Chinese regulators are studying tightening controls on exports of artificial intelligence and semiconductor technologies, according to the British newspaper Financial Times on Tuesday. These measures reflect Beijing's efforts to keep AI within the country, emphasizing that China considers this advanced technology a vital national asset that requires strict controls, similar to the US approach.

China seeks to prevent the West from acquiring cutting-edge technologies and leading startups.

Reuters earlier this month reported that Chinese authorities held meetings with major tech companies to discuss possibly restricting foreign companies' access to the latest Chinese AI models, including those not yet released.

The Financial Times, citing two people involved in the discussions, indicated that regulators, led by the Ministry of Commerce, are consulting with local companies in the AI and chip manufacturing sectors to prevent Western acquisition of cutting-edge technologies and prominent startups in China.

The Ministry of Commerce, which oversees export regulation, contacted AI companies such as Alibaba, ByteDance, and Zhipu regarding restrictions on transferring the essential data needed for training their models abroad. These potential restrictions included allowing foreign users to download their models.

The ministry also surveyed companies about potential restrictions that could prevent foreign chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm and TSMC from producing advanced semiconductors. These semiconductors rely on designs developed by prominent Chinese companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and ByteDance.