Door closed: The USA bans new robots from China

The decision came on Tuesday and took effect immediately. The American telecommunications regulator FCC has added humanoid robots and four-legged robot dogs from Chinese production to its ban list. New models are no longer permitted to be imported into the USA. Only devices that already have approval for the American market remain temporarily allowed, although the authority can also revoke these permits.

The justification reads like a chapter from a thriller. The devices could collect data that foreign intelligence services could use to monitor Americans, or they could be hijacked remotely, the FCC writes. The concern is not entirely unfounded: Modern humanoids carry cameras, microphones, and radio modules on their bodies and remain permanently connected to the internet for updates. Whoever controls the software controls the machine.

One company in particular is affected: Unitree from Hangzhou, by far the largest exporter of robot dogs and affordable humanoids. The Pentagon recently placed the company on a list of firms it accuses of having ties to the Chinese military. Beijing denies this. The matter is also delicate for Nvidia, whose chips are found in many Unitree machines. The blow cuts deep, as China dominates the global market for humanoid robots with an estimated share of around 85 percent.

The reaction from Beijing came promptly. The Chinese embassy in Washington called on the USA to stop defaming Chinese companies and threatening them with sanctions. It said it would take all necessary measures if Chinese interests suffered significant harm.

The import ban is not an isolated case but part of a strategy. Chinese inverters for solar systems and data centers also landed on the same ban list. Washington wants to bring critical technology into its own country, and domestic robot manufacturers are gratefully seizing the opportunity: Tesla wants to ramp up production of its Optimus, Figure AI and Agility Robotics are already manufacturing in American facilities.

This raises an uncomfortable question for Europe: Where will China's robots go if the American market is closed? The answer is obvious. Overnight, Europe becomes the most important open sales market for an industry geared toward mass production and needing to move its volumes somewhere. Falling prices and a larger selection are likely to follow, including in Switzerland, where Chinese machines have long since arrived: Unitree platforms are standing in university labs, service robots from Chinese production serve in restaurants and hotels.

At the same time, Europe imports the security debate along with the machines. What Washington classifies as a risk cannot simply be ignored in Bern and Brussels. Anyone deploying a networked robot in a factory, hospital, or hotel today will increasingly hear the question: whose software is actually running in it and where does the data go? The race for humanoids will no longer be decided solely by technology, but increasingly by trust.