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US bans imports of foreign-made humanoid robots ahead of Trump-Xi meet, targets China-dominated market
The latest ban follows a string of such restrictions on imports of Chinese products, including drones, and curbs on exports of advanced US technology to China.
The United States has banned new imports of foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, in a move which is set to hit China the hardest, given its market dominance in the products.
While banning the robots, the US Federal Communications Commission cited national security risks, the Associated Press reported. The new measures comes ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping's planned visit to the United States in September to meet with US President Donald Trump.
The FCC's latest ban follows a string of such restrictions on imports of Chinese products, including drones, and curbs on exports of advanced US technology to China. In response to the move, China's foreign ministry accused Washington of overstretching the concept of national security to suppress Chinese companies. It said Beijing would take “all necessary measures” to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses. “Protectionism does not make the US more competitive, and it will only hurt the interests of US companies and consumers,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said.
Which products to be hit? What has the FCC said?
Apart from humanoid robots, the FCC's ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots – often referred to as four-legged robot dogs, according to the AP report. It further includes power inverters, used to convert direct current (DC) electricity into alternating current (AC) electricity and used in renewable energy systems, data centers and some household appliances.
Following the move, the US agency said imports of advanced robots could pose cybersecurity risks and could fuel national security concerns. Offshore production of such products could leave US supply chains vulnerable to disruptions, FCC chairperson Brendan Carr highlighted on Tuesday. Carr said he move was to “secure America’s critical supply chains,” while clarifying that the ban had been imposed on “new versions” of such imports.
How does the move affect China?
China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. Beijing has also been rapidly expanding use of robots, with policies which support its technology sector, AP reported. According to analysts at Morgan Stanley, China's market for humanoids could reach $15 billion by 2030.
“Chinese manufacturers have been scaling production and reducing costs faster than most overseas competitors,” AP cited analyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar as saying. Meanwhile, the US has been mulling controls and curbs on use of Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models. “Restricting their access to the US removes an important future market and protects US developers from potential price competition,” Li said.
However, the analyst asserted that these curbs would not materially slow China’s overall humanoid development, owing to the size of its domestic manufacturing base and opportunities in other export markets. Around 15,000 humanoid robots were shipped globally in 2025, of which two major Chinese companies shipped more than 10,000. Unitree and AGIBOT, two of China’s largest advanced robotics companies, each shipped more than 5,000 humanoids each. In comparison, their US counterparts, like Tesla and Figure AI, each shipped a few hundred or less, AP reported citing the technology research and advisory group Omdia.
