Proposed controls on strategic technologies
China plans to restrict or prohibit exports of 40 technologies involving artificial intelligence, semiconductors, solar power and biomedicine. The proposal comes as technological competition with countries such as the United States continues to intensify.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly released a draft update to the national catalog of restricted technologies. A commerce ministry spokesperson described the measures as necessary and cited national security among the reasons for the changes.
Artificial intelligence at the center
Twenty-three AI technologies appear on the proposed list, ranging from advanced large models to autonomous agents. Core technologies for models trained with sensitive national data would be prohibited from export.
AI agents designed for highly sensitive settings, including national defense and critical information infrastructure, would also face a ban. Chinese officials said the controls aim to prevent misuse and keep artificial intelligence under human control.
Models with at least 2 trillion parameters or certain world-leading capabilities could be restricted. Moonshot’s Kimi K3 and Alibaba’s Qwen 3.8-Max exceed that threshold, although the proposal did not identify individual models.
Wider effects on technology access
Beyond AI, the draft covers technologies used to design some artificial intelligence and memory chips. It also includes 12 solar technologies, such as processes involving polysilicon, and five biomedicine technologies related to cell and gene therapy.
Analysts viewed the proposal partly as a response to Western sovereignty requirements in areas including AI, robotics and telecommunications. The controls would allow Beijing to regulate foreign access to Chinese technological capabilities more closely.
The move follows years of U.S.-led limits on China’s access to advanced AI chips and chipmaking equipment. At the same time, Beijing and Washington have recently advanced talks on AI safety, governance and a notification mechanism for incidents that could threaten national security.
Economists said the decision reflects AI’s growing strategic importance to both countries. It also points to increasing fragmentation in global trade, investment and access to advanced technologies.
References
Chan, H.-H. (2026, October 16). China moves to curb tech exports, including AI, citing national security risks. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/china-export-restrictions-ai-chips-solar-us-5ac381c0c6d6628bbea2e0da7d855a5b