China Announces Sweeping Retaliatory Sanctions Against U.S.

China has announced a series of new sanctions against the U.S., in response to a Trump administration ban on new foreign-made humanoid robot imports.

According to the Associated Press, China will now require reviews on a case-by-case basis for exports of unmanned aerial vehicles to the U.S., with their components and technologies added to a list of so-called dual-use items that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. China also banned six U.S. firms from trading with Chinese companies, and opened an investigation into the national security impacts of imported printing software and office equipment.

Additionally, China's State Administration for Market Regulation ruled that U.S. companies that conduct follow-up factory inspections on behalf of Chinese firms can no longer provide safety certifications for certain electronic products. Moving forward, U.S. electronics producers in China will need to hire auditors based outside the U.S. for those certifications.

The sanctions come in response to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission enacting an import ban on all foreign humanoid robots, the bulk of which come from China. The Department of Homeland Security had also added 43 Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevent Act entity list. 

China previously criticized the U.S. measures as "discriminatory and suppressive," and accused the Trump administration of "overstretching the concept of national security." China manufactures and installs factory robots at the highest rate in the world, and is a global leader in production for humanoid robot components and software.