China has threatened to retaliate against new US restrictions on foreign-produced humanoid robots, warning that the measures will damage economic and trade relations between the world’s two largest economies.
The response comes after the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added foreign-produced advanced robotic devices, including humanoids and quadrupeds, to its Covered List, preventing new models from receiving the equipment authorizations generally required for import, marketing and sale in the United States.
As previously reported by Robotics & Automation News, the FCC said the decision followed determinations by US national security agencies that the devices pose unacceptable cybersecurity and supply chain risks. Existing FCC-authorized robot models are not affected.
According to a report by CNBC, China’s Ministry of Commerce accused the FCC of repeatedly ignoring Beijing’s restrained approach to product restrictions.
The ministry said the FCC’s latest action “severely damages China-US economic and trade stability”, according to a CNBC translation of its statement.
China also called on the United States to withdraw the restrictions and warned that it would introduce countermeasures if the decision remained in place.
The latest exchange marks another escalation in the growing technology rivalry between Washington and Beijing, which has increasingly expanded beyond semiconductors and telecommunications into artificial intelligence and advanced robotics.
Marc Einstein, research director at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC that the timing could prove particularly difficult for Chinese robotics companies preparing to enter public markets.
“This is bad news for Chinese humanoid producers planning their IPOs in the coming months,” said Marc Einstein, a research director at Counterpoint Research.
“The two major cards China can play are to further restrict rare earth sales to American companies and further restricting Chinese market access for American companies like Tesla and Nvidia.”
The dispute comes ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September, while tensions over artificial intelligence and advanced technology continue to rise.
According to CNBC, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also suggested the United States could impose sanctions on China over alleged AI model “theft”, while President Trump indicated the US may take a more cautious approach to AI export controls in order to preserve American technological leadership.
The FCC’s decision is expected to have its greatest impact on Chinese robotics manufacturers, which currently dominate the global humanoid robot market.
According to Counterpoint Research, Chinese companies AgiBot, Unitree and UBTech were the world’s three largest humanoid robot suppliers by installation market share last year.
Unitree and AgiBot have both filed for initial public offerings, while Hong Kong-listed UBTech reportedly fell more than 6 percent in Thursday morning trading following news of China’s response.
Robostore, a North American distributor of Chinese humanoid robots, told CNBC it has been preparing for possible restrictions by expanding its US-based operations.
The FCC’s restrictions apply only to new foreign-produced advanced robotic devices seeking equipment authorization and do not affect existing approved robot models already operating in the United States.
Source: CNBC, with additional reporting by Robotics & Automation News.
