U.S. robotics execs fear being left behind as efforts to push anti-China policy stall

U.S. robotics execs are worried that the postponement of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping would stall efforts to advance major policies that could arm the domestic sector against China.

In March 2025, executives from top U.S. robotics firms, including Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and Agility Robotics, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, proposing that the administration form a national robotics strategy to compete against China and the global market. 

“We’re leading in AI, and I think we’re building some of the best robots in the world. But we need a national strategy if we’re going to continue to build and stay ahead,” said Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Austin-based humanoid startup Apptronik. 

The group told lawmakers that China and several other countries already have such a plan in place to prop up local companies, and that “the U.S. will not only lose the robotics race but also the AI race” if it fails to adopt a similar plan. 

Iran conflict is stalling major policy push, says execs

Fast-forward to today, U.S. execs say they are “sort of in a hold on doing anything significant” due to the postponement of Trump’s meeting with President Xi.

Trump was scheduled to visit Beijing from March 31 to April 2, but later postponed the meeting following the escalation of the conflict with Iran. The U.S. administration told foreign officials on March 21st that the meeting would not be rescheduled until the conflict ends, leaving the U.S. robotics firms in limbo regarding their proposals.

“There’s a pause right now on all anti-China-related policy steps with the upcoming meeting,” one of the execs told Semafor, adding that they don’t expect any major policy pushes until the meeting happens.

The U.S. administration was considering issuing an executive order on robotics this year, with the Department of Transportation, establishing a robotics working group, according to a Politico report in December, citing two of the people familiar with the matter. It’s unclear if the ongoing situation affects the timeline. 

China is making robots a priority 

China accounted for more than 80% of humanoid robots installed around the world last year, as Cryptopolitan previously reported. Its dominance is largely due to government policies promoting domestic manufacturers. 

Last year, China’s National Development and Reform Commission announced plans to set up nearly 1 trillion yuan (US$138 billion) in capital to boost robotics, AI, and cutting-edge innovation.

Earlier this month, Chinese lawmakers approved the nation’s “15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030)” draft outline, which listed “embodied artificial intelligence” among the top priority sectors Beijing will focus on over the next five years.

China’s keen interest in accelerating embodied AI comes as a response to labour shortage and demographic decline.

“China’s push into humanoid robotics development is driven by a combination of addressing demographic pressures, driving the next horizon of economic growth, and strengthening its role in global competition,” an expert told CNBC.