Unitree founder sees faster evolution of embodied intelligence

Embodied intelligence is advancing faster than expected, with robots' generalization abilities improving, Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing said Thursday at the World Robot Conference in Beijing.

Themed "Human-Robot Symbiosis, Production-Demand Convergence," the 2026 edition of World Robot Conference kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday.

Unitree Robotics on Wednesday became the first humanoid robot maker listed on the A-share market, marking a significant step for the country's humanoid robot industry as it moves from technology accumulation to scaled and commercialized development. At the forum, Wang showcased products such as a robot that has broken human records in short-distance running, saying efforts are being made to enable physical AI robot models to self-evolve.

"Many people are curious about when general-purpose robots will truly enter our life and families. The biggest bottleneck at present is still that the generalization ability of embodied intelligence is not yet sufficient. I believe that in the next 10 years, at this new starting point, especially during the period of the explosive growth of AI and the extremely high global attention, the evolution speed of robots has significantly increased. The future development may even be faster than I predicted. If one day in any unfamiliar environment, or in your home, a robot can complete about 80 percent of the tasks successfully, it will be a critical breakthrough point for the industry in the future," said Wang.

Industry investors are setting up new funds for physical AI, channeling capital into the fast‑growing humanoid robotics sector.

"In fact, the listing of humanoid robot enterprises that we have witnessed is at a much faster pace than the industries we have seen in the past. Generally speaking, many enterprises have achieved listing within two or three years. In addition to embodied intelligence, there are also significant investment opportunities in hard-tech directions such as physical AI, including the basic layer of AI, large model hardware, and practical applications," said Li Jiasheng, an investment director of Shoucheng Holdings.

Unitree founder sees faster evolution of embodied intelligence

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Constant-Serge Bounda, Minister of Foreign Affairs, La Francophonie and Congolese Abroad of the Republic of the Congo, on Thursday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the Republic of the Congo is the first African country to join China in signing the Early Harvest Arrangement for the Agreement on Economic Partnership for Shared Development.

China will continue to support the Republic of the Congo in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and opposing all forms of bullying by external forces, Wang said.

Wang said China stands ready, under the strategic guidance of the two countries' heads of state, to work with the Republic of the Congo to plan high-level exchanges for the next stage, strengthen strategic alignment, advance practical cooperation, and promote bilateral ties.

Calling on both sides to fully prepare for the Tenth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation scheduled to be held in the Republic of the Congo in 2027, Wang said China is ready to work with African parties to build a more just and equitable global governance system that meets the shared aspirations of Global South countries.

The two sides should make good use of multilateral platforms including the International Organization for Mediation and the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, and step up communication and coordination, Wang said.

Bounda said the Republic of the Congo supports the series of global initiatives put forward by China and reaffirms its firm commitment to the one-China principle.

The Republic of the Congo appreciates China's attention to Africa's health sector and its assistance to Africa in combating the Ebola epidemic and strengthening health infrastructure development, Bounda said, noting that it stands ready to work with China to jointly push for greater progress in Africa-China relations.

China's top diplomat holds talks with FM of Republic of the Congo