China is tightening the screws on its most advanced artificial intelligence technology. Regulators have been holding closed-door meetings with Alibaba, ByteDance, and Zhipu AI to discuss restricting foreign access to cutting-edge large language models, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission have held multiple private sessions over the past month. Officials raised the possibility of limiting overseas users' access to China's most sophisticated AI models in order to prevent core technology from flowing abroad.
The talks also covered potential enforcement mechanisms. Officials suggested that any leak or theft of proprietary large-model technology could be classified as a crime endangering national security, triggering the country's stringent national security law. To cut off financial channels that could facilitate technology transfer, authorities are also considering restricting foreign investment in domestic AI startups.