China's MofCom signals near-automatic export licensing for open-source AI releases
natolambert · x · 2026-10-16
MofCom said it will apply near-automatic licensing and facilitation measures to exports tied to open-source AI releases, overseas compute centers built by Chinese firms, overseas chip tape-outs, joint R&D using foreign resources, and international standards work—effectively allowing exports to proceed immediately upon filing. Nathan Lambert notes this pushes back on the narrative that China's larger open models are ending, but stresses that implementation and how "near automatic" approval works remain the key questions.
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