China now requires registration to export AI, biomedicine and solar energy technology

The news

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and Ministry of Science and Technology issued Announcement No. 48 of 2026 on October 16. It opens a public consultation on revising the country's Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export and adds 40 items: 23 in artificial intelligence, 5 in biomedicine and 12 in photovoltaics. Of these, 14 would be prohibited and 26 would require a licence.

In AI, the list covers large models, agents, computing clusters and information-processing technologies. In biomedicine, it includes cell and gene therapies, small nucleic acid drugs and technologies related to pathogenic microorganisms. In solar, it covers the manufacture of polysilicon, wafers and cells, as well as key equipment that embeds those technologies.

Until the catalogue is revised, a temporary registration applies. Before exporting a listed technology, companies must report on MOFCOM's platform who the recipient is, the destination country, the technology, its intended use and the transaction value. The requirement also covers exports already under way.

Beijing says the revision is routine management of technology trade and does not target any country.

Across the strait, Taiwan's Economy Minister Kung Ming-hsin said in an interview published by Bloomberg on October 16 that the island will add AI servers and the most advanced semiconductors to the controlled-items list of its Trade Act. Shipping them to China without a licence would then become a crime. No date has been set. According to the minister, some rules will follow those of the United States under commitments made in the two sides' trade agreement.

Why it matters

China's control does not apply to finished products. Solar modules, inverters or anything else made with these technologies remain outside the rule, as does the use of AI models through APIs, apps or software-as-a-service. What becomes controlled is the outflow of know-how: patent licences, transfers of intellectual property, sales of company control to foreigners and the installation of production lines outside China.

For Brazil, the sensitive point is the solar industry. Buyers of Chinese cell or polysilicon production lines, or companies relying on a technology licence from a Chinese partner, now face an extra step at origin. If the draft is approved as is, items classed as prohibited, such as perovskite and tandem cell module production, will no longer be allowed to leave the country.

How to take part in the consultation

MOFCOM accepts comments until November 15 by email at jinxianmulu@mofcom.gov.cn, by fax or by post. The subject must indicate the public consultation on the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited and Restricted from Export, with the sender's name, organization and contact details. Comments on behalf of a company must bear its official seal.