The Chinese authorities are considering tightening export controls on artificial intelligence and semiconductor technologies. According to a report inthe *Financial Times*on 21 July, consultations led by the Ministry of Commerce involve the country’s largest technology firms, including Alibaba, ByteDance and Zhipu AI. No final decisions have yet been made.
One of the measures under consideration is restricting the transfer abroad of data used to train the most advanced AI models. The regulations could also make it more difficult for overseas users to download model weights – files containing the parameters that determine how the system operates. However, access to Chinese AI services via the internet would remain possible.
Beijing is also reviewing the rules governing collaboration between Chinese integrated circuit designers and foreign semiconductor firms, such as TSMC and Qualcomm. The restrictions could cover the production of advanced chips based on designs developed by, amongst others, Huawei, Alibaba and ByteDance. A separate area of concern is foreign takeovers of companies possessing strategic technologies, including solutions in the field of agent-based AI, capable of performing complex tasks autonomously.
The new regulations may be incorporated into the next version of China’s catalogue of technologies subject to export bans or restrictions. The document was last updated in July 2025, when, amongst other things, selected technologies for the production of materials used in lithium batteries were added.
This potential change shows that China is increasingly treating advanced AI models, training data and chip designs as resources of strategic importance. The United States has been adopting a similar approach for several years, restricting China’s access to the most advanced processors and the equipment used to manufacture them.
For Chinese companies, the new regulations could mean better protection of their technology, but also more difficult overseas expansion and reduced popularity of open-source models. At this stage, however, these are merely proposals under consultation. Reuters noted that it was unable to independently verify the FT’s report, and the companies mentioned and the Chinese ministry did not provide any comment.
