China issues first frontier AI export controls
The gist
China's commerce and science ministries proposed adding 40 technologies to its export control catalogue, 23 of them AI.
The draft, open for comment until Nov 15, would shape how Chinese AI models and expertise reach foreign buyers.
How it unfolded
- Oct 16, 2026MOFCOM and MOST issue Announcement No. 48, proposing 40 new catalogue entries — 23 in AI, 5 in biomedicine, 12 in photovoltaics — with an interim pre-export registration requirement effective immediately, including for exports already started but not complete.
- Oct 28, 2026Reuters reports, citing an anonymous source, that China is expected to adopt the proposals by the end of the year and issue implementation guidelines later.
- Nov 2, 2026China Briefing reports MOFCOM is soliciting public feedback on the amendment until 15 November 2026.