US issues first outbound investment fine over Chinese robotics AI deal

The US Treasury on Wednesday announced its first penalty under rules governing American investment in sensitive Chinese technologies, revealing a US$200,000 fine against the parent of Plug and Play Tech Centre for failing to report an investment in a Shanghai robotics AI company.The Treasury said on Wednesday that Amidi, LLC failed to submit a required notification after its Chinese fund subsidiary invested around US$92,478 in Shanghai Qiongche Intelligent Technology Company Limited, known as Noematrix, on April 19, 2025.The penalty was issued in July but announced on Wednesday. It exceeded twice the investment amount.The case provides the first concrete example of enforcement under the Outbound Investment Security Programme, which took effect in January 2025 and governs certain US investments in Chinese artificial intelligence, semiconductor and quantum computing businesses.