New Delhi: In a major escalation in the US–China tech rivalry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington imposed an immediate ban on new imports of humanoid robots, drawing sharp criticism from China and threatening to overshadow Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned September meeting with US President Donald Trump.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry on Thursday denounced the US move, saying it would “severely undermine the stability of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, and seriously disrupt the stability of global industrial and supply chains.” If the US proceeds with the ban “China will resolutely retaliate to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests”, the ministry said in a statement.
The latest development complicates the picture ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned U.S. visit to meet President Trump in September.In response to the ban, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Mao Ning on Wednesday accused the U.S. of protectionism. “China firmly opposes the U.S. overstretching the concept of national security and going after Chinese companies. Protectionism does not make the U.S. more competitive and will only hurt the interests of U.S. companies and consumers. China will continue to do what is necessary to firmly defend the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
