China’s commerce ministry accused the U.S. Federal Communications Commission of repeatedly disregarding Beijing’s restrained approach to trade restrictions, warning Thursday that retaliation could follow the agency’s latest move against imported robotics.
The FCC announced Tuesday that it was adding foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoid robots, to a list restricting their import into the United States, citing cybersecurity concerns. The commission’s statement didn’t name a specific country and noted that retailers would still be permitted to import models the agency had previously approved.
In an online statement Thursday, translated from Mandarin, China’s commerce ministry said the FCC’s continued escalation of restrictions on Chinese goods is severely damaging economic and trade stability between the two countries. The ministry called on Washington to withdraw the decision and warned it would pursue countermeasures if the U.S. failed to do so.
Marc Einstein, a research director at Counterpoint Research, described the development as bad news for Chinese humanoid robot manufacturers planning public offerings in the coming months. He noted that China has two significant levers it could pull in response, further restricting rare earth exports to American companies, or tightening market access in China for U.S. firms like Tesla and Nvidia.
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The commerce ministry’s statement comes just weeks before President Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.
Tensions surrounding the broader technology race between the two countries have continued to build, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently suggesting Washington could sanction China over allegations of AI model theft. Trump, for his part, indicated Thursday in public remarks that the U.S. might adopt a more measured approach to AI-related restrictions in order to preserve America’s technological lead over China.
Chinese firms Agibot, Unitree and UBTech ranked as the top three humanoid robot companies by global installation market share last year, according to Counterpoint, with Tesla’s Optimus coming in fifth. Hong Kong-listed shares of UBTech briefly dropped more than 6% in Thursday morning trading, while Unitree and Agibot have both filed paperwork to go public.
Robostore, a North American distributor of Chinese-made humanoid robots, said it has been preparing for the shift by expanding its U.S.-based operations, according to a statement from CEO Teddy Haggerty, who did not provide further specifics.
