China proposed export controls on 40 technologies on October 16, including 23 in artificial intelligence, according to its commerce and science ministries. The draft covers AI, biotechnology and solar technology. The draft catalogue has not yet entered into force. Consultation runs until November 15, but export registration starts immediately.
The ministries propose adding the technologies to China's catalogue of prohibited or restricted exports. A commerce ministry explanation identifies 14 proposed bans and 26 proposed restrictions. It says the revision addresses risks of uncontrolled technology and improper proliferation, and targets no particular country, region or entity.
The announcement includes AI models, agents, computing clusters and information processing, alongside five biomedical and 12 photovoltaic technologies. Technologies already in the public domain through open-source releases or academic papers are excluded. Reuters and Associated Press also reported the proposal on Friday.
The ministry says overseas deployment of restricted AI technology would fall within export management. Deployment on a company's own overseas cloud could qualify for simplified measures such as automatic licensing. API access, app or web interaction, software services and lightweight local deployment would fall outside large-model technology export management, it says.
Exporters must register listed technologies before export from the announcement date until the revised catalogue takes effect. Transfers already under way but unfinished are included. The notice covers ownership transfers, overseas licensing and changes that put domestic technology under foreign ownership or actual control.
Registrations must identify the exporter and recipient, destination, technology, intended use and expected value, according to the notice. The ministry says most AI technology would remain freely exportable after implementation. The immediate step is registration; the proposed bans and restrictions remain subject to consultation.
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