Symbolic imageUS bans new foreign robot and inverter imports, China vows countermeasures
The US Federal Communications Commission has added foreign-made advanced robotic devices and connected power inverters to its Covered List, barring new models from the authorisation they need to be imported and sold in the United States. The category is overwhelmingly supplied by Chinese manufacturers. Beijing's foreign and commerce ministries condemned the step and promised measures to protect Chinese firms.
What happened
The FCC added foreign-made "advanced robotic devices" to its Covered List on Tuesday, blocking new models from obtaining the authorisation required to be imported and sold in the United States. The ban covers all new humanoids, quadrupeds and a broad range of connected mobile machines, a category overwhelmingly produced in China, and extends to connected power inverters. The FCC justified the step with supply chain vulnerabilities and cybersecurity threats. Models authorised before the decision remain unaffected for now. China's foreign ministry condemned the measure on Wednesday, saying Beijing has consistently opposed the US broadening the concept of national security to suppress Chinese companies, and that protectionism will only harm American companies and consumers. The commerce ministry said the escalated restrictions seriously undermine the stable situation of China-US economic and trade ties; both ministries said Beijing would take necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.
The view from outside
The Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reports that analysts expect the ban to benefit Tesla and other American robot developers. Chinese robot makers with ambitious overseas expansion plans, it writes, may now have to recalibrate them.
What could happen next
The immediate effect falls on new products: Chinese manufacturers lose the certification path into the US market for models not yet approved, while already authorised devices keep their status. Bloomberg frames the robot and inverter curbs as a step that risks widening the clash between Washington and Beijing, extending a contest so far centred on AI chips into finished hardware. Beijing has announced countermeasures without specifying them, so the next signals are what form its response takes and whether Washington broadens the curbs to further connected device categories.
United States: The FCC says foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots, connected mobile machines and power inverters pose unacceptable supply chain and cybersecurity risks, so new models are barred from authorisation.
China: Beijing calls the ban an overstretched use of national security to suppress Chinese companies and says it will take necessary measures to protect its firms.