China Humanoid Robots: US FCC to Ban Foreign-Made Humanoid and Quadruped Robots in the US

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China Humanoid Robots: US FCC to Ban Foreign-Made Humanoid and Quadruped Robots in the US

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29 Jul 2026 05:41:53 ET │ 9 pages

China Humanoid Robots

US FCC to Ban Foreign-Made Humanoid and Quadruped Robots in the

US

CITI'S TAKE

On 28 July, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added

advanced robotic devices, including humanoids and quadrupeds, to

its Covered List, meaning that foreign-made advanced robotic devices will Jamie WangAC

be banned from being imported into the US due to national security +852-2501-2772

concerns (link). Given China’s well-established robotic industry, and US- jamie.ck.wang@citi.com

China trade and political disputes, we view the development as Eric Lau

particularly relevant for Chinese companies. Chinese robotic makers with +852-2501-2726

high exposure to US customers are likely to bear the brunt. However, we eric.h.lau@citi.com

believe this could potentially benefit Chinese component makers that are

already in the supply chain of US humanoid robot companies, such as

Hengli Hydraulic (601100.SS) and Leader Drive (688017.SS), since this ban

suggests that US robotic companies should gain more market share in the

US market. In this note, we list key Chinese component makers that

supply to leading humanoid robot companies.

Our view on geopolitical risks – We believe Chinese humanoid robot makers would

be impacted more by the geopolitical risk (e.g., restrictions or sanctions) than robot

component markets, as humanoid robots are often equipped with sensors that

collect and maintain sensitive data on their surroundings. Chinese humanoid robot

component makers, on the other hand, should face lower or limited geopolitical risk

as many of them, especially those in the Tesla Optimus supply chain, have moved