China proposes export controls on 23 AI technologies, from large models to agents

China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology have proposed adding 40 technologies in artificial intelligence, biomedicine and solar power to the country’s catalogue of technologies whose export is prohibited or restricted, according to a notice published on Friday.

Twenty-three of the items are AI technologies, covering large models, AI agents, computing clusters and information processing, the notice said. Technology that has already entered the public domain through open-source releases or academic papers would not be covered.

The proposals cover overseas deployment of AI models containing restricted technology but exclude access through application programming interfaces (APIs), websites, apps and software-as-a-service platforms, Reuters reported, citing the commerce ministry. Reuters said that distinction could allow Chinese developers such as DeepSeek and Alibaba to keep expanding abroad while giving Beijing more oversight of sensitive transfers.

The ministry said the controls were partly intended to prevent misuse of AI, including systems able to autonomously create and modify malicious software that could threaten critical infrastructure and national security, according to Reuters. It said most AI technologies would remain freely exportable.

The biomedicine items include certain cell and gene therapy and small nucleic acid drug technologies, and the solar items cover polysilicon, wafer and cell manufacturing.

The public can comment until 15 November. From Friday, exporters must register before transferring any of the listed technologies abroad, until the revised catalogue takes effect.