China clears DeepSeek and MiniMax for overseas AI use under new export rules
Beijing has registered two of its biggest AI developers under new export filing rules, and most Chinese AI technology remains free to export.
China ran its first AI export registrations this week, and two big names went straight through. DeepSeek and MiniMax have completed registration procedures to release their models as open source and license them for overseas use, according to Chinese state media. This matters because Chinese models are now widely used by developers worldwide as a cheaper alternative to American ones.
1. What happened
China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology released draft export rules on October 16. The draft adds 23 AI-related technologies to the export control list, covering large language models, AI agents and computing clusters.
Part of the rules took effect immediately: companies must register with the government before exporting listed technologies. The draft is open for public comment until November 15, 2026.
2. DeepSeek and MiniMax registered first
According to Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, both companies completed registration on October 22. The account also said they had finished the procedures for open-sourcing and licensing their models for overseas use.
That signals Beijing is not shutting the door on Chinese AI going global. Instead the government wants control over which technologies move and which models stay under restriction.
3. Using a service is not exporting
The key distinction: using a Chinese model through an API, website or app does not count as exporting technology. According to the Yuyuan Tantian explanation, overseas access through APIs, apps and SaaS falls outside the restrictions, even when the service runs a restricted model.
What is controlled is the transfer of the underlying technology itself: licensing or deploying a restricted model on servers abroad. According to the Ministry of Commerce, technology that is already open source and new open-source releases qualify for automatic licensing, with a process that is close to filing-and-go.
4. What stays restricted
The draft also sets numeric thresholds. For example, models with training compute above 10^26 floating-point operations, or more than 2 trillion parameters, or capability in the global top ten, can fall into the restricted category. Technology intended for critical infrastructure or defence can be banned outright.
Companies can still apply for licenses for restricted items without scrapping existing overseas plans, said Liu Hongmei, the official who explained the draft, as reported by Chinese media.
What it means for you
If you are a regular user of ChatGPT or any AI app, nothing changes today. But if you build on Chinese models, the line between using a service and moving technology abroad is now clearer, and more important to respect.
- API access stays safe. Access through APIs, web apps and SaaS is outside export controls, per the official explanation.
- Self-hosting abroad needs a check. If you use Chinese open-weight models, watch for the final rules after November 15.
- Open-source models stay easy. Open-source releases qualify for automatic licensing, so model availability should not be disrupted for now.
- Pin your versions. Keep records of model versions and licenses in your projects so rule changes do not surprise your team.