China plans tighter export controls on 40 key technologies in AI, solar, biomedicine
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China's government plans to tighten export controls on 40 key technologies in artificial intelligence, photovoltaics, and biomedicine, citing security interests. A registration requirement is already in effect, while a draft from the Commerce Ministry and Science and Technology Ministry proposes outright export bans for 14 areas and restrictions or explicit licensing for 26 others. The plan focuses on 23 AI technologies, including large-model methods and AI agents, with bans on AI with offensive cyber capabilities. Twelve solar technologies face controls, including bans on certain thin wafers, high-efficiency perovskite and tandem technologies, and a new polysilicon production method. Finished solar modules are not covered. Public comments are open until November 15. China says the measures do not target specific countries, though they come amid a technological and hegemonic rivalry with the US, which has banned advanced AI chip exports to China. China's export surplus reached $938 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 21.3 percent year-on-year.
Source report
Beijing wants to tighten oversight of exports of AI and solar technology. The government cites security interests as justification.
Quality check of a solar module in a factory in Xi'an, Shaanxi: China wants to tighten oversight of photovoltaic technology exports. Photo: Muyu Xu/Reuters
By Sven Hansen
The Chinese government plans to tighten controls on the export of 40 key technologies in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), photovoltaics, and biomedicine. A registration requirement is already in effect as of now. For 14 areas, exports are to be banned entirely in the future; for 26, there will be restrictions and an explicit permit will be required. This is provided for in a joint draft by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology that became known last Friday.
Unlike the registration requirement for corresponding technology transfers, which has already been introduced with immediate effect, the plans have not yet been finally approved. Rather, comments can still be submitted to the ministries until November 15.
The announced measures are justified on the grounds of China's security interests. AI, for instance, could be used for attacks on critical infrastructure. The goal is "to prevent the risk of technologies getting out of control or being disseminated improperly, while at the same time protecting normal international exchange and cooperation in science and technology," the Ministry of Commerce explained, according to the news agency Reuters.
The focus of the announcement is on 23 AI technologies, including methods for large AI models and so-called AI agents that carry out tasks largely independently. The export of AI technologies with particularly offensive cyber capabilities is to be banned. Access to AI services via apps and websites is not to be affected by the controls. Technologies that are publicly accessible through open-source publications or scientific papers are also not to be affected.
Export Controls on Solar Technology
According to the Ministry of Commerce, stronger oversight is needed for 12 solar technologies, among other things because they are increasingly being used in areas such as aerospace and national defense. In solar technology, the export of technologies for certain thin wafers as well as particularly efficient perovskite and tandem technologies is to be banned, along with a new process for producing polysilicon.
The export controls on solar technology do not cover finished solar modules. China is by a wide margin the world market leader in this area and plays a key role with its inexpensive solar modules in Europe's energy transition. With the announced measures, Beijing is likely attempting to defend Chinese dominance in this sector.
The Ministry of Commerce in Beijing did emphasize that the announced measures are not directed against specific countries or companies. However, China and the United States are engaged not only in technological competition but also in a global conflict over hegemony. The US, too, has banned the export of particularly powerful AI chips to China. In 2025, China had restricted certain processes for manufacturing batteries, such as lithium extraction, and also introduced export controls on certain rare earths. The latter was a response to tariffs by the US government under Donald Trump.
China's trade surplus amounted to 938 billion US dollars in the first nine months. That is an increase of 21.3 percent compared with the same period the previous year. Because of continued weak domestic demand, exports are a way out for many companies. It remains open how the announced high-tech export controls will affect the large trade surplus. Exports could suffer under the controls in the short term, but effective defense of technological advantages could also offer export benefits in the medium term.
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China Proposes Export Controls on 40 AI, Biomedicine and Solar Technologies