N環球 
China proposes export controls on 40 technologies: AI, solar, biotech — 14 face full bans
China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday published a draft revision (Announcement No. 48) that would add 40 key technologies across AI, biomedicine and photovoltaics to the export-control catalogue: 14 proposed for complete export prohibition — including perovskite and tandem solar-cell module manufacturing technology and AI that can generate or mutate malicious code — and 26 for restricted (licensed) export. The commerce ministry called the move 'necessary,' citing national security.
Why it matters
This is China's largest revision of its technology export-control catalogue in recent years, touching the exact segments — artificial intelligence and next-generation solar manufacturing — where its tech race with the United States is fiercest. The list is still a draft for public comment, but the signal is clear: Beijing is now treating technology-outflow risk as a national-security matter systematically. The solar provisions could also affect localization timelines in countries like India that are trying to reduce dependence on China.
Full report
According to multiple outlets reporting on October 16, China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly published a draft revision of the catalogue of technologies subject to export bans or restrictions (Announcement No. 48), covering 40 key technologies in AI, biomedicine and photovoltaics.
Of these, 14 are proposed for complete export prohibition, including perovskite and tandem solar-cell module manufacturing technologies, AI-driven technology that could be used to generate and mutate malicious computer code, and some platforms related to cell and gene therapy. A further 26 are proposed for restricted export (requiring licences), including polysilicon engineering technologies for production lines with annual capacity of at least 30,000 tonnes, AI tools for finding software vulnerabilities, and some technologies for discovering and validating new drug targets.
A commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement that 'in recent years, AI, biomedicine and photovoltaic technologies have seen expanding applications in sensitive fields,' and that 'major economies around the world have implemented varying degrees of export controls in these areas.' 'Drawing on international practice, China is implementing necessary controls in accordance with the law to prevent risks arising from loss of control over technologies or inappropriate proliferation, while also safeguarding normal international technological cooperation,' the statement said. It added that photovoltaic technologies are increasingly used in aerospace, defence, unmanned systems and other sensitive sectors, raising the national-security implications of technology exports — but that only a limited set of technologies would be regulated, with other photovoltaic technologies remaining freely exportable.
The backdrop is intensifying US-China tech competition: this week Taiwan also said it would add AI servers and cutting-edge semiconductors to its controlled-items list as part of a US trade deal.
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