The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has banned new imports of foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, a move directly targeting China. This action protects U.S. developers from fierce price competition and secures domestic market share for U.S. capital. Beijing quickly denounced the measures as protectionism.
Protecting Domestic Capital
FCC chairperson Brendan Carr stated Tuesday that the ban aims to "secure America's critical supply chains." The agency claims advanced robots pose cybersecurity and national security risks. However, China currently dominates the global humanoid robot market, holding an estimated 85% share. The ban also includes quadruped robots, often called four-legged robot dogs. This restriction removes an important future market for Chinese manufacturers.
Analyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar noted that Chinese manufacturers have been scaling production and reducing costs faster than most overseas competitors. He explained that restricting their access to the U.S. market protects U.S. developers from potential price competition. U.S. counterparts like Tesla and Figure AI each shipped only a few hundred or less of the 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025. In contrast, China's Unitree and AGIBOT each shipped more than 5,000 units.
The State's Economic Weapon
These bans are the latest in a series of U.S. restrictions on Chinese products, including drones, and on exports of U.S. advanced technology to China. The U.S. is also considering controls on Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models. Morgan Stanley analysts forecast China's market for humanoids could reach $15 billion by 2030, highlighting the economic stakes.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters Wednesday that Washington overstretches the concept of national security to suppress Chinese companies. She asserted that protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive and will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers. The ministry vowed to take "all measures necessary" to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses.
Global Capitalist Tensions
The new bans could also interfere with existing collaborations between U.S. and Chinese technology companies. Nvidia, for example, revealed a humanoid robot reference design last month that uses the humanoid chassis of China's Unitree. The Pentagon recently included Unitree and several other major Chinese technology companies on its list of firms with alleged ties to or aid for the Chinese military. Beijing has rejected this claim.
These measures are likely to test relations with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank, described the situation as a "steady drumbeat of potential flashpoints" leading into the summit. Morningstar analyst Cheng Wang indicated the pressure on U.S. markets from the power inverter restrictions should be limited, as the ban does not affect existing devices or previously approved models. The core aim remains the protection of U.S. capital's future market dominance.