Spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answers reporters’ questions on the revision of China’s Catalog of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Exporting

On October 16, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued Announcement No. 48 of 2026 to publicly solicit opinions on the revision of the "Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export in China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Catalog"), and to implement temporary management measures for pre-export registration of related technologies. A few days ago, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answered reporters' questions on relevant issues.

Question: What is the background of the revision of the Catalog?

Answer: According to Article 20 of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China, the foreign trade department of the State Council, in conjunction with other relevant departments of the State Council, formulates, adjusts and publishes a catalog of technologies that are prohibited or restricted from export. Since 2001, the Ministry of Commerce, together with the Ministry of Science and Technology, has adjusted and revised the "Catalog" many times. There are incomings and outgoings, and management and release, which has formed a working practice. This revision is also a normalized work of technology trade management, which is carried out in accordance with laws and regulations and does not target any specific country, region or entity.

In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence, biomedicine and photovoltaic-related technologies in sensitive fields has continued to expand, and major economies have implemented export controls to varying degrees. China refers to common international practices and implements necessary management in accordance with the law, which not only prevents the risk of out-of-control technology and improper proliferation, but also ensures normal international technological exchanges and cooperation, and promotes science and technology for good, safety and control, and for the benefit of mankind.

Q: What is the scope of new technologies to be added to the Catalog?

Answer: This public solicitation for opinions involves 40 key technologies in the three fields of artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and photovoltaics to be added. Among them, 14 technologies are planned to be banned from export, including: artificial intelligence-driven malicious code generation and mutation technology, cell and gene therapy technology platforms with independent intellectual property rights, perovskite and laminated battery component production technologies, etc.; 26 technologies are planned to be restricted from export, including: artificial intelligence-assisted vulnerability mining technology, universal cell and gene therapy new target discovery and verification technology with independent intellectual property rights, polysilicon engineering technology with a single-line production capacity of ≥30,000 tons/year, etc. The announcement also clarified the circumstances under which convenience measures are applicable. Please refer to the original announcement for details.

Question: Does the revision of the Catalog fully consider industrial development?

A: The Chinese government has always supported enterprises in carrying out mutually beneficial and win-win cross-border operations and international technical cooperation in accordance with laws and regulations. The relevant policy stance has not changed. Regarding 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 authorities, have extensively organized research institutions and industry organizations to conduct in-depth assessments in advance, fully listened to the opinions and suggestions of major enterprises, and fully considered the current status and development needs of domestic and foreign industries. This is specifically reflected in three aspects: First, the scope of listing and management is precise and limited. Most of the technologies planned to be listed this time have specific technical indicators, and products manufactured using relevant technologies are not within the scope of management. The scope of management is clear, precise, and limited, which delineates compliance boundaries for enterprises and facilitates policy implementation. The second is to apply convenient measures. This listing clarifies the various export situations to which convenient measures are to be applied, embodies the management concept of classification and classification, helps to enhance the transparency and predictability of the policy, and ensures 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 implement dynamic adjustments to the management scope of the "Catalog" in accordance with the law, and timely remove non-advanced or backward technologies from the "Catalog" based on technological development. This consultation 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 artificial intelligence technology to be added?

Answer: Currently, global artificial intelligence technology innovation has entered an unprecedented active period, with opportunities and challenges coexisting. This time, it is planned to add 23 key technologies related to artificial intelligence large models, agents, computing power clusters, and information processing to the "Catalogue" for the following main considerations:

The first is to ensure that artificial intelligence technology is safe and controllable. Various endogenous and derived risks caused by artificial intelligence have attracted great attention from countries around the world. The artificial intelligence-driven autonomous malicious code generation and mutation technologies planned to be listed this time can be used to attack sensitive systems such as national critical information infrastructure, national 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 cause harm to national security and the common security of mankind. The Chinese government implements necessary management of this type of technology in order to establish a solid bottom line for safety, prevent abuse and abuse, ensure that artificial intelligence is always under human control, and promote international governance of artificial intelligence.

The second is to encourage open source, cooperation and sharing. The Chinese government is committed to making artificial intelligence an important source of power for promoting common prosperity and maintaining common security. In order to support the construction of an artificial intelligence open source innovation ecosystem, automatic licensing and other convenient measures will be applied to technology exports in situations such as open source artificial intelligence technology, Chinese enterprises building self-operated computing centers overseas, going overseas to carry out chip tape-out manufacturing, using overseas resources to carry out joint research and development, and participating in the formulation of international standards, basically realizing "immediate export"; related technologies that have entered the public domain through open source, publishing academic papers, etc., are not planned to be included in the scope of export management, creating a good environment for international exchanges and cooperation in artificial intelligence technology.

