- The Trump administration banned new foreign-made humanoid and four-legged robots, along with power inverters, citing national security risks.
- Many of these advanced robots are produced in China, which is competing with the US in robotics and AI development.
- The FCC added the items to its Covered List, blocking new imports but not affecting previously authorized models.
- FCC warned that foreign-made inverters and robots could enable surveillance, data theft, remote control, or cyberattacks by foreign actors.
- The Chinese embassy opposed the ban as politicizing trade and threatened necessary measures, urging the US to stop its hegemonic mindset.
- The ban is part of broader US-China trade tensions, including tariffs on Chinese EVs, semiconductor export restrictions, and IP theft allegations.
- Chinese robotics firms like Unitree, UBTech, and AgiBot have rapidly developed humanoid robots for factories and homes.