Facing the strong rise of China's robotics industry, the US government is planning to come up with a clever strategy.
On June 23 local time, the American political news website Politico reported that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross told business executives on the 22nd during a closed meeting that the U.S. Department of Commerce is studying the issue of importing ‘robotic products supported by national subsidies’. He also hinted that the Trump administration might impose further restrictions after the review is completed.
Three participants revealed that American officials increasingly view China's robotics industry as a so-called “national security threat”. They are concerned that Chinese companies may dominate the global market, and American manufacturers lack the scale to compete.
Chinese-made robots are already facing tariffs from the United States. However, these participants say that Luternick's remarks indicate that the U.S. government increasingly sees the robotics industry as the next key battlefield in the technological competition between China and the United States, following artificial intelligence chips. The Trump administration is considering introducing new restrictive policies.
According to the meeting minutes obtained by Politico, Luteck said at the meeting, "We don't want the United States to be attacked by robots that receive state subsidies. This is an impending arms race—robotic arms are coming. We need to ensure that these robots are produced in the United States, so we should start researching these technologies now."
This meeting brought together several executives from American companies such as SpaceX, Boston Dynamics, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Siemens, and Rockwell Automation. They discussed how to reverse the trend of manufacturing outflows in the United States over the past decades and rebuild the industrial foundation needed for industries such as semiconductors and robotics.
American government and industry leaders believe that the United States has lost much of the industrial capability necessary to produce the next generation of robots, including machine tools and critical components. They are worried that China will further expand its leading position with a complete industrial chain, even before the United States completes its industrial restructuring.
"Just imagining that we will end up getting a robot with an American brain and Chinese body is a terrible strategic plan." A participant said.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that most of the meeting focused on how to rebuild America’s industrial base. Corporate executives raised issues such as financing bottlenecks, delays in approval processes, and factory construction with the government, and suggested ways to accelerate investment and the return of manufacturing industries.
However, the U.S. government also realizes that tariffs alone are not sufficient to complete the reconstruction of the manufacturing industry. Financial support is equally essential. The Office of Strategic Capitalization under the U.S. Department of Defense plans to reduce the financing costs for businesses by providing low-cost loans, in order to attract private capital investment in new factories and additional production capacity.
Two people familiar with the matter said that the office is currently designing loan programs for at least two American robotics companies, Foundation Robotics and Standard Bots. The related financing has not been finalized yet, but it is expected to be invested alongside private capital.
In September 2025, at the Hangzhou Six Little Dragons Zone of the Fourth Global Digital Trade Expo, spectators witnessed a humanoid robot from Yushu Technology participate in a fighting competition. Xinhua News Agency
In recent years, the development of robotics, especially humanoid robots in China, has attracted attention from Western media. The website Robotomated, which specializes in robotics, previously noted that there are at least 137 humanoid robot companies in China, covering a complete industrial chain, including entire systems, actuators, sensors, artificial intelligence frameworks, simulation platforms, and custom manufacturing. Even if some of these companies eventually withdraw from the market, the industrial advantages created by shared supply chains, talent mobility, and fierce market competition will still be retained, and will continue to reduce the overall cost of the industry.
In contrast, there are only about 10 companies in the United States that have complete capabilities for developing humanoid robots, including Tesla and Boston Dynamics. Although these companies have strong technical capabilities, their industrial ecosystems are significantly more fragile. If key suppliers go bankrupt or core engineers leave, the impact can quickly spread across the entire industrial chain.
According to predictions by Robotomated, by 2025, the number of newly installed industrial robots in China will exceed 300,000 units, while in the United States it will be only about 34,000 units. This advantage of 9 to 1 has persisted for many years.
However, reports and analyses suggest that this advantage does not stem from what American politicians refer to as “market distortion,” but rather from the structural competitiveness created by a complete domestic supply chain, a mature manufacturing system, and economies of scale. Chinese companies typically take only 6 to 9 months to develop robot prototypes and mass-produce them, while American companies often require 12 to 24 months.
Facing this gap, American politicians instead of looking for their own reasons for developing industries, continue to emphasize so-called 'national security threats', trying to keep Chinese robots out of the American market.
In March of this year, Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Republican conference in the U.S. Senate, along with Chuck Schumer, the minority leader from the Democratic Party, introduced the “American Security Robotic Technology Act”. This legislation prohibits federal government purchases of robotic products manufactured in countries like China, and also prevents federal funds from being allocated to related projects.
The bill proposes a set of familiar claims, alleging that Chinese robots may have “backdoors” that allow them to collect data from the United States and operate remotely. The lawmakers who proposed the bill also claim that Chinese companies are trying to use their technology to “overwhelm the American market,” posing a real security risk and threat to the privacy of American citizens, as well as to American scientific research and industries.
Subsequently, New York State Republican Representative Stefanik pushed a companion bill in the House of Representatives, leading to a coordinated approach by both houses of Congress to suppress the issue.
At the beginning of this month, John Muellerner, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ “China Issues Special Committee” and a Republican congressman who frequently manipulates anti-China issues, took further action. He joined with members from both parties to introduce what is called the “Defending America from Hostile Robots Act.” This bill proposes to regulate humanoid robots and four-legged robots created by “foreign adversaries” such as China, and to establish a blacklist system to prevent products deemed to pose a “national security threat” from entering the U.S. market.
Regarding related issues, China has expressed its position on many occasions. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, previously stated that it has been proven that 'small courtyards and high walls' cannot stop China's pace of innovative development, nor are they conducive to the healthy development of the entire industry, including American companies. The United States should abide by the principles of a market economy and fair competition, and support companies from various countries in promoting technological development through healthy competition.
