China is considering stricter export rules for advanced AI models and semiconductor technology. The Ministry of Commerce is reportedly consulting with leading companies such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Zhipu. The goal: to prevent China’s most valuable technology from falling into Western hands.
This is according to the Financial Times. While Beijing has long championed the open dissemination of its AI models, it now views that technology as a critical national asset. The measures are not yet final. Regulators are currently weighing industry feedback before making a decision.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Chinese authorities were meeting with tech companies to discuss restricting foreign access to the most advanced AI models, including those that have not yet been released.
What the restrictions target
The Ministry of Commerce, which oversees export regulations, has been in discussions with AI companies about restricting the transfer of critical training data abroad. The downloading of model weights by foreign users is also under scrutiny. In addition, rules are being considered to prevent foreign chipmakers such as Qualcomm and TSMC from producing advanced semiconductors based on designs from Chinese companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and ByteDance.
The new measures could be included in the next revision of China’s catalog of technologies that are prohibited or restricted for export. Acquisitions of strategic technology abroad, for example, in the field of agentic AI, could also be restricted.
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