U.S. Bans Imports of Robots After Chinese Drones, Citing "Core Supply Chain Protection"

Chinese Robotics Products Exceed 50% Market Share
"Pose Risks of Security Vulnerabilities and Attack Vectors"

AFP Yonhap News

The U.S. government has designated advanced foreign-made robots and power inverters as newly banned import items. U.S. authorities stated that this measure is aimed at protecting the supply chains of critical products essential for national security. This move is viewed as an attempt to counter China's encroachment into advanced supply chains, following the ban on the import of military drones issued in March.

On its official website, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on the 28th (local time) that it will add to the Covered List movable robots, including humanoid and quadrupedal robots, as well as power inverters, which convert energy produced from renewable sources and batteries to connect to the power grid. Products added to the Covered List cannot receive FCC certification necessary for import and sale in the United States.

The new import ban applies to the latest models that have not yet received FCC approval. Only products that have obtained separate conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security can be imported. However, the import and sale of existing models that have already obtained FCC approval is permitted. In these cases, certification for sale can still be revoked if deemed necessary for national security reasons.

In its public decision regarding the import ban, the FCC stated, "The network connectivity features installed in advanced robots create wide-ranging security vulnerabilities and attack vectors, which pose risks of manipulation to the data and physical operation of advanced robot systems," adding, "There is a risk that malicious actors could exploit these vulnerabilities to gather data that enables surveillance of Americans or to remotely control robots for nefarious purposes."

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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also emphasized in a statement, "Under the direction of President Donald Trump, the FCC will continue to work to secure America's critical supply chains, and with today's action, we are working alongside national security agencies to accomplish this goal."

The FCC clarified that this import ban applies to products from all countries, not just specific targeted countries. Nevertheless, analysts note that the move is directly aimed at China. According to CNBC, Chinese products currently account for over 50% of the advanced robot market. In the humanoid robot market alone, China's largest robotics company, Unitree, commands a market share of more than 20%. Recently, the U.S. Department of Defense placed Unitree on a list of companies suspected of ties to the Chinese military.

China is also the largest producer of power inverters, which have been banned from import alongside robots. According to CNN, concerns have been repeatedly raised both inside and outside U.S. regulatory agencies about the country’s excessive reliance on China for the supply of power inverters used in critical national power grid projects. In particular, China’s Sungrow and Huawei are known to control 75–80% of the global power inverter market for solar power installations.

Some observers suggest that this measure is not an impulsive regulatory action, but rather a strategic move linked to the Trump Administration’s main policy priorities on U.S.-China relations. Politico pointed out, "Under President Trump's second term, the two most important priorities in China policy are victory in the AI race with China, and curbing the global spread of clean energy technologies dominated by China," adding, "This latest import ban appears to be fully aligned with these key policy objectives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.