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China proposes curbs on exports of 40 technologies, including AI

A draft published by two ministries cites national security and lists 23 AI technologies.

Updated Oct 17, 2026 · 00:20 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • China's commerce and science ministries published a draft proposal to restrict or ban exports of 40 technologies.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • The list includes 23 AI technologies, and a commerce ministry spokesperson called the move necessary, citing national security.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • Core AI technologies trained on sensitive national data, and agents for sensitive settings, would be barred from export under the draft.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • The proposal remains a draft and was published as the US and China made progress in talks on AI safety and governance.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]

Key facts

  • China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly published a draft proposal updating its catalog of technologies subject to export bans or restrictions, covering 40 technologies.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • The proposal includes 23 AI technologies, from advanced large models to agents.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • A commerce ministry spokesperson called the move necessary and cited national security as one reason.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • Exports of core AI technologies trained on sensitive national data, and AI agents designed for sensitive environments such as national defense, would be prohibited under the proposal.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • Exports of AI models with 2 trillion or more parameters, or with certain world-leading capabilities, could be restricted under the proposal.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • The proposal was published as China and the US made progress in dialogues on AI safety and governance and on a notification mechanism for AI incidents.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • U.S.-led restrictions have blocked China from accessing the most cutting-edge AI chips and the chipmaking machines that make them.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]

What remains uncertain

  • The measures are a draft, so their final scope and timing remain unconfirmed.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]
  • The proposal did not name specific AI models, so it is unclear which models would be affected, even though reporting says Moonshot's Kimi K3 and Alibaba's Qwen 3.8-Max exceed 2 trillion parameters.[PBS NewsHour · Associated Press]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.