Beijing Vows Countermoves Over Washington’s Humanoid Robot Import Restrictions

A humanoid robot from Robostore appears on CNBC’s Power Lunch on Dec. 30, 2025.

BEIJING — China’s commerce ministry threatened retaliation on Thursday, stating that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has repeatedly dismissed Beijing’s cautious approach to product bans.

The FCC cited cybersecurity concerns on Tuesday when adding foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoids, to a restricted import list. The statement did not specify a country but noted that retailers could still import models previously approved by the commission.

The commerce ministry warned that the FCC’s escalating restrictions on Chinese goods “severely damage China-U.S. economic and trade stability,” according to an online statement issued Thursday.

The ministry urged the United States to reverse the decision, threatening countermeasures if it fails 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 restrict Chinese market access for American companies like Tesla and NVIDIA.”

The commerce ministry’s statement came as U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. Tech tensions have intensified, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warning that the United States could sanction China over AI model “theft.”

On Thursday, Trump indicated that the U.S. might adopt a more cautious stance on AI controls to sustain American technological leadership over China.

According to Counterpoint, Chinese companies Agibot, Unitree, and UBTech held the top three positions in humanoid installation market share last year, with Tesla’s Optimus ranking fifth.

Shares of Hong Kong-listed UBTech briefly fell by more than 6% in Thursday morning trading. Unitree and Agibot have both filed for public offerings.

Robostore, a North American distributor of Chinese humanoid robots, has been preparing by expanding its U.S.-based capabilities, CEO Teddy Haggerty said in a statement to CNBC. He did not elaborate on the details.

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