-row at the Hangzhou factory floor of Unitree Robotics, watching 1.3-metre humanoid machines perform synchronised kung fu, trade blows in a boxing match, and flex through combat choreography that - just weeks earlier - had captivated hundreds of millions of viewers at China's Spring Festival Gala.

But it was what happened after the applause that told the real story. Merz picked up a single robotic component and turned it over in his hands, studying the Chinese hardware up close. For a manufacturing nation that once exported its engineering know-how to the world, it was a telling image.

Watch China boasting of its tech prowess in the video below:

The showcase at Unitree Robotics was the centrepiece of Merz's second and final day in China, which began at Beijing's Forbidden City and ended in Hangzhou - the eastern tech hub that has become ground zero for China's humanoid robotics industry.

Unitree founder Wang Xingxing walked the chancellor and his delegation through the factory floor personally, demonstrating the G1 humanoid's manufacturing process and its expanding range of capabilities. The robots that performed for Merz were the same models that had stunned Chinese New Year audiences earlier this month - executing backflips, wielding nunchucks, and sparring alongside human martial artists in a live broadcast watched by hundreds of millions.

Wang called Merz's visit 'a window for building more cooperation with German companies' and an opportunity to jointly advance the global robotics industry.

From viral stumbles to kung fu flips

The performance carried a pointed subtext. Just one year ago, China's humanoid robots were the subject of mockery on social media - videos of wobbling, falling androids spread as easily as the impressive ones. The machines that greeted Merz were a different proposition entirely.

Unitree's robots - priced at a base of $13,500, a fraction of Western competitors - had already made headlines at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala with a folk dance performance. This February, they returned to the same stage with aerial flips, weapon handling, and combat sequences that robotics analysts said demonstrated a qualitative leap in dexterity, agility, and fault recovery.

The contrast with Tesla's Optimus - expected to remain significantly more expensive - was not lost on observers in the industry or in government.

Unitree projects 10,000 to 20,000 shipments this year

Entertainment, for now, remains the most visible arena for China's humanoid robots - but 2026 is widely seen in the industry as the year that changes. Unitree has projected between 10,000 and 20,000 unit shipments this year. Machines from Chinese firms are already being piloted on assembly lines, in logistics hubs, and in research laboratories. Dozens of companies are competing in the field, backed by government subsidies and a manufacturing ecosystem that allows rapid iteration at low cost.

Published on: Friday, February 27, 2026, 12:22 PM IST