Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots - BBC

What the report says

BBC News reports that the Trump administration announced on Tuesday a ban affecting new imports of foreign-made advanced robotic devices into the United States, citing national security concerns. The measure covers humanoid robots as well as four-legged machines, categories in which Chinese manufacturers are prominent as Beijing and Washington compete in robotics and artificial intelligence.

According to the BBC, the Federal Communications Commission added the products to its Covered List, which identifies goods and services considered security risks. The agency also included power inverters, which are used in solar panels and data centres. FCC chairman Brendan Carr said the move was part of an effort to protect critical US supply chains. The restrictions apply to newly produced foreign devices and inverters, but the BBC said they do not block models that had already received FCC authorization.

The FCC said foreign-made inverters could potentially be misused to disable equipment, access data, enable surveillance or support cyberattacks. It also warned that imported robots could be used by hostile actors for surveillance, intelligence-gathering or remote control. China’s embassy in Washington rejected the US approach, saying Beijing opposes what it views as the politicisation of trade and sanctions based on unsupported grounds, and said China would take necessary steps to protect its interests.

The decision comes amid broader US scrutiny of Chinese technology exports, including tariffs affecting Chinese electric vehicles and limits on advanced semiconductor sales to China. The BBC noted that Chinese companies have moved quickly to develop humanoid robots for factories, homes and other uses, while US firms including Tesla and Boston Dynamics are also competing in the field.