China proposes controls on 40 technologies, including AI

China’s commerce and science ministries have proposed adding 40 technologies in artificial intelligence, biomedicine and photovoltaics to the country’s export-control list, including 23 AI-related entries. A temporary registration requirement for exports of relevant technologies took effect October 16, while the draft remains open for public comment through November 15, 2026. The proposed AI controls cover technologies such as large language models, intelligent agents and computing clusters. The draft would also apply to exports of model weights and source code when models meet designated performance thresholds. It does not name specific models, and the supplied details do not fully specify the thresholds. Beyond AI, the proposal includes 12 solar technologies and five biomedicine technologies, including gene therapy-related items. The ministries have not finalized the catalogue: the current text is a proposal, and its scope could change during the consultation period. The interim registration rule is already in force for relevant technologies. It covers technology transfers and licensing agreements with overseas entities, as well as export transactions that were underway but...