DeepSeek and MiniMax Register AI Models for Export

DeepSeek and MiniMax completed export registration to release open-source AI models and provide licenses overseas, Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with China’s state broadcaster CCTV, announced on the 22nd. MiniMax also said in a statement that day that it had completed the commerce ministry’s technology export registration. The registration covers some models released recently or planned for future release, and enables their open-source publication and overseas distribution.

The registrations came as China’s commerce ministry proposed export controls on the 16th covering 23 AI technology fields, including models, AI agents and computing clusters (groups of connected computing resources). The government said the measures are intended to restrict the overseas transfer of key technologies it considers important to national security. Yuyuantantian said revisions to the control list would not block AI technology transfers overseas across the board, and that companies could continue commercial activities as usual.

China said most AI technologies would remain freely exportable, while simplified permit procedures would apply to open-source technology exports and Chinese companies’ operation of their own data centers overseas. Yuyuantantian said services based on restricted models could be excluded from export controls if offered through API access, web applications or software as a service (SaaS), software delivered over the internet.

The article said Chinese AI companies are expanding overseas by promoting low usage fees and the ability to modify and extend their models. Developers can adapt open-source models or build them for their own environments; the article described this as a competitive advantage over closed models from U.S. companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. The registrations took place alongside China’s policy of defining the scope of export controls while allowing open-source releases and overseas commercialization by Chinese companies.

DeepSeek and MiniMax completed export registration to release open-source AI models and provide licenses overseas, Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with China’s state broadcaster CCTV, announced on the 22nd. MiniMax also said in a statement that day that it had completed the commerce ministry’s technology export registration. The registration covers some models released recently or planned for future release, and enables their open-source publication and overseas distribution.

The registrations came as China’s commerce ministry proposed export controls on the 16th covering 23 AI technology fields, including models, AI agents and computing clusters (groups of connected computing resources). The government said the measures are intended to restrict the overseas transfer of key technologies it considers important to national security. Yuyuantantian said revisions to the control list would not block AI technology transfers overseas across the board, and that companies could continue commercial activities as usual.

China said most AI technologies would remain freely exportable, while simplified permit procedures would apply to open-source technology exports and Chinese companies’ operation of their own data centers overseas. Yuyuantantian said services based on restricted models could be excluded from export controls if offered through API access, web applications or software as a service (SaaS), software delivered over the internet.

The article said Chinese AI companies are expanding overseas by promoting low usage fees and the ability to modify and extend their models. Developers can adapt open-source models or build them for their own environments; the article described this as a competitive advantage over closed models from U.S. companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. The registrations took place alongside China’s policy of defining the scope of export controls while allowing open-source releases and overseas commercialization by Chinese companies.