Eight robots walked onto one of America's biggest stages — and left the judges speechless. On the evening of June 2 (local time), 26-year-old Wu Yufei from Sichuan took the stage on the popular US show America's Got Talent (AGT) alongside eight Unitree robots. Their human–robot dance performance stunned the judges, who exclaimed "This is crazy!" It earned a standing ovation from the audience and secured unanimous approval to advance.
Wu Yufei walked onto the stage alone at first, with the audience unaware of what was coming. As the music began, a group of robots slowly stepped into the center of the stage — leaving viewers with puzzled expressions.
NBC described the atmosphere as one of "uneasy curiosity." In present days, a group of robots marching in synchronized formation still carries a faintly unsettling charge. But once the music kicked in, the Unitree robots completely won over the crowd.
Set to Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra," the eight Unitree robots and Wu Yufei danced in perfect sync. The choreography was unified and precise, the movements fluid and controlled, and the routine even featured jaw-dropping flips. The robots' accuracy was astonishing — yet it never overshadowed the exceptional skill of the one human on stage. Chinese robotics technology has clearly come a long way: when deployed effectively, robots can command the AGT stage every bit as powerfully as human performers.
The judges were visibly stunned. Cameras repeatedly cut to them wide-mouthed, struggling to process what was unfolding on stage. When the performance ended, the audience erupted into cheers. Judge Simon Cowell said: "They don't look human, but they're all staring at me right now. That was nuts, but brilliant. Brilliant."
As of June 5, the performance clip on the show's official YouTube channel has surpassed 1 million views and received 31,000 likes.
Judge Sofía Vergara was equally effusive. "I've never seen anything like this because usually those robots are like, very weird. These ones have rhythm. It was like watching people dance — and you are amazing; the way you dance is spectacular." In the end, the Unitree robots advanced to the next round with the unanimous approval of every judge on the panel.
The Sichuan-born dancer leading the Unitree robots is no ordinary performer. Wu Yufei was born in April 1999 in Guanghan, Sichuan, and studied broadcasting and hosting at Sichuan University of Media and Communications. He competed on Street Dance of China 2 and won the 2018 World Elite Dance Finals championship. Specializing in street dance — particularly "bone-breaking dance" and popping — he is widely regarded as China's foremost performer in bone-breaking dance.
The style, also known as contortion-style dance, exploits extreme joint flexibility to create visually striking movements that appear to defy normal human anatomy, giving the illusion of bones actually snapping.
America's Got Talent is one of the most popular TV programs in the United States, drawing a large audience since its debut in 2006. Nielsen data shows the previous season averaged nearly 6 million viewers per episode. For many ordinary Americans, this Unitree appearance was their first close-up look at China's humanoid robotics technology.
The virality was instant. After the broadcast, related clips spread rapidly across social media. As of June 5, the performance video on the show's official YouTube channel had surpassed 1 million views and received 31,000 likes.
Washington's response, however, was swift and hostile. Just one day after the Unitree robots appeared on the show, three US lawmakers jointly introduced the bipartisan "Guarding Against Adversarial Robot Domination Act" (GUARD Act), proposing to ban Chinese robots from entering the US market.
Unitree Robotics is already building its global footprint. According to the South China Morning Post, the company currently sells humanoid robots overseas via Alibaba's AliExpress platform, with North America, Europe, and Japan as key expansion markets. On June 1, Unitree also announced a partnership with NVIDIA to launch the Isaac GR00T humanoid robot reference platform — based on Unitree's H2 robot — targeting universities and research institutions.
Kyle Chan, a China technology researcher at the Brookings Institution, believes the AGT appearance was likely a calculated move to build brand visibility against mounting US government scrutiny. "Washington often blocks Chinese tech products that are actually popular with the American public, such as DJI drones and TikTok," he said. The reality is that Unitree is playing the same game its predecessors did — winning hearts before regulators move in.
