China export controls: 14 technologies to be banned in AI, biotech and solar

FRIDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2026

Beijing proposes banning 14 technologies and putting 26 more under licence across AI, biomedicine and solar, with registration required immediately: what changes for buyers of Chinese equipment.

China export controls are set to cover 40 more technologies: 14 would be banned and 26 restricted under the proposal published on 16 October by the Ministries of Commerce and of Science, covering artificial intelligence, biomedicine and photovoltaics. Products made with these technologies stay outside the scope, but anyone transferring the know-how abroad must now register first.

What Announcement No. 48 of 2026 provides

The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology published Announcement No. 48 of 2026, which opens a public consultation on revising the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export. The catalogue has existed since 2001: prohibited technologies cannot be exported, restricted ones require a licence, and all others are free to export, subject only to contract registration.

According to the Ministry of Commerce spokesperson, the revision is a routine update and does not target any country, region or entity. The proposed technologies concern three sectors in which, Beijing argues, applications in sensitive fields are expanding.

China export controls: the numbers in the proposal

The text of the announcement and the spokesperson's note give this breakdown:

• Technologies proposed in total: 40, of which 14 to be prohibited and 26 to be restricted under licence.
• Artificial intelligence: 23 technologies related to large models, agents, computing clusters and information processing.
• Biomedicine: 5 technologies on cell and gene therapies, small nucleic acid drugs and pathogenic microorganisms.
• Photovoltaics: 12 technologies on polysilicon, silicon wafer and cell manufacturing, including some key equipment that embodies them.
• Public consultation: from 16 October to 15 November 2026.

Among the examples given by the ministry, production technologies for perovskite and tandem cell modules and AI-driven malicious code generation would be prohibited. Engineering of polysilicon plants with a capacity of at least 30,000 tonnes a year per line would instead require a licence.

Mandatory registration applies immediately

The part already in force is not the catalogue, which is still under consultation, but a temporary measure. From the date of the announcement until the revised catalogue takes effect, anyone exporting one of the 40 technologies must first register on the Ministry of Commerce platform, stating the buyer, destination country, intended use and estimated value. The obligation also applies to exports that have started but are not yet completed.

Registration covers the transfer of ownership of a technology to a foreign entity, licensing for use abroad, a change of owner or actual controller to a foreign entity, and other cases named by the ministry. For the key photovoltaic equipment within the scope, the ministry states that exports must always be registered.

This is not the first targeted extension of the catalogue. Announcement No. 28 of July 2025 added technologies for preparing battery cathode materials, such as lithium iron phosphate, to the list requiring a licence.

What the measure says and what it does not

The control concerns the transfer of knowledge and processes, not goods. The ministry writes that products made with the listed technologies fall outside its management: the measure therefore says nothing about the availability of solar panels, cells or components for those who buy them. In the case of AI, using a model via API or subscription software remains excluded.

Thresholds matter too. The ministry stresses that most of the technologies have precise technical indicators and that those below the control values remain freely exportable. Until 15 November, the list may also change. The measure does signal a clear trend, however: Beijing treats industrial know-how in sectors it leads as a resource to be managed with licences, as it has already done for batteries and rare earths.

What it means for importers

For anyone buying modules, inverters or finished products from China, nothing changes at customs. The issue concerns those buying machinery or production lines from China, those signing licensing or joint development agreements and those taking a stake in a Chinese company. The ministry notes that photovoltaic technology exports often accompany the sale, installation and commissioning of a production line: in those cases a licence is needed, and Chinese banks, tax offices and customs ask for it before proceeding.

Three steps are worth taking. First, ask the supplier whether the contract includes technical assistance, training or process documentation that could fall under the 40 items. Second, allow time in delivery schedules for registration and, after the revision, for any licence. Third, add a clause stating who bears delays caused by new export obligations.

With La Merce, companies buying photovoltaic plants or equipment in China check with the supplier, before the consultation closes on 15 November, whether the supply includes technologies subject to registration, and plan delivery around licence timelines.

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