China has proposed new export controls on several of its domestically developed AI technologies, including models, agents, and computing clusters, according to Reuters. This could run counter to the open-weight design of China’s most capable releases, but should preserve API access for individual users, allowing the tools to grow in popularity overseas.Over the past few years, a consistent complaint from Western developers and the White House has been that Chinese developers have copied their tech. That’s led to various methods of constraining Chinese AI development, including restricted access to cutting-edge processors and AI chips. In an ironic twist, China is now looking to restrict US and international access to its own AI tools and frameworks. Citing national security concerns, China is reportedly looking to put export controls on 23 key AI technologies. This could make affected models far less “open” than their original design plans, but with API access left open, it shouldn’t curb the growth in the use of these models.
Indeed, China’s most popular models have been on a rapid rise in popularity in recent months. At the time of writing, Chinese models like DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Step 5 Preview have been used to burn through more than 50 trillion tokens; the latest Claude Opus model has used up a mere 5.85 trillion tokens.As Reuters notes, China’s commerce ministry claims the new export control proposals would help limit potential misuse of AI technologies, such as those capable of generating and deploying autonomous malware targeting key civilian infrastructure. That said, existing open-source licenses will reportedly be respected, including AI models and academic papers.
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Despite the competitive atmosphere between the US and China in AI, there have been some bilateral developments in recent months. Following a spate of autonomous AI agent security breaches, both President Trump and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping agreed during a meeting in September that humans should always remain in the loop when it came to nuclear weapons. There was also a proposal for an AI-hotline-style back-channel between the two countries to provide early warning and additional context should rogue AI conduct unplanned operations.Other technologies covered in these new proposals include solar power and biotechnologies such as cell and gene therapies. With them in place, Chinese companies would be able to license these technologies, but not sell the IP overseas.
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Jon Martindale
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Jon Martindale is a tech journalist from the UK, with 20 years of experience covering all manner of PC components and associated gadgets. He’s written for a range of publications, including ExtremeTech, Digital Trends, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and Lifewire, among others. When not writing, he’s a big board gamer and reader, with a particular habit of speed-reading through long manga sagas. Jon covers the latest PC components, as well as how-to guides on everything from how to take a screenshot to how to set up your cryptocurrency wallet. He particularly enjoys the battles between the top tech giants in CPUs and GPUs, and tries his best not to take sides.Jon’s gaming PC is built around the iconic 7950X3D CPU, with a 7900XTX backing it up. That’s all the power he needs to play lightweight indie and casual games, as well as more demanding sim titles like Kerbal Space Program. He uses a pair of Jabra Active 8 earbuds and a SteelSeries Arctis Pro wireless headset, and types all day on a Logitech G915 mechanical keyboard.
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