China Issues Stern Warning to America, Threatens Full Retaliation
China has threatened to retaliate against the United States after the US government once again tightened restrictions on technology products from the Dragon Land. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated that the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has repeatedly ignored China’s restraint regarding product bans.
This statement follows the FCC’s announcement this week to add advanced foreign-made robotic devices, including humanoid robots, to the US import restriction list on cybersecurity grounds. Although the FCC did not explicitly name a specific country in its announcement, Beijing considers the policy to clearly target Chinese products. It is noted, however, that the FCC stated retailers can still import models that previously received approval.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated that the expanding restrictions by the FCC on Chinese goods have “seriously damaged the economic and trade stability of China-US relations.” Beijing is urging the US to revoke the decision and warned it would take retaliatory steps if Washington does not change its policy.
Impact on Robot Manufacturers and Stock Markets
Marc Einstein, an analyst from Counterpoint Research, stated that the latest US policy is bad news for Chinese humanoid robot manufacturers preparing for Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the coming months. “Two main cards that China can play are re-tightening the sale of rare earth metals to American companies, and further restricting access for US companies such as Tesla and NVIDIA to the Chinese market,” he noted, as reported by Reuters.
This stern statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce comes ahead of the scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. Simultaneously, the escalation of the technological rivalry between the two nations continues to rise. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously stated that America could impose sanctions on China regarding alleged theft of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models. However, Trump hinted on Thursday that the US might take a more cautious approach regarding AI controls to maintain US technological leadership over China.
Robotics Market Competition Landscape
According to Counterpoint Research data, three Chinese companies—Agibot, Unitree, and UBTech—held the largest market shares for humanoid robot assembly last year, while Tesla’s Optimus robot ranked fifth. Following these developments, shares of UBTech listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange fell by more than 6% during Thursday morning trading. Meanwhile, Unitree and Agibot are known to have filed for IPO plans.
In North America, Chinese humanoid robot distributor Robostore stated it is preparing for the new restrictions by expanding its operational capabilities within the US. Robostore CEO, Teddy Haggerty, mentioned that the company is currently strengthening its US-based operational capabilities, though he did not provide full details.