US Bans New Chinese Humanoid Robots

The US bans new Chinese humanoid robots in a fresh move by the Trump administration that officials say is meant to protect national security and critical supply chains. The decision targets new foreign-made advanced robots, including humanoid machines and four-legged models, many of them produced in China as the two countries compete in robotics and artificial intelligence.

The Federal Communications Commission also moved to bar imports of power inverters, which are used in data centres and solar panels. The agency said those devices could pose a risk to the US economy. FCC chairman Brendan Carr said the agency was doing its part to secure America’s critical supply chains, and the commission added both categories to its Covered List, a register of goods and services viewed as a national security risk.

The restriction does not stop the sale or import of existing models that had already been cleared by the FCC. It applies only to new foreign-produced advanced robotic devices and power inverters. The agency said foreign-made inverters could let overseas firms switch them off, steal data, open remote access, or enable surveillance through cyberattacks. It also warned that robots built outside the US could allow malign actors to watch Americans, strengthen foreign intelligence services, or remotely take control of the machines.

China’s embassy in Washington pushed back hard, saying Beijing has long opposed what it sees as the politicising of trade and sanctions based on groundless pretexts. The embassy said China would take all necessary measures if its interests were harmed. It also urged countries to work together on AI for positive purposes and called on the US to drop what it described as a hegemonic mindset and stop smearing Chinese companies and threatening them with sanctions.