The Chinese government is reportedly reviewing measures to strengthen export controls on artificial intelligence (AI) models and semiconductor technology. Following the United States, China is accelerating efforts to manage advanced AI technology as a state strategic asset, prompting analysts to say that global AI competition is entering a new phase.
▲ Reviewing Strengthened Export Controls on AI and Semiconductor Technology
According to Reuters reporting, citing the Financial Times (FT) on the 21st (local time), Chinese authorities are reviewing measures to strengthen export controls on AI and semiconductor-related technologies.
This move is interpreted as part of a strategy by China to prevent the leakage of its advanced AI technology overseas and maintain core technological competitiveness domestically.
Analysts note that just as the United States manages AI and semiconductors as strategic assets for national security, China is increasingly recognizing AI as a core national asset.
▲ Discussing Restrictions on Overseas Access to Advanced AI Models
Reuters previously reported exclusively earlier this month that Chinese authorities held meetings with major technology companies to discuss measures to limit overseas access to advanced AI models, including unreleased next-generation models.
The Chinese government is reportedly reviewing specific regulatory measures to block the transfer of state-of-the-art AI models developed in China to overseas companies or institutions.
▲ Also Pursuing Measures to Block Western Technology Acquisition
According to the FT, regulatory authorities centered on China's Ministry of Commerce are conducting consultations with major AI and semiconductor companies to discuss measures to prevent China's advanced technologies and promising startups from being acquired by Western countries or having their core technologies leaked.
Major Chinese AI and semiconductor companies reportedly participated in the discussions.
Alibaba [Reuters/Yonhapnews]
▲ Alibaba, ByteDance, and Others Among Consultation Targets
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is reportedly consulting with major AI companies including Alibaba, ByteDance, and Zhipu AI.
The main discussion points include measures to limit the transfer of critical data used in AI model training to overseas and regulatory measures to prevent overseas users from downloading the core model weights of AI models.
AI model weights are critical elements that determine model performance, and securing them allows for building similar AI systems or analyzing performance, making it a technology with very high strategic value.
▲ Also Reviewing Regulations on Overseas Production of China-Designed Semiconductors
The Chinese government is also reviewing new regulations in the semiconductor sector.
The FT reported that Chinese authorities are collecting industry views on measures to restrict overseas semiconductor companies such as Qualcomm and TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) from producing advanced semiconductors designed by Chinese companies such as Huawei, Alibaba, and ByteDance.
This is interpreted as China's effort to strengthen control over its own technology in response to U.S. export restrictions on advanced semiconductors.
▲ Possible Revision of Export-Prohibited Technology List
The new regulations could potentially be included in future revisions to China's "List of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export."
However, the current stage is gathering industry opinions, and the final decision on whether to implement the regulations is expected to be made after comprehensively reviewing the industry response and policy impact.
The FT reported that the Chinese government is also reviewing measures to restrict overseas companies' acquisition or technology transfer of next-generation strategic technologies such as Agentic AI.
Agentic AI is a next-generation AI technology that can plan and execute tasks independently and is expected to be a core competitive field in the future AI industry.
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