Robostore’s humanoid robots will be joining CNBC’s Power Lunch on December 30, 2025.
CNBC
BEIJING – China’s Ministry of Commerce said Thursday that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has repeatedly ignored the Chinese government’s restrained stance on product bans and threatened to retaliate.
The FCC announced Tuesday that it has added foreign-made advanced robotic equipment, including humanoid robots, to a list that restricts import into the United States due to cybersecurity concerns. The statement did not specify any countries and said retailers could continue to import models previously approved by the FCC.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said in an online statement Thursday that the FCC continues to tighten regulations on Chinese products, “causing serious damage to the economic and trade stability of China and the United States.” According to CNBC’s Mandarin translation:
The ministry urged the US to reverse its decision and threatened countermeasures if it did not.
“This is bad news for Chinese humanoid manufacturers planning IPOs in the coming months,” said Mark Einstein, research director at Counterpoint Research. “The two main cards China can play are further restricting rare earth sales to U.S. companies and further restricting U.S. companies’ access to the Chinese market.” tesla and Nvidia. ”
The Commerce Department’s statement comes as US President Donald Trump is scheduled to host Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. Meanwhile, tensions over technology competition have intensified, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying the US could impose sanctions on China over the “appropriation” of AI models.
President Trump suggested in public comments Thursday that the U.S. may take a more cautious stance on regulating AI to maintain U.S. technology leadership vis-à-vis China.
According to Counterpoint, Chinese companies Agibot, Unitree, and UBTech were the top three humanoid companies by installed market share last year. 5th place goes to Tesla’s Optimus.
Hong Kong-listed UBTech shares at one point fell more than 6% in Thursday morning trading. Unitree and Agibot have filed to go public.
Robostore, which sells Chinese humanoid robots in North America, is preparing to expand its U.S. footprint, CEO Teddy Hagerty said in a statement to CNBC. Details were not disclosed.
—CNBC’s Matthew Tan contributed to this report.
