China has proposed banning or restricting exports of 40 technologies, 23 of them linked to artificial intelligence, in a move that tightens control over how its most advanced systems leave the country.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology published the draft on Friday as an update to China's Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export. A public consultation is open until 15 November.
The AI items include large models, AI agents, computing clusters and information-processing technologies, along with some chip design methods. The draft also covers 12 solar power technologies and five in biomedicine.
Of the 40 technologies, 14 would be banned outright and 26 would require an export licence. Examples on the AI side range from a ban on AI-driven generation and mutation of malicious code to licensing for AI-assisted vulnerability discovery.
Officials said the changes are meant to strengthen security, prevent misuse and keep AI under human control. The commerce ministry said the revision is not aimed at any specific country and that most AI technologies can still be exported freely.
APIs and open source spared
Under the draft, using a Chinese AI model through an API, website, app or cloud service would generally not count as exporting the underlying technology. AI work already made public through open-source releases or academic papers would also fall outside the controls.
However, reports say installing a restricted model on servers in another country would be treated as an export. Automatic licensing could apply to certain exports tied to open-source projects, overseas computing centres, overseas chip manufacturing, joint research and international standards.
Reports say model weights for some advanced systems may be covered. The technical thresholds appear in an attachment to the notice, which was not viewable on the ministry's notice page, so the figures come from news reports rather than the attachment itself.
Registration already in force
A temporary pre-export registration requirement took effect when the notice was issued and will run until a final catalogue is adopted. Reports say it also applies to deals already under way.
The catalogue is still a draft and is not yet binding law.
Competition with the US
The proposal follows years of US-led restrictions on exports of advanced chips and equipment to China. Lian Jye Su, chief analyst at research firm Omdia, said it can be seen as a response to Western sovereignty requirements for AI, robotics and telecommunications, and an attempt to better regulate access to Chinese technology.
The proposal also comes as China and the United States have reported progress in talks on AI safety and governance.
Companies that license Chinese AI technology, run overseas data centres or take part in joint research may face new compliance steps if the rules are adopted. Solar manufacturers could also be affected by limits on exporting production know-how.
The ministries will review feedback after the consultation closes before publishing a final version, which could differ from the draft.
