Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots

What the report says

BBC World News reported that the Trump administration announced on Tuesday a ban on new imports of foreign-made advanced humanoid robots into the United States, citing national security concerns. The measure covers advanced robotic devices, including humanoid and four-legged machines, many of which are produced by Chinese companies as the US and China compete for leadership in robotics and artificial intelligence.

According to the BBC, the Federal Communications Commission also moved to block imports of power inverters, equipment used in data centres and solar panel systems. FCC chairman Brendan Carr said the agency was seeking to protect critical US supply chains. The FCC added the products to its Covered List, which identifies goods and services considered national security risks. The restrictions apply to new foreign-produced devices and do not bar models that had already received FCC authorization.

The FCC said foreign-made inverters could potentially be misused to shut down systems, extract data, enable remote access or support surveillance or cyberattacks. It also warned that imported robots could be exploited to monitor Americans, support foreign intelligence operations or be remotely controlled by hostile actors. The BBC said it had contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington and major Chinese robot makers Unitree, UBTech and AgiBot.

The decision comes amid broader US scrutiny of Chinese technology exports. The BBC noted that China’s electric vehicles face a 100% US tariff, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned Chinese AI firms could face sanctions over intellectual property allegations. China has previously said its AI progress reflects domestic effort and international cooperation.