file image.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ latest visit to China’s eastern tech hub of Hangzhou has brought to light the rapid progress Chinese companies are showing in the field of robotics. Merz, who went there to explore cooperation and investment opportunities, ended up shocked, or rather terrified, as he witnessed first hand the level of advancement the country was able to achieve. A level surprising not just Germany, but arguably the entire collective West.
During the visit, which took place on February 26, the German Chancellor met leading figures including those from Alibaba Group Holding and Unitree Robotics.
Other companies at the meeting included AI glasses start-up Rokid, brain-machine interface innovator BrainCo, and EV makers Geely and Leapmotor.
The highlight of the visit was Merz’s tour of Unitree Robotics, a leader in humanoid robots. Unitree’s CEO Wang Xingxing showcased humanoids dancing, boxing and performing martial arts. In videos from the tour, the German Chancellor appeared shocked, to say the least.
Wang said later on social media that it was an honour to meet Merz and that he looked forward to “collaborating with global enterprises for mutual success.”
What Merz witnessed was no secret, however. Earlier in the month, China’s annual Lunar New Year’s Eve spectacular made headlines this year as Unitree’s humanoid robots stole the show, performing coordinated martial arts moves and parkour routines.
The show was very much a breakthrough in robotics. It was a bold demonstration of China’s rapid technological advancement.
Seeing these humanoids performing complex moves at the show, many analysts were quick to note the military potentials of such robots.
One report by EuroNews Next in particular sounded the alarm over the issue, highlighting the growing fear in the West from the recent progress in robotics in China.
“There is likely room for robots in the shape of humans and animals in military and security organisations. Especially if they are to interact with structures built for humans, like cars, stairs, and doors,” Hans Liwång, a professor in systems science for defence and security at the Swedish Defence University, told the news outlet.
The report, published on February 21, also stated that China’s advantage lies largely in manufacturing scale and supply chain integration. The country built a near vertically integrated robotics value chain, supported by strong government backing, allowing firms to scale production quickly and push prices lower.
While the United States is actively working towards such a value chain, the European Union is far behind the two in robotics in general.
Unitree’s Wang in recent remarks estimated that the current level of robotics in China is comparable to that of a 10-year-old child, noting that large-scale commercial adoption is still three to five years from now, and no more than a decade at most.
While Unitree officially markets its robots for civilian use and has publicly pledged not to weaponize them, the reality is more complex as their platforms are increasingly being adapted for military and security purposes by third parties and state actors.
A recent AI-generated video provided a glimpse into how a militarized version of Unitree humanoid robots could operate in a training scenario.
Such a concept is likely still years away, but simpler quadruped robots, which first came to the spotlight more than two decades ago, are now being actively militarized, and China is, without a doubt, taking the lead.
In fact, Unitree’s quadrupeds, originally commercial platforms aimed at industrial and research markets, began appearing in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises years ago.
Last year, however, the PLA held a series of military exercises with more specialized quadruped “wolf robots,” which were developed to conduct reconnaissance and combat. The military didn’t just try on how to employ such robots, but also on how to counter them.
These robots landed with amphibious naval unit on a beach in one of the exercises. They were also tested in urban combat simulations.
The scale of the exercises leave little doubt about the fact that such robots are actively being integrated into Chinese military formations.
China is even looking to export the tech. At the World Defense Show 2026, which was held in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh from February 8 to 12, a Chinese state-linked defense manufacturer unveiled a quadruped combat robot carrying four anti-tank guided missiles on its back.
The PF-070 combines precision-guided anti-armor capability with a low-profile, terrain-agile chassis. The four missile launchers mounted on top are derived from the man-portable QN-202 system, already in the Chinese inventory. The optically-guided missile has a range of at least two kilometers.
While the United States at some periods led in the development of military ground robots, now the entire collective West appears to be lagging behind China.
This gap will likely get larger with time, and while the U.S. could stay within the race, Germany and the rest of the EU, in addition to the United Kingdom, will not likely be able to catch up, not just because they are behind in tech, but simply because their industrial capabilities are on the decline.
Wang recently stated that he expects Unitree’s shipments of humanoid robots to reach between 10,000 and 20,000 units in 2026. It is hard to see any company in the EU and the UK reaching these numbers even in a few years from now. Even in the U.S., Unitree’s competitor Tesla is still in the research and development phase when it comes to humanoid robots.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
no one is scared of cheap chink junk…hehehehe
a kinzhal needs to drop on your @ss.
i hope that jolani will succeed in creating such an embarrassment for trump and maga that after trump’s term ends, vance will never even return to the senate.