Chinese robotics companies blocked from the U.S. market by new restrictions on advanced robots may still reach American buyers by establishing genuine operations in Singapore, said Choon Chong Tay, managing partner at Vertex Ventures China. Startups with substantial content in Singapore, including control of the chips powering their robots, could potentially serve the U.S. market, although the proposed workaround has not been tested. The Trump administration barred new foreign-made humanoid and other mobile robots from entering the U.S. in July on national security grounds, just as Chinese manufacturers have been leading the robotics industry. Vertex, backed by Singapore state investor Temasek, manages nearly $3 billion in U.S. dollar- and yuan-denominated funds and has invested in companies including Unitree Robotics, Horizon Robotics, Geek+, Edge Medical and Lightelligence. Unitree earns more than 40% of its revenue overseas, including about 18% from the U.S., according to Morningstar equity analyst Kangyuxiao Li. Tay argues that demand for affordable Chinese-made robots could outweigh political restrictions, while Bernstein equity analyst Dien Wang said the ban could widen to other physical-AI industries. China could retain leverage through its control of rare earths used in humanoid actuators and motors.