China is adding backdoors to its robots

Absent prompt action, observers warn, Beijing will persist in embedding PLA-linked robotics hardware and software into global markets, normalizing its access to sensitive environments and eroding U.S. competitive dominance.

A bipartisan cohort of twenty-four U.S. Representatives—spearheaded by Michigan’s John Moolenaar and Illinois’s Raja Krishnamoorthi—sent a letter on May 6 urging federal probes into China-based Unitree Robotics, amid growing fears that its robotic platforms could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party for spying and military gains.

Addressed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the missive highlights Unitree’s close connections to PLA-linked institutions and CCP-affiliated entities, and calls for an immediate review and possible blacklisting of the company by relevant agencies.

Founded in Hangzhou in 2016 by Wang Xingxing, Unitree Robotics has quickly gained renown for its quadruped “robot dog” systems and humanoid robots boasting sophisticated mobility and sensor arrays.

Though marketed for civilian uses—such as search-and-rescue missions, industrial inspections, and entertainment—the letter points to Unitree’s participation in China’s military–civil fusion initiatives, state-backed dual-use research, and subsidies from Hangzhou’s municipal Sci-Tech Fund and High-Tech Zone.

The representatives also note that Unitree executives have appeared at top-level CCP events, underscoring the company’s alignment with Beijing’s strategic aims. Reports suggest CEO Wang joined a private-sector delegation meeting with Xi Jinping in February 2025, intended to strengthen ties between the Party and technology firms—a connection that stokes concerns about Unitree’s civilian-branded robots serving China’s surveillance and autonomous weapons programs.

Domestically, the letter flags deployments of Unitree robots within U.S. law enforcement as potential espionage entry points. In June 2024, Florida’s Port St. Lucie Police Department acquired a Unitree robot dog via a $25,000 federal grant for narcotics searches, and in October 2024, the Pullman Police Department in Washington began using a Unitree unit equipped with video-mapping and a 25-pound payload capability to bolster police operations. Lawmakers warn these installations could channel sensitive data back to CCP-controlled servers.

Perhaps most troubling are findings of pre-installed backdoor software—namely an undocumented “CloudSail” service—that automatically links each robot to Unitree’s Chinese servers, potentially granting the CCP remote access to real-time video, mapping, and location data from robots deployed in U.S. prisons, military bases, or critical infrastructure.

Since user data resides on Chinese servers subject to national intelligence laws, officials fear involuntary data exfiltration could be ordered by the state.

To counter these threats, the letter urges the Department of Defence to designate Unitree as a “Chinese military company,” barring it from U.S. defence contracts and triggering stricter technology scrutiny.

Concurrently, lawmakers request that the Commerce Department place Unitree on its Entity List—to halt exports of key components like LiDAR sensors and advanced AI chips—and ask the FCC to add Unitree to its Covered List, preventing its robots from accessing U.S. telecom networks.

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), a leading industry trade group, has backed the congressional push, warning against repeating past mistakes from the drone sector when adversary-made platforms proliferated unchecked.

AUVSI President Michael Robbins stressed that protecting national security and preserving U.S. technological leadership requires removing vulnerabilities throughout the uncrewed systems ecosystem.

This move dovetails with wider efforts in Washington to sever critical tech supply chains from Chinese influence. Since late 2024, policymakers have restricted U.S. investments in Chinese AI and semiconductor firms, blacklisted major companies like Tencent and CATL for alleged PLA ties, and tightened export controls on sensitive hardware.

The Unitree case signals an expansion of concern from chips and software to advanced robotics as potential mobile intelligence platforms.

Critics of blanket bans caution that unilateral restrictions could stifle beneficial research partnerships and prompt Chinese firms to find workarounds. Proponents, however, argue that safeguarding critical infrastructure, law enforcement, and military operations—and denying Chinese intelligence collectors access—demands decisive measures.

The Unitree letter reflects a growing consensus on Capitol Hill that any cost advantages offered by cheap robotics are far outweighed by national security risks.

By coordinating efforts across Defense, Commerce, and the FCC, the congressional initiative aims both to close existing loopholes and set a precedent for handling future dual-use technology threats from adversarial nations—with Unitree Robotics as its first test case.

(geopolitico.gr)