Temasek-backed investor behind Unitree pitches Singapore as Chinese robots' path to U.S.

Singapore-based Vertex Ventures, backed by Singapore state investor Temasek, has made investments in Chinese robotics startups, including Unitree Robotics.SINGAPORE — Chinese robotics companies shut out of the U.S. by new restrictions on advanced robots can still reach American buyers by building genuine operations in Singapore, according to a Temasek-backed venture firm that counts humanoid maker Unitree Robotics among its portfolio companies. Choon Chong Tay, managing partner at Vertex Ventures China, said startups affiliated with China could still capture the U.S. market by anchoring day-to-day operations, hiring, and control of critical components in the city-state.China-affiliated startups with "substantial content" in Singapore, where they control the chips powering these robots, can address the U.S. market, the Shanghai-based venture capitalist told CNBC on Tuesday. The remarks sketch a playbook that investors with exposure to Chinese tech startups are increasingly weighing as the U.S.-China technology contest intensifies. Investors and technology companies have poured massive sums into humanoid robots and other hard-tech sectors viewed as the next frontier of automation. In...