China’s robot makers shipped 25x more units than U.S. rivals in 2025, so America banned them

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China, which dominates the global humanoid robot market with an estimated 85% share. China accused the U.S. of protectionism, and the measures could test relations ahead of a planned U.S. visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in September.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is banning imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots and power inverters, citing national security risks, in a move that targets China. Beijing quickly accused the U.S. of protectionism. The measures are likely to test relations https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-xi-summit-1a0b28a9a7b9078d736ba94bf3b4d6e2 with Beijing ahead of a planned U.S. visit https://apnews.com/video/trump-invites-xi-to-visit-white-house-in-september-during-banquet-toast-in-beijing-0628438034f84d44a8ac85144f5d7fe5 by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in September. China dominates the global market for humanoid robots https://apnews.com/article/china-humanoid-robots-ai-demand-7d542b5ee92caa9d79efa28de89afbbe with an estimated market share of roughly 85%. The FCC’s ban also includes new imports of quadruped robots, often referred to as four-legged robot dogs. The agency said imports of advanced robots pose cybersecurity and other national security risks. Offshore production of such equipment also leaves U.S. supply chains vulnerable to disruptions. The ban on power inverters, which are used to convert direct current DC electricity into alternating current AC electricity and are used in renewable energy systems, data centers and household appliances, could have sweeping ramifications. This is the latest in US restrictions on Chinese imports FCC chairperson Brendan Carr said Tuesday that the move was to “secure America’s critical supply chains.” He said the bans apply to “new versions” of such imports. The FCC’s bans follow a slew of U.S. restrictions on imports of Chinese products, including drones https://apnews.com/article/china-drones-national-security-fcc-bbc2e8c7a0b42e2ddc74ad19a12ada98 , and on exports of U.S. advanced technology to China. The U.S. is also weighing controls on use of Chinese open-source artificial intelligence models at a time when Chinese AI is rapidly gaining ground https://apnews.com/article/china-ai-model-us-kimi-deepseek-a00bf637866fcd4d81f4fde28c9862ce . “It’s a steady drumbeat of potential flashpoints heading into the Trump-Xi summit planned for September,” said Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at the New America think tank focused on Chinese technology policies. China has been rapidly expanding the use of robots, with policies supporting its technology sector. Morgan Stanley https://fortune.com/company/morgan-stanley/ analysts forecast its market for humanoids could reach $15 billion by 2030. “Chinese manufacturers have been scaling production and reducing costs faster than most overseas competitors,” said analyst Kangyuxiao Li at Morningstar. “Restricting their access to the U.S. removes an important future market and protects U.S. developers from potential price competition,” he said. “However, it will not materially slow China’s overall humanoid development, given the size of its domestic manufacturing base and opportunities in other export markets.” Of the around 15,000 humanoid robots shipped globally in 2025, Unitree and AGIBOT, two of China’s largest advanced robotics companies, each shipped more than 5,000. Their U.S. counterparts, like Tesla https://fortune.com/company/tesla/ and Figure AI, each shipped a few hundred or less, according to the technology research and advisory group Omdia. On the restrictions on power inverters, Cheng Wang, another Morningstar analyst, said the pressure on U.S. markets should be limited. The ban appears to not impact the continued use of existing devices nor the selling by Chinese companies of models that were previously approved by the United States. China says protectionism will only hurt the US China’s Foreign Ministry hit back at the U.S. move, accusing Washington of overstretching the concept of national security to suppress Chinese companies. China will take “all measures necessary” to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, it said. “Protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive, and it will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, told reporters at a regular press conference Wednesday in Beijing. The new bans could also potentially interfere with collaborations between U.S. and Chinese technology companies, said Lian Jye Su, a chief analyst at Omdia. Nvidia https://fortune.com/company/nvidia/ , for example, in June revealed https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-microsoft-ai-laptops-jensen-chip-c807f7333b93b9927b62b1240dcf65a1 a humanoid robot reference design which uses the humanoid chassis of China’s Unitree. The Pentagon recently included Unitree and several other major Chinese technology companies https://apnews.com/article/china-military-pentagon-alibaba-byd-baidu-unitree-4d664a6f164538b451263eafcceddaa5 on its list of firms that it said have ties to or aid the Chinese military. Beijing has rejected that claim. The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit.