The updated export-control catalogue from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology spans 40 technologies, banning 14 and restricting 26. While 23 items target AI—including computing clusters and high-performance agents—solar manufacturing equipment is identified as a primary area of impact. APIs, SaaS and already public open-source models are exempt from the rules. MOFCOM described the revision as routine trade management that is not targeted at any specific country, with public consultations ending Nov 15.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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China Blocks Export of AI Models Over 2 Trillion Parameters
AI5 days ago
Chinese technology companies must register all overseas transfers of restricted systems starting today as Beijing moves to limit the transfer of weights and source code for flagship AI models. The proposed curbs specifically target models with 2 trillion parameters or more, such as Alibaba's Qwen3.8-Max and Kimi K3, as well as those ranked in the world's top 10 for safety, performance and usage. The restrictions would also cover checkpoints, architecture and core technology for these advanced systems.
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