It should be particularly pointed out that China advocates engaging in dialogue and cooperation on artificial intelligence with other countries on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit to jointly deal with the risks of proliferation and loss of control of artificial intelligence technology. China supports countries in the Global South to strengthen artificial intelligence capacity building, bridge the digital intelligence gap, and promote sustainable development. More convenience and support will be provided for the technology exports required for international cooperation in capacity building, technology sharing and rule building among members of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization.

Question: After the formal implementation of the "Catalogue", will the localized deployment of large artificial intelligence models overseas, the provision of model calls overseas, and other forms of "going overseas" fall within the scope of technology export management?

Answer: Currently, there are various models of "going overseas" for large artificial intelligence models and application products. The key to determining whether a specific "going overseas" situation falls within the scope of technology export management is whether it involves the transfer of restricted technology from China to overseas.

The scope of artificial intelligence technologies included in the supervision this time is precise and limited. After the relevant measures are officially implemented, most artificial intelligence technologies can still be freely exported. For artificial intelligence technologies included in the restricted category, overseas localized 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 may be applied. For situations where enterprises use restricted large models to provide external API calls, APP/web page interactions, SaaS applications, local end-side lightweight deployment, etc., they do not fall within the scope of large model technology export management.

Q: What are the main considerations for the biomedical technologies to be added?

Answer: There are already some biomedical technologies in the current "Catalogue". This time, it is planned to add 5 technologies related to pathogenic microorganisms, cell and gene therapy, and small nucleic acid drugs. The main considerations are as follows:

The first is to safeguard human life, health and safety. Pathogenic microbial technologies are directly related to human health and national biosecurity. Including them in the Catalog and prohibiting their export is an institutional arrangement to safeguard national security and build a biosecurity barrier. It is also an objective need to protect the health of all mankind.

The second is to support my country’s biomedical technology to carry out international cooperation in an orderly manner in accordance with laws and regulations. The listing of biomedical technologies this time will exclude or apply convenient measures to important situations of international cooperation. For example, export situations such as external authorization and licensing of relevant technology and process platforms with independent intellectual property rights, and use of relevant technology and processes to provide outsourced R&D and production services are not included in the scope of management; for relevant target discovery and verification technologies with independent intellectual property rights, exports through external authorization and licensing will be subject to convenient measures such as automatic licensing.

The third is to implement the concept of a human health community. This policy clearly stipulates that for exports of restricted technologies that are required for public health emergencies, humanitarian relief, use of overseas resources for joint research and development, etc., convenient measures such as automatic licensing are applicable. China will continue to share its technological development achievements with other countries around the world and make positive contributions to improving human health and well-being.

Q: What are the main considerations for the photovoltaic technologies to be added?

Answer: This time, it is planned to add 12 photovoltaic technologies in polysilicon manufacturing, silicon wafer manufacturing, battery manufacturing and other aspects to the "Catalogue". The main considerations are as follows:

The first 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 continued to expand. The national security risks that may be caused by the export of photovoltaic technology have continued to rise, and it is necessary to implement timely and appropriate supervision.

The second is to support the sharing of green technology. The scope of technologies listed this time is limited, and other technologies that do not meet the control indicators can still be exported freely. The announcement lists a small number of key photovoltaic equipment, which is only intended to carry technologies that meet the control indicators. In principle, the requirements of this announcement do not apply to other photovoltaic equipment not listed.

The third is to improve the technology export supervision system. The export of key photovoltaic technologies often occurs with the export, installation, commissioning, improvement and upgrading of photovoltaic production lines. Export operators engaging in the above activities should apply for a technology export license in accordance with regulations, and handle relevant procedures such as foreign exchange, banking, taxation, and customs with the certificate.

Q: What are the main considerations and specific requirements for implementing pre-export registration management for the technologies to be added?

Answer: In order to grasp the demand for relevant technology exports, improve the level of scientific management, and prevent potential export risks, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Articles 18 and 20 of the Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China, upon approval, from the date of the issuance of Announcement No. 48 of 2026 by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology until the official revision announcement of the "China Export Prohibited and Restricted Export Technologies Catalog" is implemented, technology export operators should register in the Ministry of Commerce Business System Unified Platform Technology Trade Management Information Application before exporting the technologies listed in the announcement. Export operators should judge by themselves whether the technology to be exported falls within the scope of temporary registration management. Exports that have been started but not yet completed are within the scope of registration. Export situations that require registration include: transfer of technology ownership overseas, authorization of domestic technology for overseas use, change of owner or actual controller of domestic technology to an overseas entity, and other situations explicitly required by the Ministry of Commerce for registration. It should be noted that the export of photovoltaic key and core equipment included in the management scope of the "Catalogue" must be registered in accordance with regulations. If enterprises encounter problems or difficulties during registration, they can consult the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology in a timely manner.