Beijing to hold world's first humanoid robot games in August

The world's first comprehensive sports competition featuring humanoid robotics -- the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games -- will be held in Beijing from August 15 to 17, the Beijing municipal government announced on Wednesday.

The games are set to take place at two of the city's most iconic venues -- the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest," and the National Speed Skating Oval, the venue for speed skating of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The main events are divided into three major categories -- competitions, performances, and scenario-based challenges covering 19 events.

In the competition category, robots will compete in traditional athletic events, such as track and field races (100m, 400m, 1500m, 4x100m relay, 100m hurdles, long jump, and high jump), gymnastics and various formats of soccer.

Robots will also participate in performances, including solo and group dances, with aims to showcase real-time coordinated control and collaborative capabilities through artistic choreography and musical accompaniment.

The scenario-based games will focus on real-world applications in industrial, hospital and hotel settings where robots are tasked to handle factory material, sort medicines, perform hotel reception and cleaning services.

"The humanoid robot games aim to focally showcase and evaluate the latest advancements in robotics through diverse competition events and drive technological progress across multiple disciplines, including mechanical structure, artificial intelligence, large models, optics, sensing technology and materials science," said Jiang Guangzhi, director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

Speaking at the press conference marking the 100-day countdown to the games, Jiang said he has also invited developers from around the world to attend the unprecedented gathering.

The games will be co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal People's Government, China Media Group (CMG), the World Robot Cooperation Organization, and the International Council of RoboCup Asia-Pacific.

Beijing to hold world's first humanoid robot games in August

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.

ROK president reiterates firm adherence to one-China principle