But the road ahead is not without obstacles. Shanghai-based tech consultant Lu Shengyun cautioned that while the performance may impress first-time viewers of Chinese humanoid robots, Chinese robotics firms still face real challenges in overseas expansion. These include limited application scenarios, insufficient data resources, and a lack of overseas partners and integrators capable of providing localized validation, maintenance, and calibration services.
Back in Washington, the political accusations are escalating. John Moolenaar, Chairman of the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and a Republican congressman, has accused Chinese robots of posing a "national security threat" to the United States. He has even publicly singled out Unitree Robotics, claiming that Chinese companies are exploring the "weaponization of humanoid robots."
Mao Paishou
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France's National Assembly has passed the "Anti-Ultra-Fast-Fashion Law." The legislation aims to curb the flood of low-cost clothing into the French market. In practice, it primarily targets Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Shein, Temu (Pinduoduo's cross-border e-commerce brand) and AliExpress.
France's new law targets Chinese low-cost clothing platforms like Shein.
However, European homegrown fast-fashion giants like Zara and H&M are exempted.
China's Ministry of Commerce has lodged a formal protest, saying the law violates the World Trade Organization's non-discrimination principle and constitutes a trade barrier. Beijing has warned it will retaliate if necessary.
Commerce Ministry blasts discriminatory curbs, vows countermeasures if Chinese firms' rights are violated.
Under the law, a fine of between €0.25 and €6 will be imposed on each qualifying item starting in 2026. That fine rises to as much as €10 per item by 2030. France's National Assembly additionally passed a government amendment that toughened the penalties further. The amendment raises the maximum per-item fine in 2030 to €20, while capping total fines at 50 percent of a product's pre-tax price.
Separately, the European Union formally scrapped the customs exemption for parcels valued under €150 starting July 1. It now imposes a flat €3 duty on every low-value parcel shipped directly from outside the bloc. Together, these two policies have created unprecedented barriers for Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms entering overseas markets.
A Ministry of Commerce spokesperson criticized France for adopting discriminatory restrictions. The spokesperson said the legislation seriously distorts fair competition, and China views the matter with grave concern.
The law is framed under the guise of "environmental" and "sustainability" standards, but in effect it is an exclusionary measure that may breach WTO non-discrimination rules. It already constitutes a trade barrier against China, a stark departure from the fair competition and free trade principles France claims to champion.
This, the spokesperson added, would harm not only the legitimate rights of Chinese companies but also French consumers' own interests.
China has urged France to immediately correct its discriminatory practices. Beijing says it will closely monitor how the implementing rules are drafted and enforced. It will take necessary countermeasures should the legitimate rights of Chinese firms be infringed.
Three Thresholds, One Clear Target
The law sets out three thresholds for products. Platforms fall under strict regulation if they launch more than 15,000 new styles a year on the EU market, sell items averaging below €5, or offer products with an expected lifespan of fewer than 30 washes. Meeting any single criterion is enough to trigger the rules. Critics say this framework appears "tailor-made" for Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
France's law looks "tailor-made" to target platforms like Temu, critics say.
France's Minister for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Commerce, Serge Papin, said bluntly that the law targets the fast-fashion industry's major players. He explicitly named Shein, Temu and AliExpress, singling out their business model based on stockpiling and constant turnover.
According to China News Weekly, Shein, Temu and other Chinese cross-border platforms have reshaped France's fashion market since entering the country. They have done so by riding on rock-bottom prices and a relentless pace of new arrivals. Public data show these platforms now account for 6 percent of total apparel purchases in France. Shein ranks among the country's top five clothing brands by sales.
In terms of consumer behavior, ultra-fast fashion and second-hand resale together make up a quarter of the French apparel market. Some 38 percent of French consumers have tried a Chinese cross-border platform. That figure rises to 56 percent among women aged 16 to 24.
Liu Beibei is head of overseas business at Dongguan Tongfa Knitting, a long-time contract manufacturer for European clothing brands specializing in mid-to-high-end garments. She said overseas clients have asked her why other companies' wool products are sold so cheaply after spotting the low prices on fast-fashion platforms.
