3 min readJul 29, 2026 02:53 PM IST
The tech war between the United States and China has spread beyond Artificial Intelligence. The latest point of contest is humanoid robots from China, which have attracted an import ban in the US over risks to the American national security.
The Trump administration’s ban targets the imports of new Chinese robots and power inverters in a bid to protect US AI buildout from national security threats.
Apart from the ban on the imports of Chinese humanoid and quadruped robots, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also put curbs on power inverters- which enable renewable energy sources and batteries to connect to grids and data centre, according to Reuters.
The restrictions is in line with the Trump administration’s bid to protest the US artificial intelligence supply chain from Chinese threats of disruption, data theft and cyberattacks. The Republican President has been tightening curbs on the import of Chinese technology across sectors.
The FCC statement said that the Chinese devices could create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt the US economic and national security, and also pose cybersecurity risk, threatening American critical infrastructure.
Why humanoid is latest victim in US-China rivalry
Humanoid robots, along with AI-enabled “brains”, has seen wide adoption in the consumer and industrial arenas in the US.
China remains a major global supplier of humanoid robots, with over 140 manufacturers in the domain and a rapidly-expanding supply chain.
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Beijing has established a lead in AI consumer applications and AI-enabled hardware and its humanoid robot industry has rapidly grown over the years. Even US has emerged as the biggest overseas destination for the Chinese product.
The latest restriction is likely to disrupt the sale of Chinese robots in the US in short term. However, it excludes the model already in use.
US-China rivalry in advanced AI
The dispute over humanoid robots is part of a larger tussle between the two powerhouses who are vying to dominate advanced technology and artificial intelligence.
Earlier this week, the two countries clashed over AI technology, with the US accusing China of using “distillation” to copy advanced US AI models, and Beijing accusing US of “AI hegemonism”.
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Washington said China resorted to model “distillation” for intellectual property theft. Distillation is a widely used AI training technique in which developers use the outputs of a more capable model to train or improve another system.
We support open-source AI and the innovation it unlocks. But open source is not open season on American IP. When PRC firms conduct covert, industrial-scale distillation attacks that cross the line into IP theft, sanctions and Entity List designations will be on the table.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) July 22, 2026
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Chinese companies could face financial sanctions or placement on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, which restricts access to US technology.
“We support open-source AI and the innovation it unlocks. But open source is not open season on American IP,” Bessent posted on X.
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