US scrutiny of Chinese technology has expanded to a new frontier, as lawmakers in Washington advance defense legislation prohibiting the military from deploying Chinese-made humanoid robots. The US has passed a defense bill that would bar the US military from procuring, leasing, or operating humanoid robots made by companies linked to China and other designated foreign adversaries. The US House of Representatives has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual military policy bill that incorporates provisions restricting the use of foreign autonomous systems over national security and data privacy concerns.[1]
The move marks the latest escalation in the US-China technology rivalry as Washington expands restrictions on Chinese-made technologies. Under Section 163 of the draft bill, the Pentagon would be barred from procuring, leasing or operating covered humanoid robotic systems linked to designated foreign adversaries, including China, Russia and Iran.
While the defense bill incorporates key elements of the proposed Guarding the US Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance (GUARD) Act, introduced last summer by Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of a House select committee focusing on competition with China, it excludes the legislative proposal’s most sweeping measures. Under the full GUARD Act framework, Chinese humanoid and quadruped robot dog systems would be evaluated for inclusion on the Federal Communications Commission’s Covered List.
That designation would strip the machines of their wireless communication licenses, effectively banning their commercial sales across the US market. By limiting Section 163 strictly to military procurement, lawmakers have left commercial sales untouched for now. Following the House vote, Moolenaar welcomed the military restrictions but warned that Washington “cannot allow.”
This highlights China’s growing sway in the global robotics market. In 2025, Chinese firms shipped around 80 percent of the world’s humanoid robots, according to a report by Counterpoint Research in January. Chinese developer Unitree Robotics said recently that it had shipped and delivered over 5,500 humanoid robots in 2025, while its rival AgiBot shipped 5,168 units according to information published in January 2026. By comparison, leading American developers, including Figure AI, Agility Robotics and Tesla, each shipped roughly 150 units in 2025.
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[1] https://www.cybersecurityintelligence.com/blog/legislators-will-prevent-the-us-miltary-from-using-chinese-technology-9594.html
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