Liu admits the cross-border platforms have dealt a heavy blow to Europe's fashion industry.
Using wool products as an example, she notes that the source of the wool, farming methods and spinning techniques all affect final costs. A 100 percent wool sweater can sell for as little as €40 or as much as €200, but there is a big difference in craftsmanship and quality. "There's a lot beneath the surface," she says. She believes younger consumers' preferences are shifting toward platforms offering faster new arrivals and lower prices.
A "Tiered Eco-Fine" at the Core
Reports indicate the scheme's core mechanism is a "tiered eco-fine." In 2026, fines of €0.25 to €12 will apply per item. That maximum rises to €20 per item by 2030, capped at half the product's price. This means a dress selling for €5 could face a fine of up to €2.50. On top of the EU's flat €3 duty per parcel, this would push up costs for consumers substantially.
Media calculations suggest a T-shirt selling for €10 online costs €3.50 to manufacture. Add €2 for air freight, €1.50 in import VAT, €2.50 for last-mile delivery and €1 in platform commission. That leaves only €0.50 in profit before the new €3 duty, which would push the platform into an outright loss.
Analysts warn other European nations may follow suit against platforms like AliExpress.
Kang Di is a lawyer at Beijing Ceehin (Shenzhen) Law Firm specializing in cross-border compliance and international trade rules. She said the law poses a substantive and far-reaching impact on platforms like Shein and Temu.
Kang noted the law introduces a "tiered eco-fine" mechanism, an EPR Bonus-Malus system, that directly squeezes the price advantage and profit margins of platforms selling low-priced items. This exposes companies to clear compliance red lines.
She added that the law also cuts off the social media influencer marketing channels these platforms rely on heavily. Non-compliant influencers face administrative fines of up to €100,000.
There’s a deeper political logic behind France's tough unilateral legislation in the fast-fashion sector, according to Kang. It is well rooted in a structural crisis facing its domestic retail sector.
Homegrown brands carrying the collective memory of France's middle class, such as Camaïeu and Naf Naf, have gone bankrupt or entered judicial restructuring one after another. France's traditional retail sector largely blames external competitive pressure for these struggles. It points to the tax exemption once enjoyed by Chinese cross-border platforms on small parcels, and to China's supply-chain flexibility.
Kang suggests the law is largely a defensive response to global supply-chain restructuring, one that objectively erects a trade barrier to protect the domestic textile industry.
Zara and H&M Left Untouched
European fast-fashion giants Zara, H&M and Primark are all exempt from the law. France's commerce minister openly stated, "We are here to protect French retailers." A French Senate rapporteur reportedly confirmed the government had already run simulations before the standards were finalized, showing only Chinese platforms would fall under the regulatory net.
According to China News Weekly, citing Song Liwei, a senior consultant at Shanghai Sanwei Law Firm, France's strained textile-recycling system and above-average carbon emissions from its textile sector are shared environmental problems across Europe.
The law traces its legislative roots to France's Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law and its Climate Change Response and Resilience Law. Environmental NGOs, circular-economy associations and the garment-repair industry all lobbied throughout the process. Curbing single-use consumption and promoting circular fashion were the law's publicly stated goals.
The text itself names no specific country, platform or region, avoiding direct discrimination on paper.
However, Song also noted the rules effectively target Chinese cross-border direct-mail platforms, while European homegrown fast-fashion brands escape regulation. This has prompted even voices within the French parliament to criticize the law as "hijacked by lobbying from the domestic fashion industry, deliberately exempting Europe's own giants."
Fears of a Europe-Wide Domino Effect
Beyond French regulation, Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms also face spillover regulatory pressure across Europe. The EU's Environment Council has begun coordinating related action. The Netherlands is raising its clothing recycling targets, while Germany is launching legislation for textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
Song warned this could trigger a chain reaction of other EU member states following France's lead. That would eventually form a unified regulatory framework across the entire EU, one that would fundamentally rewrite the underlying logic of how Chinese fast-fashion brands expand overseas.
