China Moves to Restrict Exports of 40 AI, Biotech and Solar Technologies

Beijing proposed adding 40 AI, biomedicine and photovoltaic technologies to its restricted export catalogue, with temporary registration required for overseas transfers.

China has proposed adding 40 technologies spanning artificial intelligence, biomedicine and photovoltaics to its catalogue of technologies prohibited or restricted from export, in a joint announcement published Friday by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The move, reported by Reuters, would subject a broad slate of Chinese-developed AI-related know-how to state control before it can leave the country — the mirror image of the export controls Washington has used for years to keep advanced chips out of Chinese hands.

The proposal arrives through Announcement No. 48 of 2026, issued under China's Foreign Trade Law and its regulations on the administration of technology imports and exports. It opens a public comment period on revising the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export, the legal instrument Beijing uses to control which technical knowledge, processes and designs can be transferred abroad. Companies cannot simply wait out the consultation, however: alongside the draft revision, authorities have imposed temporary measures requiring exporters to register international transfers of the affected AI, biopharmaceutical and solar technologies before they can proceed. As with much of the shifting landscape in AI policy news, the practical effects will depend on details still being finalized.

What the Catalogue Actually Controls

China's technology export catalogue is a distinctly Chinese instrument. Rather than controlling physical goods like advanced chips, it governs the cross-border transfer of technology itself — technical documentation, processes, know-how and licensing arrangements. Items on the list are either flatly prohibited from export or restricted, meaning a government license is required before any transfer, including through licensing deals, joint ventures or the movement of technical personnel.

The addition of AI technologies to the list signals that Beijing now treats its labs' machine learning expertise as a strategic asset comparable to the rare earth processing and battery technologies it has previously moved to protect. The FT reported earlier this week that Chinese authorities were weighing tighter export controls on AI models and semiconductors, and Friday's announcement converts that consideration into a formal regulatory process covering AI alongside biotech and solar.

Temporary Registration, Effective Immediately

The most consequential part of the announcement may be the interim measure. While the public comment process runs its course, exporters of the covered technologies must register their international transfers with authorities before shipping anything out. That converts what would normally be a consultation period into a soft freeze: transfers can continue, but each one now passes through a government checkpoint, and officials gain a real-time map of who is sending which technologies to which foreign partners.

For multinational companies, the operational impact is immediate. Any business licensing Chinese AI technology, sourcing Chinese biopharmaceutical processes, or depending on Chinese solar technology transfers needs to determine whether its arrangements fall within the scope of the new list — and registration requirements carry real compliance risk, since transfers that later fall under a prohibition regime could be blocked retroactively in effect.

A Two-Way Technology Wall

The symmetry with US policy is hard to miss. For several years, Washington has tightened controls on exports of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to China, arguing that frontier AI capabilities are a national security concern. Beijing's catalogue revision completes the other half of the wall: China's own AI innovations, biotech processes and solar manufacturing know-how are now framed as strategic resources that should not flow outward without state approval.

The escalation also reflects a shift in how China views its position in the global AI race. Chinese labs have gained international visibility through competitive open-weight model releases, and the country dominates large parts of the solar manufacturing supply chain. What was once framed primarily as an effort to catch up now increasingly resembles an effort to protect a lead — or at least to prevent competitors from free-riding on domestically funded research.

What Happens Next

The public comment period gives companies and industry groups a window to press for scope adjustments, carve-outs for academic collaboration, or clarified definitions of which AI technologies are actually covered. Comment-driven revisions are common in Chinese rulemaking, and the final catalogue text may differ meaningfully from the draft.

But the direction of travel is clear, and the temporary registration regime means the policy's core effect — state visibility and potential veto over technology outflows — is already in force. For the AI industry, the open question is how Chinese labs' international collaborations, open-source releases and overseas licensing deals adapt to a system where the default is government review rather than free transfer. Watch for other governments to respond in kind: if Beijing restricts AI technology exports, pressure will grow in Washington, Brussels and elsewhere to broaden their own controls on AI-related knowledge transfers, further fragmenting a technology ecosystem that has, until now, crossed borders with remarkably little friction.

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