The world's first humanoid robot half-marathon took place on Saturday in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, allowing the diverse field of Chinese robotic engineering to show their true colors.
Among 20 competing teams, Tiangong Ultra from the Tiangong Team claimed victory in the humanoid half marathon, crossing the finish line first with a time of two hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.
Standing approximately 1.8 meters tall and weighing 55 kilograms, Tiangong Ultra has seen its speed increase from 6 km/h to a peak of 12 km/h this year, while its intelligence was also enhanced using the Huisi Kaiwu platform, a universal embodied intelligence system. During the race, Tiangong Ultra maintained a steady pace of 7-8 km/h.
Just last April, Tiangong debuted as the world's first full-size, purely electric-driven humanoid robot, capable of running only a few hundred meters, according to the National and Local Co-built Embodied AI Robotics Innovation Center, formerly known as the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics, who develops the robot.
The Tiangong Ultra completing the half-marathon represents a monumental leap forward, showing the research team's continuous push for technological advancement.
"When we first heard about a robot running this distance, it seemed impossible. We had never seen anything like it," said Zheng Haohan, a testing engineer at the center.
"The entire iteration and optimization process of the robot body has achieved reliability and stability, which is a great benefit for us and the industry," said Xiao Jian, a robot engineer.
"Tiangong is like our child. It couldn't do anything at first. We had to teach it everything, from standing up to walking and then running. Now, it's more like a partner, using its skills to help us," said Zhao Wen, an algorithms engineer.
"The marathon spirit is about overcoming all kinds of challenges. Our engineers, like so many others in China, are constantly tackling complex problems in technological research and development," said Wei Jiaxing, head of public relations at the center.
Humanoid robot half-marathon demonstrates Chinese engineers' perseverance, innovative spirit
China will strengthen fiscal and financial coordination to amplify policy effectiveness, experts said as the draft central and local budgets for 2026 were unveiled on Friday at the ongoing fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress.
According to the draft central and local budgets for 2026, 1.3 trillion yuan (190 billion U.S. dollars) of ultra-long special treasury bonds will be issued to provide continued support for the implementation of major national strategies and security capacity-building in key areas and for large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs.
Ultra-long special treasury bonds totaling 800 billion yuan will be allocated to support the implementation of major national strategies and security capacity-building in key areas, and 250 billion yuan in ultra-long special treasury bonds will be earmarked for consumer goods trade-in programs.
The country will refine these programs in terms of their scope and subsidy standards, and continue to support the scrapping and replacement of automobiles, home appliance trade-in schemes, and purchases of new digital and smart products.
China will also set up a 100-billion-yuan fiscal-financial coordination fund to boost domestic demand. The fund will support consumption and private investment through loan interest subsidies, financing guarantee, and risk compensation.
"Fiscal and monetary policies are the two major macroeconomic tools for macro-control, and their coordination is crucial. For instance, fiscal funds primarily serve as a guiding role, while financial institutions provide the capital. When fiscal guidance and financial resources are combined, the synergistic effect creates a result greater than the sum of its parts," said Yang Zhiyong, director of the Chinese Academy of Fiscal Sciences.
"By leveraging interest subsidies, we can mobilize substantial credit from financial institutions, thereby naturally stimulating consumption. The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the People's Bank of China, has introduced highly innovative measures, such as providing guarantees for the issuance of corporate bonds by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and compensating investors for losses. I believe the leveraging effect, making minimal efforts for maximum results, will become even more potent," said Yao Dongmin, director of the Center for China Fiscal Development under the Central University of Finance and Economics.
China's top legislature opened its annual session on Thursday morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders attending the opening meeting alongside more than 2,700 NPC deputies. This year's NPC session is scheduled to run till March 12.
China to strengthen fiscal, financial coordination to amplify policy effectiveness: experts
