This week, the House Select Committee on China issued a bipartisan warning about potential national security threats posed by Chinese robotics firm Unitree. All members of the committee, both Republicans and Democrats, signed a letter highlighting concerns over Unitree's connections to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its use in sensitive U.S. institutions.
Chairman John Moolenaar emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, "The fact that PLA-connected robots are operating in U.S. prisons and even within Army operations should be a wake-up call." He further noted that these machines could serve as surveillance devices for the CCP. Moolenaar urged immediate action to ban and blacklist Unitree to prevent Beijing from embedding itself in critical systems.
Unitree Robotics is based in Hangzhou and has ties to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) through military-civil fusion programs and CCP-backed investments. Despite these links, their quadrupedal robots have been deployed in U.S. state correctional systems and military settings.
The committee calls for several measures: designating Unitree under Section 1260H of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act as a Chinese military company; adding it to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List to restrict exports and partnerships; and including it on the FCC’s Covered List to block its use in U.S. telecom infrastructure.
Concerns center around Unitree's "dual-use" technology marketed for civilian purposes but used in Chinese military drills. The robots collect data that could potentially be sent back to China, posing significant surveillance risks. Additionally, they include remote-access features linked to Chinese servers, raising cybersecurity issues.
The presence of these robots in U.S. prisons and public safety departments highlights an immediate threat, with implications for national security if used for espionage or disruption.
