China is reportedly expanding restrictions on overseas travel for some of the country’s leading artificial intelligence experts, signaling Beijing’s growing determination to treat AI talent and technology as strategic national assets.
According to a May 26 report by Bloomberg, Chinese authorities have extended exit-control measures previously applied mainly to government officials, state-owned enterprise executives, and sensitive researchers to include top personnel working in private-sector AI companies.
Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that certain AI researchers, startup founders, and senior executives whose work is deemed strategically important must now obtain government approval before traveling abroad. The restrictions reportedly affect personnel at major Chinese AI firms, including DeepSeek and Alibaba Group.
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Beijing tightens control over AI talent
The assessment is reportedly based not simply on a person’s job title or employer, but on their perceived importance to China’s AI ecosystem. Experts say the development marks a significant expansion of controls that have traditionally applied to officials, nuclear scientists, university researchers, and executives at state-owned enterprises. In many such cases, passports are held by government authorities and released only when travel is approved.
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Bloomberg noted that the new measures suggest Beijing is bringing some of China’s most valuable AI engineers and researchers under tighter state supervision. But the reported restrictions come amid growing scrutiny of Chinese AI companies involved in overseas transactions.
In April, Chinese regulators blocked a proposed foreign acquisition involving the AI startup Manus, citing national security concerns. The case drew widespread attention after reports surfaced that Meta Platforms had explored acquiring Manus, an AI laboratory founded by Chinese entrepreneurs in Singapore.
The Manus controversy
According to accounts circulated by overseas Chinese-language media, two key Manus executives were reportedly asked by Chinese authorities to return from Singapore to mainland China for meetings and subsequently faced restrictions on leaving the country. Those claims have not been independently verified.
A source described by The Financial Times as having ties to China’s Ministry of Commerce said authorities may have viewed the proposed acquisition as a national security issue rather than a routine business transaction. The incident has fueled speculation that Beijing is increasingly concerned about advanced AI technologies and expertise flowing overseas.
Similar concerns have emerged around DeepSeek, one of China’s fastest-rising AI companies. In March, tech publication The Information reported that some DeepSeek employees involved in AI model development had been restricted from international travel.
DeepSeek under scrutiny
Citing people familiar with company operations, the report said DeepSeek leadership had repeatedly warned employees against discussing their work with outsiders because of concerns about information leakage. Sources also said certain employees were required to surrender their passports, mirroring practices often associated with government officials or personnel working on sensitive projects.
Furthermore, company executives argued that some employees had access to information that could qualify as valuable trade secrets or potentially even state secrets. The Information also reported that local officials in Zhejiang Province, where DeepSeek’s parent company High-Flyer Capital is headquartered, have become closely involved in managing outside access to the company.
Potential investors reportedly must first communicate with provincial authorities before gaining access to DeepSeek management. Recruiters seeking to hire DeepSeek personnel have also reportedly been discouraged from approaching key employees.
A national security issue
Analysts say these developments reflect a broader shift in how Chinese authorities view artificial intelligence. Rather than treating AI solely as a commercial technology, Beijing increasingly appears to regard it as a core component of national security and geopolitical competition.
Commentator Tang Jingyuan argued that the expansion of travel restrictions represents a significant escalation in the state’s management of AI talent. “In the past, exit controls were mainly aimed at university researchers, prominent scientists, and state-owned enterprise executives,” Tang said. “Now they are being extended to founders, executives, and researchers at private AI companies.”
He suggested Beijing has two primary motivations: The first is preventing sensitive technologies, data, and intellectual property from leaving China through conferences, international partnerships, or recruitment by foreign firms. The second is preserving China’s ability to compete with the U.S. in what officials increasingly view as a strategic technological race.
“AI has become one of the central arenas of competition between China and the United States,” Tang added and noted that Beijing appears increasingly determined to keep its most valuable AI talent, technology, and expertise firmly within its borders.
