China lets DeepSeek and MiniMax keep selling AI abroad under new export rules
After widening its export-control list to cover AI models and agents, Beijing reportedly cleared two leading labs to keep selling overseas.
The short version
- In mid-October, China's commerce ministry revised its list of technologies banned or restricted for export.
- Chinese firms need a license to export anything on the list, which now covers large models and AI agents.
- State media said two companies may keep exporting. Other reports name DeepSeek and MiniMax.
- The source says technology released under open-source licenses is not covered by this restriction.
- The wider list also lets Beijing block AI tools with military uses or that can find software flaws.
Why it matters
If you build on DeepSeek or MiniMax models, the reported approval points to continuity. But the list shows China now treats AI models as a controlled export, and the rules could shift. Plan so that no single lab is a hard dependency.
What China changed
In mid-October, China's commerce ministry revised its catalog of technologies that are banned or restricted for export. Chinese companies must now apply for a license before exporting anything on that list. The new entries cover technology tied to large-scale models, AI agents, computing clusters and information processing.
An agent here means software that takes several steps toward a goal on its own, rather than only answering a question.
Who got the green light
As Mezha.net reported, citing The Register, Chinese state media said last Friday that two companies were allowed to keep exporting. Other reports identified them as DeepSeek and MiniMax. A separate industry morning brief from Qianzhan says both completed overseas registration for their models.
Both labs compete with American AI providers. Letting them sell abroad fits China's stated aim of building an export industry and strengthening its tech sector.
A tool for control as well
The expanded list also gives Beijing a way to stop exports of AI technology it sees as vital to national capability. That includes tools that can find software vulnerabilities or have military uses.
The source also notes that the United States has, on and off, banned sales of advanced GPUs (the chips that train and run AI models) to China. Export controls now run in both directions.
What is still unclear
The source says technology released under an open-source license is exempt from this restriction. It does not explain how that applies to the models these labs publish, or whether registration covers downloadable model files or only hosted services.
We also have no detail on what registration requires or whether it touches licensing. Export registration is not the same thing as permission for commercial use, so check each model's license separately.
What to watch
- Whether registration covers downloadable weights or only hosted services.
- Whether other Chinese labs are added to the approved list, or the list is tightened.
- How the open-source exemption is applied in practice.
Try it
List the AI models your tools depend on, save the exact version and license text for each, and name a backup model you could switch to.
Sources and links
- ReportingMezha.net: the article we sourced
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Listen to the daily showsFirst reported by Mezha.net · Read the original. Written by the SI Agent News Desk from the reporting above.Written with AI from the source above. Every number is checked against the source. Spot a mistake? Corrections.