China proposes export controls on 23 AI technologies

China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology have published a draft that would add 23 AI-related technologies to the country's list of technologies that are banned or restricted from export. The draft covers areas tied to large AI models, AI agents, computing clusters and information processing. Public comments are open until November 15, 2026, and temporary rules now require companies to register before exporting the covered technologies.

A ministry spokesperson, quoted by Global Times on October 16, said the goal is to keep AI safe and under human control while still supporting open source. Technology already made public through open-source releases or academic papers would fall outside the controls. The spokesperson gave examples of the risk the rules target, such as AI that can write and change malicious code on its own to attack critical systems. China also says it will make some exports easier through automatic licensing for things like open-source development, data centers Chinese firms run abroad, overseas chip manufacturing and joint research. Those exports would go ahead once they are registered. The final list could still change after the comment period.

Why it matters

Companies working with Chinese AI labs or models may face new paperwork, though open-source releases are meant to stay free to share.

Source: Global Times