China’s AI and Solar Export Curb Draft Closes for Comment
China’s draft list of 40 technologies to ban or restrict for export, including AI models and polysilicon processes, closes for comment Nov. 15.
BEIJING — China’s public comment period on a draft list of 40 technologies it plans to ban or restrict for export closes on Nov. 15, 2026, China Briefing reported. The list covers artificial intelligence, solar manufacturing and biomedicine.
The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology published the draft on Oct. 16 as an amendment to China’s Catalogue of Technology Prohibited or Restricted for Export, the Associated Press reported.
What the list covers
The draft includes 23 AI technologies, 12 solar technologies and five biomedicine technologies, according to the AP and China Briefing. Prohibited items cannot be exported, and restricted items need a license, China Briefing said.
Exports of core technologies of large AI models trained on sensitive national data would be prohibited, the AP reported. So would AI agents designed for national defense or critical information infrastructure, according to the AP.
AI models with 2 trillion or more parameters, or with certain world-leading capabilities, could be restricted, the AP reported. The AP said Moonshot’s Kimi K3 and Alibaba’s Qwen 3.8-Max exceed 2 trillion parameters, though the draft names no models.
The solar items include technologies for making polysilicon, silicon wafers of 70 micrometers or thinner and certain solar cells, China Briefing reported. It said restrictions extend to key equipment that embodies those technologies.
Exemptions
Technologies already public through open-source releases or academic papers would be exempt, China Briefing said. It said API access, app and web services, software-as-a-service and light on-device deployments using restricted models would also be exempt.
China Briefing said the solar exemptions are limited, so foreign manufacturers could face larger sourcing risks there. Until the draft is adopted, exporters of affected technologies must register with the Ministry of Commerce before exporting, it reported.
Beijing’s rationale
A commerce ministry spokesperson called the move “necessary” and cited national security, the AP reported. The ministry said the aim was “reinforcing the security bottom line, preventing misuse and abuse, and ensuring that AI remains under human control,” according to the AP.
What it means
Analysis: The draft turns export controls into a tool China can use on its own strengths, not only one aimed at it. The AI carve-outs keep Chinese models flowing as services. The solar items are where China Briefing expects the curbs to bite, because their exemptions are narrow and they reach key equipment.
Sources
- China Briefing: China Proposes Export Curbs on AI, Biopharma, and Solar Tech
- Associated Press via PBS NewsHour: China says it will curb tech exports, including AI, citing national security risks
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Featured photo: A polycrystalline silicon rod made by the Siemens process (file photo). Photo: Warut Roonguthai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
