China eyes curbs on AI, biotech, solar exports

China proposed export controls on Friday for technologies in the artificial intelligence, biotech and solar sectors, as it aims to rival the United States at the forefront of innovation.

China and the United States have been locked in a tech race, with both sides accusing the other in recent months of stealing the capabilities of locally developed AI models.

The draft proposal released by the Chinese commerce ministry on Friday would ban exports of 14 technologies, including AI-driven malicious code generation and mutation technology, as well as AI models trained on Chinese core data.


The draft also proposes restricting exports of 26 other technologies, including those with hacking capabilities.

"Risks triggered by artificial intelligence have attracted close attention from countries around the world," the commerce ministry said in a separate statement.

The Chinese government exercises "necessary regulation" to prevent abuse and malicious use, it added.

The proposal is open to public consultation for a month starting on Friday.

China's President Xi Jinping has called for tighter safeguards for AI, while US President Donald Trump has urged more limited government regulation of the technology.

The pair agreed to set up a "communication channel" for AI incidents during a September meeting in Washington.

Last month, several South Korean banks reportedly suffered cyberattacks involving the Chinese AI cybersecurity tool Artex.

The agent's developer has since stopped programmers from accessing its source code.