The Trump administration has imposed a ban on foreign-made humanoid robots, a move aimed squarely at Chinese manufacturers that the White House says pose a threat to American national security. The executive order, signed late Monday, prohibits the sale, import, and deployment of humanoid robots manufactured by companies based in foreign adversary nations.
Senior administration officials said the ban specifically targets humanoid robots — machines designed to resemble and mimic human movement and interaction — which they argue could be used for surveillance, data collection, and even physical infiltration of sensitive facilities. The order gives U.S. companies 90 days to divest or decommission any covered robots already in operation.
China has emerged as the world’s leading manufacturer of humanoid robots, with companies such as Unitree, Fourier Intelligence, and Xiaomi producing increasingly sophisticated models that can walk, talk, and perform complex tasks. Beijing has invested heavily in humanoid robotics as part of its Made in China 2025 industrial strategy.
The ban is the latest in a series of export controls and technology restrictions Washington has imposed on Beijing, following curbs on advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence chips, and quantum computing components. It also comes days after Taiwanese prosecutors detained an Nvidia employee on suspicion of smuggling advanced AI chips to China.
Commerce Department officials said the humanoid robot restriction was driven by intelligence suggesting that Chinese-made robots operating in commercial settings in the U.S. could be remotely accessed by Beijing for espionage purposes. A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cited the risk that robots equipped with cameras, microphones, and autonomous navigation could map sensitive infrastructure.
The robotics industry reacted with mixed views. The Association for Advancing Automation said it understood the security rationale but warned the ban could disrupt supply chains and slow innovation in a sector where American and Chinese firms often collaborate. Some U.S. robotics startups expressed concern that they rely on Chinese-manufactured components for their own humanoid platforms.
China’s foreign ministry denounced the ban as a protectionist overreach, accusing Washington of weaponizing national security to stifle Chinese technology companies. The ministry said it reserved the right to take countermeasures, though it did not specify what those might be.
The ban applies to all humanoid robots manufactured or substantially transformed in countries designated as foreign adversaries — a category that currently includes China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Exemptions may be granted for robots used in humanitarian or disaster-response operations, but Commerce officials said such waivers would be rare and subject to strict oversight.
The executive order also establishes a new interagency review board to assess emerging robotics technologies for national security implications, signaling that further restrictions on other categories of advanced robotics may follow.