BEIJING has accused the United States of seeking to “suppress” Chinese companies after Washington banned imports of humanoid and quadruped robots manufactured abroad.
Most humanoid robots sold in the United States are imported, particularly from China, where local companies have raced ahead in the booming sector.
Beijing’s foreign ministry said it “firmly opposed” Tuesday’s move by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to add “advanced robotic devices” to the list of banned items on national security grounds.
“China has always firmly opposed the US overstretching the concept of national security to suppress Chinese companies,” ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular news conference yesterday.
Beijing will take “necessary measures” to safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese companies, Mao added.
“Protectionism cannot enhance US competitiveness. It will only harm the interests of American companies and consumers.”
China makes substantially more humanoid robots than the United States and other competitors, and analysts estimate that Chinese humanoid robots’ global market share has reached roughly 85%.
The FCC’s ban includes new imports of humanoid robots and quadrupeds – often referred to as four-legged robot dogs – as well as foreign-made power inverters.
In making the decision, the FCC said these advanced robots produced in foreign countries pose supply chain vulnerabilities to the United States as well as cybersecurity and national security risks.
FCC chairperson Brendan Carr said in a statement that the move was to “secure America’s critical supply chains”.
The United States has been taking steps to keep Chinese technology out with recent bans on imports, including of Chinese-made drones.
The United States is also weighing restrictions on Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models at a time when Chinese AI is rapidly gaining ground.
Last year, China accounted for around 85% of humanoid deployments globally, according to Barclays, with its technological sector backed strongly by state support and policy. Morgan Stanley analysts forecast China’s humanoid robot market could reach US$15bil (RM61bil) by 2030.
“Chinese manufacturers have been scaling production and reducing costs faster than most overseas competitors,” said analyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar.
“Restricting their access to the United States removes an important future market and protects US developers from potential price competition.
“However, it will not materially slow China’s overall humanoid development, given the size of its domestic manufacturing base and opportunities in other export markets.”
Of the 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Unitree and Agibot, two of China’s largest advanced robotics companies, each shipped over 5,000, while their US counterparts like Tesla and Figure AI each shipped a few hundred or less, according to the technology research and advisory group Omdia. — AFP/AP
