China proposes export controls on 23 AI technologies, with exemptions for open source and many overseas services

China’s commerce and science ministries have proposed adding 23 artificial-intelligence technologies to the country’s export-control catalogue, a draft that would cover areas including large models, AI agents and computing clusters. The proposal is part of a wider revision covering 40 technologies across AI, biomedicine and solar power; the public-comment period runs through Nov. 15.

The proposal is not yet a final set of controls. Alongside soliciting comments, the ministries introduced a temporary requirement for exporters to register before exporting the listed technologies, effective Oct. 16 and lasting until the revised catalogue formally takes effect. The requirement also applies to exports already underway but not completed, according to the Commerce Ministry.

For large models, the draft would cover weights, source code and other core components, according to TNW’s account of the proposal. It reports that the criteria include models with at least 2 trillion parameters or models ranking among the world’s top 10 on measures such as performance and safety. The draft does not name specific models; TNW cited Bloomberg and the Associated Press in identifying examples that could meet the size threshold.

The proposed AI list also includes chip-design know-how for chips made at 14 nanometres or below, or through 2.5D and 3D stacking, as well as some memory-chip designs. The ministry describes the 23 items more broadly as technologies related to large models, agents, computing clusters and information processing, and says most listed technologies have defined technical indicators intended to keep the scope limited.

The ministry says the proposal is meant to manage security risks while preserving international exchange. It says AI technology that has entered the public domain through open-source release or academic publication would not be included in export management. The ministry also says automatic-licensing or other facilitation measures would apply in several cases, including open-source AI technology and Chinese companies’ self-built, self-operated computing centres overseas.

The rules distinguish between transferring restricted technology abroad and offering services that use it. The ministry says overseas local deployment of a restricted model would fall within export management, though deployment on a company’s own overseas cloud could qualify for an automatic licence. By contrast, it says API access, app or web interactions, SaaS applications and lightweight on-device deployments using restricted models would not count as exports of model technology.

The ministry says the draft is a routine catalogue revision, not a measure aimed at any particular country, region or company. It says the proposed controls are intended to address the risks of misuse and uncontrolled diffusion, while noting that most AI technologies would still be freely exportable. The public consultation and temporary registration regime leave the final scope—and how the proposed measures will operate in practice—subject to change.