The Trump administration is banning the import of new foreign-made humanoid robots, robot dogs and power converters, citing an “unacceptable” threat to national security. The move heavily affects imports from China, which currently holds the vast majority of global market share.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the ban on Tuesday, saying the devices made abroad could be remotely controlled or used for surveillance by foreign governments or otherwise used in cyberattacks.
The FCC said exemptions will be granted if the government determines a device does not pose a risk to US national security.
The US government has long accused China of hacking into US businesses to steal data and is preparing to launch future cyber attacks for its own military gain, such as an expected invasion of Taiwan. But the US has also long warned that the risk of Chinese ownership alone could allow Beijing to force a company to spy on Americans or remotely hack into their products. The US government has similar legal powers.
Humanoid robots, the category of robots that move similarly to humans, are far from mainstream and still in an early stage of development. There were around 15,000 humanoid robots were shipped worldwide in 2025, with China’s two largest robot manufacturers each accounting for the majority of these shipments.
Power inverters are much more commonly used in US households to connect solar and other renewable energy systems to the wider electricity grid. Existing devices in homes and facilities are not affected by the ban, the FCC said.
The ban is the latest in a series of actions the US government has taken against China in recent years, including a US government ban on TikTok that forced it into the hands of US investors, as well as bans on a wide range of foreign-made consumer routers and Chinese surveillance equipment makers Hikvision and Dahua, which have been linked to human rights abuses.
Beijing rejected the FCC’s ban, with a State Department spokesman citing it the Associated Press saying China will use “all necessary measures” to protect its businesses.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington during a planned state visit in September.
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