BEIJING — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has repeatedly ignored Beijing's restrained stance on product bans, China's commerce ministry said Thursday, threatening retaliation.
The FCC on Tuesday said due to cybersecurity concerns, it added foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoids, to a list restricting imports to the U.S. The statement did not specify a country, and said retailers could still import models the FCC has previously approved.
As the FCC keeps escalating restrictions on Chinese goods, it "severely damages China-U.S. economic and trade stability," China's commerce ministry said in an online statement Thursday. That's according to a CNBC translation of Mandarin.
The ministry urged the U.S. to withdraw the decision, and threatened countermeasures if it failed to do so.
"This is bad news for Chinese humanoid producers planning their IPOs in the coming months," said Marc Einstein, a research director at Counterpoint Research. "The two major cards China can play are to further restrict rare earth sales to American companies and further restricting Chinese market access for American companies like Tesla and NVIDIA."
The commerce ministry's statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. Tensions over the tech race have meanwhile intensified, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the U.S. could sanction China over AI model "theft."
Trump on Thursday indicated in public comments that the U.S. might take a more cautious stance on AI controls in order to maintain American tech leadership over China.
Chinese companies Agibot, Unitree and UBTech accounted for the top-three humanoid companies by installation market share last year, according to Counterpoint. Tesla's Optimus ranked fifth.
Hong Kong-listed UBTech shares briefly fell more than 6% in Thursday morning trading. Unitree and Agibot have filed to go public.
Robostore, a distributor of Chinese humanoid robots in North America, has been preparing by expanding its U.S.-based capabilities, CEO Teddy Haggerty said in a statement to CNBC. He did not elaborate on details.
—CNBC's Matthew Tan contributed to this report.
Facts Only
* The FCC added foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoids, to a list restricting imports to the U.S. due to cybersecurity concerns on Tuesday.
* The restriction statement did not specify a country and allowed for the import of models previously approved by the FCC.
* China's commerce ministry stated that escalating restrictions "severely damages China-U.S. economic and trade stability."
* The commerce ministry urged the U.S. to withdraw the decision and threatened countermeasures.
* Chinese companies Agibot, Unitree, and UBTech accounted for the top-three humanoid companies by installation market share last year according to Counterpoint.
* Tesla's Optimus ranked fifth among the top three humanoid companies.
* The U.S. Treasury Secretary stated the U.S. could sanction China over AI model "theft."
* Chinese humanoid robot companies include Agibot, Unitree, and UBTech.
* Robostore is a distributor of Chinese humanoid robots in North America.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative pivots on the friction between technological competition and geopolitical economic stability. The actions taken by the FCC—restricting imports based on cybersecurity concerns—are framed as necessary defensive measures, yet they trigger an immediate and strong retaliatory response from Beijing, suggesting a zero-sum view of trade rather than a purely regulatory divergence. The underlying dynamic involves state-level strategic interests intersecting with private market activities, specifically concerning advanced robotics and AI development. The mention of future IPOs for Chinese producers and the threat regarding rare earth sales suggest that the immediate policy action is intertwined with long-term economic leverage. This suggests a pattern where technological regulation is quickly weaponized to shift competitive advantage in broader geopolitical arenas, where established trade relationships become secondary to perceived technological dominance. The contrast between the specific market data on humanoid robots and the high-level threats regarding AI theft illustrates how tangible industrial competition can rapidly escalate into diplomatic friction.
Bridge Questions: If restrictions are implemented to secure national security interests, what mechanisms exist for creating a stable regulatory framework that minimizes direct economic retaliation? How do private sector investments in cutting-edge technology navigate an environment where international trade stability is explicitly threatened by state actions? What are the long-term incentives for both Beijing and Washington to pursue cooperation over competitive isolation in the critical areas of AI and advanced robotics?
Sentinel — Human
The text appears to be a standard news report synthesizing public statements and expert commentary regarding U.S.-China trade and technology tensions.