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 Mr 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, Mr 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 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 when they displayed their fighting prowess in the latest New Year show earlier this month.

Mr Merz witnessed a boxing match between robots that are 1.3 metres tall and use AI.

Later on Thursday, Mr Merz will visit a high-voltage switchgear facility in Hangzhou operated by German firm Siemens Energy, which has been in operation since 1995.

(dpa/NAN)