China Drafts Export Controls on Solar, AI and Biotech Technologies

China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly published a draft revision to the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export on 16 October 2026. Titled “Announcement No. 48”, it proposes a complete export ban on 14 technologies and export restrictions on 26 others across artificial intelligence (AI), photovoltaics and biomedicine.

Export controls and technology transfer

Export controls regulate the transfer of specified goods, software or technical knowledge beyond a country’s borders. China’s draft plan proposes pre-export registration for the listed technologies; the interim registration requirement took effect on 16 October 2026 and also applies to unfinished deals. A public consultation on the draft runs until 15 November 2026.

China’s Ministry of Commerce cited national security, prevention of technology misuse and inappropriate proliferation, and the need to keep AI under human control as reasons for the proposed controls. Technologies already publicly available through open-source publication or academic papers are generally exempt under the proposal.

Photovoltaic manufacturing chain

The draft lists 12 photovoltaic technologies covering polysilicon production, wafer manufacturing and solar-cell manufacturing. Listed technologies include perovskite and tandem solar-cell module manufacturing. Restrictions also cover polysilicon engineering technologies used in production lines with annual capacity of at least 30,000 tonnes. The proposal concerns selected technologies; other photovoltaic technologies would remain freely exportable.

Artificial intelligence and biomedicine

The draft covers 23 AI-related technologies, including foundation models, intelligent agents, computing clusters and information-processing technologies. It proposes a complete export ban on AI-driven technology capable of generating and mutating malicious code. The proposal also lists five biomedical technologies, including cell and gene therapy platforms, small nucleic-acid drugs and pathogen-related technologies.

Important Facts for Exams

• The draft proposes 14 complete export bans and restrictions on 26 other technologies.
• The photovoltaic technology list covers polysilicon, wafers and solar-cell manufacturing.
• The AI list includes foundation models, intelligent agents and computing clusters.
• The public comment period ends on 15 November 2026.

Open-source publications and academic papers that place technologies in the public domain are generally exempt from the proposed export controls.