China Proposes Export Curbs on AI Tech, Advanced Solar
The draft plan would restrict or ban the export of 40 technologies, from AI models to next-generation solar manufacturing. An export registration requirement takes effect immediately.
China on Friday proposed restricting the export of more than 40 advanced technologies, including AI models, next-generation solar manufacturing and some biotech platforms. The draft, titled “Announcement No. 48,” was issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Fourteen technologies would be banned from export outright. They include perovskite and tandem solar-cell module manufacturing technology, AI technology that could be used to generate and mutate malicious code, and some cell and gene therapy platforms.
Another 26 would face restricted exports requiring licenses. Among them: polysilicon engineering technology used to make solar cells, where the production line has annual capacity of at least 30,000 tonnes.
The plan also adds an export registration requirement with immediate effect. Exporters of the listed technologies must register international transfers now, including exports that are already underway. The proposed additions to the export catalogue are open for public comment until November 15.
Explaining the move, a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said AI, biomedicine and photovoltaic technologies have seen expanding applications in sensitive fields. “Drawing on international practice, China is implementing necessary controls in accordance with the law,” the statement said, to prevent risks arising from the loss of control over technologies or inappropriate proliferation.
On solar, the ministry said it was adding 12 photovoltaic technologies covering polysilicon production, wafer manufacturing and solar-cell manufacturing. It said solar technology is increasingly used in aerospace, defense and unmanned systems, which has increased the national-security implications of exporting it. Only a limited set of technologies would be regulated; other photovoltaic technologies would remain freely exportable, the statement said.
The controls could matter most for countries trying to move up the solar manufacturing chain. India, which is pushing to cut its dependence on China for solar equipment, could face licensing delays on next-generation manufacturing technology, The Hindu BusinessLine reported. Technology that is already in the public domain — through open-source releases or academic papers — would be exempt, according to an analysis of the draft.
The AI additions cover 23 technologies tied to large AI models, AI agents, computing clusters and information processing, that analysis said. China is the world’s dominant maker of solar equipment, so even a partial curb on how its manufacturing technology spreads carries weight.
