The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answered reporters' questions on the revision of the "Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export in China"
On October 16, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued Announcement No. 48 of 2026, soliciting public opinions on the revision of the "Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export in China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Catalogue"), and implementing temporary management measures for pre export registration of relevant technologies. Recently, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answered questions from reporters regarding relevant issues.
Q: What is the background of the revision of the Catalogue?
Answer: According to Article 20 of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China, the competent foreign trade department of the State Council, in conjunction with other relevant departments of the State Council, shall formulate, adjust, and publish a list of technologies prohibited or restricted from export. Since 2001, the Ministry of Commerce, in conjunction with the Ministry of Science and Technology, has repeatedly adjusted and revised the Catalogue, with a combination of entry and exit, management and placement, forming a working practice. This revision is also a normalized work of technology trade management, carried out in accordance with laws and regulations, and not targeted at any specific country, region or entity.
In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and photovoltaic related technologies in sensitive fields has been continuously expanding, and major economies have implemented varying degrees of export controls. China refers to international practices and implements necessary management in accordance with the law, which not only prevents the risk of technological loss of control and improper diffusion, but also ensures normal international technological exchange and cooperation, promotes the advancement of science and technology towards goodness, safety and controllability, and benefits humanity.
Q: What are the proposed new technologies to be added to the Catalogue?
Answer: This public solicitation of opinions involves 40 key technologies to be added in the fields of artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and photovoltaics. Among them, 14 technologies are planned to be banned from export, including malicious code generation and mutation technology driven by artificial intelligence, cell and gene therapy technology process platforms with independent intellectual property rights, and production technology for perovskite and stacked battery components; We plan to restrict the export of 26 technologies, including artificial intelligence assisted vulnerability mining technology, generic cell and gene therapy target discovery and validation technology with independent intellectual property rights, and polycrystalline silicon engineering technology with a single production capacity of ≥ 30000 tons/year. The announcement also specifies the application of convenience measures and other circumstances. Please refer to the original announcement for details.
Question: Does the revision of the Catalogue fully consider the development of industries?
Answer: The Chinese government has always supported enterprises to carry out mutually beneficial cross-border operations and international technological cooperation in accordance with laws and regulations, and the relevant policy stance has not changed. In response to the technical scope and policies of this public solicitation of opinions, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology, together with industry regulatory departments, have extensively organized research institutions and industry organizations to conduct in-depth evaluations in advance, fully listened to the opinions and suggestions of major enterprises, and fully considered the current situation and development needs of domestic and foreign industries. Specifically manifested in three aspects: firstly, the precise and limited scope of the pipeline. Most of the technologies proposed for management this time have clear technical indicators, and products manufactured using related technologies are not within the scope of management. The management scope is clear, precise, and limited, which sets compliance boundaries for enterprises and facilitates policy implementation. The second is to apply convenience measures. This regulation clarifies various export situations for which convenient measures are proposed to be applied, reflecting the management concept of hierarchical classification, which helps to enhance the transparency and predictability of policies, and ensure the safety, standardization, and orderliness of technology exports. The third is to implement dynamic adjustments. The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology will dynamically adjust the management scope of the Catalogue in accordance with the law, and timely remove outdated or backward technologies from the Catalogue based on technological development. This solicitation of opinions is a work arrangement to listen to opinions and suggestions from all parties on a larger scale.
Q: What are the main considerations for the proposed addition of artificial intelligence technology?
Answer: Currently, global artificial intelligence technology innovation has entered an unprecedented period of activity, with opportunities and challenges coexisting. This time, we plan to add 23 key technologies related to artificial intelligence big models, intelligent agents, computing power clusters, and information processing to the Catalogue, mainly considering the following factors:
One is to ensure the safety and controllability of artificial intelligence technology. The various endogenous and derivative risks caused by artificial intelligence have attracted high attention from countries around the world. The artificial intelligence autonomous driven malicious code generation and mutation technology proposed for regulation this time can be used to attack sensitive systems such as national key information infrastructure, defense industry, and core government affairs, or to bypass the national security defense system. If obtained by non-state actors or malicious entities, it may pose a threat to national security and the common security of humanity. The Chinese government implements necessary management of such technologies with the aim of establishing a secure bottom line, preventing misuse, ensuring that artificial intelligence remains under human control, and promoting international governance of artificial intelligence.
The second is to encourage open source, collaboration, and sharing. The Chinese government is committed to making artificial intelligence an important driving force for promoting common prosperity and maintaining common security. In order to support the construction of an open source innovation ecosystem for artificial intelligence, convenient measures such as automatic licensing will be applied to the export of technologies related to open source artificial intelligence, self built and self operated computing power centers by Chinese enterprises overseas, chip chip fabrication manufacturing overseas, joint research and development using overseas resources, and participation in international standard setting, basically achieving "instant reporting and release"; Related technologies that have entered the public domain through open source and publishing academic papers will not be included in the scope of export management, creating a favorable environment for international exchange and cooperation in artificial intelligence technology.
