Lutnick Speaks at Meeting with Boston Dynamics and Others "Era of Robotic Arms Coming; Arms Race Will Become Robot Race"
The Trump administration has signaled that it may pursue additional regulations on Chinese-made robots, designating them as a national security threat following AI chips.
According to Politico on Tuesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said at a closed-door meeting with companies that "an investigation into imports of robots subsidized by the Chinese government is underway," adding that the United States could take a hard-line response once the review is complete.
About a dozen company executives attended the meeting, including robot manufacturers SpaceX and Boston Dynamics, financial firms JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, technology company Siemens, and industrial automation firm Rockwell Automation. Participants reportedly discussed ways to rebuild the foundation of next-generation manufacturing, such as semiconductors and robots, within the United States.
Chinese-made robots are already subject to U.S. tariffs. A 25% tariff applies under Section 301 of the Trade Act. However, Lutnick's remarks are interpreted as suggesting that additional regulatory measures beyond this could be implemented.
"We don't want to let nationally subsidized robots attack the United States," Lutnick said. "The coming arms race will be a 'robot race.' The era of robotic arms is coming." He also stressed that robots should be produced in the United States.
The U.S. government and industry believe that a significant portion of the industrial base needed for next-generation robot manufacturing, including the capacity to produce machine tools and core components, has been lost. They are concerned that if the United States fails to respond to China's rapidly advancing robot business, U.S. manufacturing could be stripped of its fundamental competitiveness. The calculation is to restore the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem before the gap with China widens. In fact, China's industrial robot exports surged 48.7% from a year earlier last year, surpassing its imports.
Companies reportedly discussed issues such as financing problems that block factory construction and investment expansion. The Trump administration is also considering funding support through the Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) under the U.S. Department of Defense. The OSC is reviewing low-interest loans to U.S. robot startups Foundation Robotics and Standard Bots, Politico reported.
Original reporting by Park Min-joo for Seoul Economic Daily.
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreign sources are based on Korean-language reports and may not reflect exact original wording.
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