China Urges US to Revoke Broadened Ban on Robots, Inverters

BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Wednesday condemned a US decision to include Chinese-made power inverters and advanced robotic devices on a federal trade “Covered List,” vowing to take “firm countermeasures” if Washington does not reverse the action. The escalation marks a significant broadening of US-China technology decoupling, extending beyond semiconductors and telecom equipment into physical hardware and energy infrastructure components.

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) updated its Covered List on July 28 to include two new categories: “advanced robotic devices” — defined as mobile robots including humanoids and quadrupeds — and connected power inverters produced in foreign countries. Under the new restrictions, models not yet authorized by the FCC will be barred from entering the US market, and the commission retains authority to revoke existing certifications for products already approved for sale.

According to Xinhua News Agency, a MOFCOM spokesperson stated that the measures are “discriminatory toward Chinese companies and products despite being presented as ‘non-discriminatory.’” The spokesperson urged the US to “immediately revoke the measures and stop its erroneous actions,” warning that “China will take firm countermeasures to safeguard its interests.”

Background of the Covered List

The FCC’s Covered List was established under the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, initially targeting telecommunications equipment from Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, Dahua, and Hytera in 2021. It expanded in 2022 to include China’s three state-owned telecom carriers. The July 2026 update adds a significant new dimension by targeting categories of physical hardware beyond communications infrastructure.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the move, stating that the agency will “continue to do our duty to safeguard the security of America’s critical supply chains.” FCC officials cited concerns that advanced robotic devices could be used to “surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots.”

China’s Strong Objections

The MOFCOM spokesperson argued that robots and power inverters are “normal international commodities” from which all countries, including the US, benefit through trade. The statement accused Washington of “overgeneralizing the concept of national security, interfering with normal commercial transactions and trade, continuing to pursue ‘decoupling and supply chain disruption,’ and engaging in typical market-distorting and unilateral bullying practices.”

China’s embassy in Washington separately urged the US to “heed the objective and rational voices of the business communities in both countries,” stating that Beijing will “take all necessary measures in response to any action that causes material harm to its interests.”

Chinese experts criticized the move as strategically short-sighted. Xiang Ligang of the Zhongguancun Information Consumption Alliance told Chinese media that the US “has abandoned rational calculation, lashed out indiscriminately and introduced a range of irrational restrictions.” Zhang Xiaorong, director of the Cutting-Edge Technology Research Institute in Beijing, warned that isolating Chinese technology in emerging fields like humanoid robots “prevents learning and benchmarking, harming US development.”

Broader Implications

The ban carries significant economic stakes. China is the world’s largest manufacturer of power inverters, which are critical components for connecting renewable energy sources to power grids and for AI data center infrastructure. Morgan Stanley analysts project the humanoid robot market could reach $5 trillion by 2050.

Reuters has reported that the FCC is expected to exempt many non-Chinese suppliers from the restrictions, a pattern consistent with recent bans on foreign drones and routers. This selective application, Chinese officials argue, reveals the fundamentally protectionist nature of the measure.

The expansion comes just weeks after the FCC rolled back a similar ban on Chinese toy drones in June 2026, suggesting internal debate within the Trump administration over the scope of technology restrictions. Chinese media have also highlighted reports from The Washington Post regarding Trump family investments in US-based humanoid robotics companies, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.

What’s Next

China has not specified the nature of its promised countermeasures, but past responses have included retaliatory tariffs, export controls on critical minerals, and anti-monopoly investigations into US companies. The MOFCOM statement signals Beijing’s willingness to escalate further if Washington continues to broaden the scope of its technology restrictions.

The dispute underscores a critical question for global technology markets: as both superpowers fortify their technological supply chains, how will allied nations and multinational corporations navigate an increasingly fragmented landscape? The answer may determine not only the trajectory of US-China relations but the future architecture of global technology commerce.