Beijing Accuses Washington of "Suppressing" Chinese Firms After US Ban on Importing Humanoid Robots

Beijing accused Washington on Wednesday of seeking to “suppress” Chinese companies, a day after U.S. authorities announced a ban on importing humanoid robots manufactured abroad into the United States.

On Tuesday, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump added humanoid robots and quadruped robots to the list of products prohibited from import into the United States, justifying the decision on national security grounds.

Most humanoid robots sold in the United States are imported from abroad, with the majority originating in China, as Chinese companies and startups are leaders in this booming sector.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that Beijing “has consistently strongly condemned the United States’ tendency to arbitrarily invoke national security to suppress Chinese companies.”

During her regular press conference, she emphasized that “protectionist policies do not in any way enhance U.S. competitiveness; they only harm the interests of U.S. companies and consumers.”

She hinted that Beijing would take “necessary measures” to defend the interests of Chinese companies.

“Advanced robotic devices,” a term that includes “mobile robots,” were added to the list maintained by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, which previously covered only certain types of unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as products from Chinese firms Huawei and China Telecom.

The decision was made based on findings from a task force established by the White House.