In a private meeting on Monday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly hinted at a potential crackdown on state-subsidized Chinese robotics.
Three anonymous attendees revealed that Lutnick’s department is investigating these imports, suggesting that decisive action may be taken once the review is concluded. The Trump administration is increasingly treating China’s state-backed robotics sector as a national security concern, warning that heavily subsidized Chinese robots could capture global markets before U.S. manufacturers are able to compete effectively, POLITICO reported on Tuesday.
Lutnick’s comments indicate a growing belief within the administration that robotics, not just AI chips, are becoming the next battleground in the technological competition. “We don’t want state subsidized robotics attacking us in America, this is the arms [race] that is coming — robotic arms are coming,” Lutnick said, according to the report.
Executives from companies such as Space Exploration Technologies Corp (NASDAQ:SPCX), Boston Dynamics, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS), Siemens (OTC:SIEGY), and Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) were reportedly present at the meeting to discuss strategies for reversing decades of manufacturing offshoring and rebuilding the industrial base.