It should be noted that China advocates for dialogue and cooperation on artificial intelligence with other countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefit, in order to jointly address the risks of AI technology diffusion and loss of control. China supports countries in the global South in strengthening their artificial intelligence capabilities, bridging the digital divide, and promoting sustainable development. More convenience and support will be provided for the technology exports required for capacity building, international cooperation, technology sharing, and rule building among members of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization.
Q: After the official implementation of the Catalogue, are various forms of "going global" such as localizing and deploying artificial intelligence models overseas, providing model calls to overseas, within the scope of technology export management?
Answer: Currently, there are various modes of "going global" for artificial intelligence models and application products. The key to determining whether a specific "going global" situation falls within the scope of technology export management lies in whether it involves the transfer of restricted technologies from China to overseas.
The scope of artificial intelligence technology included in the regulation this time is limited in accuracy. After the relevant measures are officially implemented, the vast majority of artificial intelligence technology can still be freely exported. For artificial intelligence technologies included in restricted categories, conducting overseas localization deployment falls within the scope of technology export management; If deployed in overseas self owned clouds and other situations where risks are relatively controllable, convenient measures such as automatic licensing can be applied. For enterprises that utilize restricted large models to provide API calls, APP/webpage interactions, SaaS applications, lightweight deployment on the local side, etc., it does not fall within the scope of large model technology export management.
Q: What are the main considerations for the proposed addition of biopharmaceutical technologies?
Answer: Some biopharmaceutical technologies are already included in the current Catalogue. This time, we plan to add five technologies related to pathogenic microorganisms, cell and gene therapy, and small nuclear acid drugs. The main considerations are as follows:
One is to safeguard human life, health, and safety. The technology of pathogenic microorganisms is directly related to human health and national biosafety. Including them in the Catalogue and implementing export bans is an institutional arrangement to maintain national security, build biosafety barriers, and an objective need to protect the health of all humanity.
The second is to support China's biopharmaceutical technology to carry out international cooperation in an orderly and legal manner. This regulation of biopharmaceutical technology excludes or applies facilitation measures to important situations of international cooperation. For example, for technology and process platforms with independent intellectual property rights, export situations such as external authorization and licensing, outsourcing research and development, and production services using related technology and processes are not included in the scope of management; For target discovery and verification technologies with independent intellectual property rights that are exported through external authorization and licensing, convenient measures such as automatic licensing shall apply.
The third is to practice the concept of a human health community. This policy clearly stipulates that for restricted export technologies, convenient measures such as automatic licensing shall apply to exports required for public health emergencies, humanitarian relief, and joint research and development using overseas resources. China will continue to share technological development achievements with countries around the world and make positive contributions to enhancing human health and well-being.
Q: What are the main considerations for the proposed addition of photovoltaic technology?
Answer: This time, we plan to add 12 photovoltaic technologies related to polycrystalline silicon manufacturing, silicon wafer manufacturing, battery manufacturing, and other processes to the Catalogue. The main considerations are as follows:
One is to safeguard national security and interests. In recent years, the application of photovoltaic technology in sensitive fields such as aerospace, national defense, unmanned equipment, and high security infrastructure has been continuously expanding. The potential national security risks caused by the export of photovoltaic technology continue to rise, and it is necessary to implement timely and moderate supervision.
The second is to support the sharing of green technologies. The scope of this regulatory technology is limited, and other technologies that have not met the control indicators can still be freely exported. The announcement specifies a small number of key photovoltaic equipment, only for situations where the technology meets the control indicators. Other photovoltaic equipment not listed shall not be subject to the requirements of this announcement in principle.
The third is to improve the regulatory system for technology export. The export of key photovoltaic technologies often occurs along with the export, installation, commissioning, improvement, and upgrading of photovoltaic production lines. Export operators engaged in the above-mentioned activities shall apply for a technology export license in accordance with regulations, and handle relevant procedures such as foreign exchange, banking, taxation, and customs with vouchers.
Q: What are the main considerations and specific requirements for implementing pre export registration management for the proposed additional technologies?
Export operators should make their own judgments on whether the technology to be exported falls within the scope of temporary registration management. Exports that have already started but have not yet been completed are within the scope of registration. The export situations that need to be registered include: transfer of technology ownership to overseas, authorization of domestic technology for overseas use, change of ownership or actual controller of domestic technology to overseas entities, and other situations explicitly required by the Ministry of Commerce for registration. It should be noted that the export of key and core photovoltaic equipment included in the management scope of the Catalogue must be registered in accordance with regulations. If enterprises encounter problems and difficulties in registration, they can consult the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology in a timely manner.