China's Academy of Sciences drafts sanctions list targeting 63 US-allied tech sectors

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has proposed a groundbreaking framework for technology export restrictions, targeting 63 sectors where China has achieved global competitive advantage. Published in the Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on March 19 and highlighted again on May 21, the study titled 'Selection Framework and Empirical Research of Restricted Export Technology' aims to create China's first comprehensive system for identifying sensitive technologies that may be restricted from foreign entities, particularly the US and its allies.

This marks a dramatic shift in China's technology strategy. Historically, China has been the primary target of US export controls on semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, and dual-use technologies. Now, as Beijing has made rapid progress in areas like rare earth processing, telecommunications equipment (e.g., Huawei's 5G), and certain AI models, it is considering its own set of restrictions to prevent the outflow of critical technologies. The 63 technologies span sectors where China has clear competitive advantages, potentially reshaping global supply chains and intensifying the ongoing technology decoupling between the world's two largest economies.