The US government on Tuesday, July 28 local time, announced a ban targeting new Chinese robots and inverters. Reuters reported that the Federal Communications Commission （FCC）updated its "Covered List" to include foreign-made "advanced robotic devices," such as humanoid and quadruped robots, as well as network-connected power inverters. Washington says the measure will shield US artificial-intelligence development from alleged national-security threats and bring manufacturing in critical industries back to the United States.
The FCC said the equipment could expose vulnerabilities in supply chains, potentially disrupting the US economy and national security. The agency also said the products could create cybersecurity risks and threaten critical infrastructure. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said: "The FCC will continue to do our part to secure America's critical supply chains."
The United States has announced a ban targeting new Chinese robots and inverters.
The FCC measure applies only to new models of the affected equipment. It does not bar people from using existing devices, prevent retailers from selling already authorized models, nor affect federal procurement and use. But the FCC retains the authority to revoke approvals already granted to models sold in the US market.
Politico said the move fits two central priorities of Trump’s second presidential term. One is to curb China’s competitiveness in AI. The other is to prevent China’s clean-energy sector, already dominant globally, from continuing to rise.
An interagency group in the Trump administration concluded that the technologies could threaten US supply chains, according to the report. Its concerns include the possibility of triggering large-scale blackouts or enabling surveillance of US citizens.
The stakes rise as the United States builds AI data centers at scale. Analysts told Reuters that grid-connected inverters are becoming increasingly important because they link renewable-energy sources, battery storage, the power grid, and data-center facilities. A supply disruption or cyber intrusion could undermine data-center operations and the security of critical infrastructure.
Humanoid robots are also moving into industrial, research, and consumer markets. Because they carry cameras, sensors, and AI computing systems, US officials worry that foreign intelligence agencies could exploit the data they collect. They also fear malicious actors could seize remote control of the machines.
Four people familiar with the matter said the FCC is expected to exempt many non-Chinese suppliers from the restrictions. That would mirror recent US bans involving foreign drones and routers.
The robot ban is expected to hit China’s Unitree Robotics, according to Counterpoint Research. Unitree is a global leader in humanoid robots, holding nearly one-fifth of the worldwide market. The Pentagon recently added the company to its so-called “Chinese Military Companies List,” a move that could signal tougher US action ahead.
Unitree Robotics’ latest breakthrough humanoid robot.
Unitree recently partnered with Nvidia, which will use its advanced Blackwell chips to provide the “brains” for Unitree’s robots. Nvidia has said the robots’ data will remain in the United States. Unitree’s largest customers are US academic and research institutions.
Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the humanoid-robot market could reach $5 trillion by 2050. The Trump administration’s import ban may give US companies a competitive advantage.
Morgan Stanley analysts predict that the humanoid-robot market could reach $5 trillion by 2050.
The Washington Post said Trump’s sons have also entered the humanoid-robotics sector. They have invested in defense and robotics companies focused on US-based production.
The US government has spent recent years trying to reduce its dependence on Chinese-made equipment, citing national security.
The Chinese Embassy in the United States urged Washington to stop smearing Chinese companies and threatening them with sanctions. It said China would take all necessary measures in response to actions that harm Chinese interests.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has previously said that China firmly opposes the US side’s overbroad interpretation of national security, its creation of discriminatory lists under various pretexts, and its unjustified suppression of Chinese companies.
The spokesperson urged the United States to correct its erroneous practices and end its unreasonable crackdown on Chinese enterprises. China, the spokesperson added, will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.
Deep Throat
** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **
A 24-year-old "dark history" clip of Prime Minister Takaichi has resurfaced on Japanese social media. In it, she comments on Japan's war against China, and the footage has quickly drawn renewed attention.
Renowned political commentator and TV host Soichiro Tahara interviewed Takaichi on a 2002 news program. He pressed her on her support for right-wing politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine.
When asked whether Japan's invasion of China was a war of self-preservation and self-defense, Takaichi said she believed it was. Tahara immediately denounced her on air as ignorant and naive.
Resurfaced 2002 clip shows host branding Takaichi ignorant over China war denial.
The On-Air Clash
According to Japanese media, the clip originated from "Sunday Project," an Asahi TV program broadcast on August 18, 2002. Tahara hosted the segment. He questioned guests about right-wing politicians visiting Yasukuni Shrine, which enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals from World War II.
Takaichi supported such visits at the time. So Tahara asked how she viewed Japan's invasion of China. He asked whether she considered Japan's war to have been a war of self-preservation and self-defense. Takaichi said she believed it was. Her response immediately drew Tahara's resentment.
On air, Takaichi said Japan's invasion of China was self-preservation and self-defense.
Tahara raised his voice in response. This was no joke. The Manchurian Incident, he said, was instigated by the Japanese military, specifically the Kwantung Army. They fabricated the whole thing. That was clearly a war of aggression.
As Takaichi tried to respond, Tahara pressed on. He noted that even former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone had called the Manchurian Incident strange. Then he asked why Japan would invade Manchuria in the name of self-defense and establish a puppet state there.
Takaichi insisted that colonizing other countries was a widely accepted international norm at the time. Other nations were doing the same, she argued, so Japan's actions should not be considered aggression.
Takaichi claimed colonizing others was then normal, so Japan did not commit act of aggression.
Tahara rebutted her directly with historical evidence. He said the fact that she called this act of aggression self-preservation and self-defense only showed her ignorance. It was truly alarming, he added, that a member of parliament held such an ignorant view of history.
Tahara told Takaichi a lawmaker with such ignorant history views was deeply troubling.
Still, Takaichi pushed back. At the very least, she said, she believed it was a war fought for security. Tahara shot back sharply. That naïve view, he said, was simply laughable.
Neither the host nor the media could have imagined it at the time. A politician who distorted history and denied Japan's wartime crimes would, more than two decades later, become the country's prime minister.
The clip has reignited public debate, and Tahara responded to it directly. On July 26, he updated his account on X and expressed his wish to have a dialogue with Takaichi.
Right-Wing Echoes, Real-World Risk
According to Global Times' new media outlet, this 2002 video resurfaces every few years, sparking fresh rounds of controversy. What stands out this time, the report says, is how voices defending Takaichi's historical distortions are spreading.
Right-wing forces on the fringes of Japanese society are amplifying these voices through the internet and social media, wrongly influencing a growing number of Japanese people.
Online right-wing rhetoric is one problem, but the report argues something else matters more. Far more consequential is the new-style militarism Takaichi has pursued since taking office, marked by accelerated military expansion.
This is precisely why neighboring countries, including China, remain especially wary of Japan under her leadership.
Why Japan Never Faced Its Past
Citing historical analysis from authoritative mainland media, the report states that Japanese society has long been plagued by distortions of its history of aggression. Wartime crimes have been whitewashed for decades, and many far-right figures have now risen to political power. Japan, unlike Germany, never fully confronted the ideological roots of its militarism after World War II.
As the Cold War took shape, the United States substantially revised its Japan policy out of bloc-confrontation considerations. It halted mid-way efforts to purge militarist forces, and many war criminals were treated leniently and allowed to return to politics.
This, the report suggests, is the key reason for the stark contrast between the two defeated powers. Germany thoroughly reckoned with Nazi crimes and reflected deeply on the war, while Japan has long evaded its history of aggression and refused to sincerely atone for it.
