Two Chinese tourists have been arrested in Germany, after they were seen making Nazi salutes outside the country's parliament.

According to police officers in Berlin, the two men, aged 36 and 49, were seen striking "Heil Hitler" salutes in front of the Reichstag building, and taking photographs of each other on their phones.

The duo were charged on Saturday but have been released on bail of $600 (€500) each.

It is unclear if the tourists are still in Berlin or have already left Germany, according to a police spokeswoman speaking to The New York Times.

Chinese users on social media reacted quickly to the news, with many saying they were "embarrassed" by the duo.

"Do they not have the slightest knowledge of history? This brings so much shame to China,"said one user on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

"Please don't come back to China!" another added.

"Don't go overseas and disrespect others' culture and history. I'm glad they got caught," one user commented.

Germany has strict laws on hate speech linked to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, who ruled between 1933 and 1945.

Nazi images and symbols are banned in Germany, and can only be used for educational or historical purposes.

In Germany, Chinese tourists make up the largest majority of Asian tourists, according to research done in 2014 by the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a German think-tank.