German Chancellor Leads Delegation to Hangzhou, Focusing on Humanoid Robots and Brain-Computer Interface Collaboration

On February 26, 2026, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz led a delegation of nearly 30 business leaders to Hangzhou for high-level exchanges with Chinese enterprises. The delegation included executives from major German corporations such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Siemens, alongside Zhejiang-based manufacturers like Geely and Leapmotor. Notably, Hangzhou’s emerging deep-tech firms—Unitree Robotics and BrainCo—drew significant attention. Unitree Robotics has achieved global breakthroughs with its highly dynamic humanoid robots, including the world’s first continuous single-foot backflips. In 2025, the company shipped over 5,500 units, entering mass production, and is now engaged in deep collaborations with German companies like Siemens and DHL. BrainCo specializes in non-invasive brain-computer interfaces; its smart prosthetic hand has received FDA approval in the United States and has secured RMB 2 billion in funding. Approximately 30–40% of its revenue comes from overseas markets, with Germany being a key market. This visit underscores how Sino-German cooperation is expanding from traditional manufacturing into cutting-edge technologies. Both sides are seeking complementary strengths in embodied intelligence and brain-computer interfaces: Germany excels in precision engineering and standardization systems, while China leads in innovation speed and real-world application deployment. Siemens Chairman Roland Busch called for “reinventing the way we collaborate” to drive deeper integration of the two countries’ industrial ecosystems.