Rabat / Anadolu

The British newspaper The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Chinese authorities are considering tightening controls on the export of artificial intelligence and semiconductor technologies.

The newspaper added, citing two unnamed individuals involved in the discussions, that this step "reflects Beijing's efforts to keep AI local, amid rising international competition, especially with the US, in this sector."

The two added, according to the newspaper, that "regulatory bodies, led by the Ministry of Commerce, are consulting with local companies operating in AI and semiconductors."

It noted that China "has come to regard advanced AI, like the United States, as a vital national asset that requires controls."

According to the same source, China's Ministry of Commerce "has contacted AI companies, including Alibaba, ByteDance, and Shepo, about restricting the transfer of essential data needed to train their models abroad."

The ministry also, according to the same source, conducted a user survey on potential restrictions that would prevent foreign electronic chip manufacturing companies, such as US-based Qualcomm and Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest chipmaker, from producing advanced semiconductors based on designs developed by Chinese companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and ByteDance.

This comes amid rising technological competition between China and the US in AI and robotics, alongside the accelerated development of low-cost Chinese models.

Washington imposes restrictions on exporting certain advanced electronic chips to China, including H200 chips used in AI applications, as part of the escalating trade and technology competition between the two countries.

In May 2025, Beijing hosted the world's first half-marathon race combining humans and robots, before organizing in August of the same year the first global competition for humanoid robots, where robots competed in sports events and various performances.