China Drafts AI Export Curbs to Keep Core Technology Onshore While Selling Access Abroad

China's proposed artificial intelligence export rules would let foreign customers use Chinese AI services through websites and cloud platforms while restricting transfers of the underlying models, data and expertise needed to reproduce them independently. The draft, released October 16, adds 23 AI-related technologies to a restricted export list, covering advanced models, autonomous agents and chip-design and data-center technology, with a registration requirement effective immediately. The rules could affect how DeepSeek, Moonshot and Z.AI run models on overseas data centers and structure foreign partnerships, and may force developers to maintain separate domestic and overseas model versions, according to people briefed on the matter. Beijing said it expects to adopt the proposals by year-end and issue implementation guidelines later. Coverage would be triggered by three tests: training compute above 10 to the power of 26 calculations, at least 2 trillion parameters, or a top-10 ranking in certain performance assessments. Public comment runs until November 15; the commerce ministry did not respond to a request for comment.