According to Bloomberg cited sources on May 26 (Tuesday), the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has expanded the exit restrictions to the top artificial intelligence (AI) talents in private tech companies in mainland China. Executives, researchers, and core technical personnel from companies like Alibaba and AI firm DeepSeek are reportedly required to obtain approval from relevant authorities before traveling abroad.
The CCP has long restricted the exit of senior officials and state-owned enterprise executives. Now, the measures are said to have been extended to top AI experts in private tech companies, considered strategically important to the CCP, needing approval before departing, as reported by Bloomberg. This includes founders of start-ups, researchers, and corporate executives, although it is unclear how many people will be affected or which positions or levels will be included on the list. Sources mentioned that evaluation is not solely based on job titles or positions, but on the individual’s significance in the field of AI.
In the past, exit restrictions have been imposed on personnel in sensitive fields such as university researchers, nuclear scientists, state-owned enterprise executives, and CCP officials. Passports of state-owned enterprise executives and officials are usually held centrally. This expansion of restrictions to tech companies is raising concerns among experts.
Bloomberg reported that these restrictions indicate the CCP is tightening control over top AI engineers. Such measures could impact talent recruitment and retention for mainland AI companies, as well as exacerbate concerns within the industry regarding CCP interference in the tech sector. As of the time of the report, Alibaba, DeepSeek, and the CCP’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had not responded to Bloomberg’s requests for comments.
This news comes amid the CCP’s strengthened control over the AI sector. Minghui had reported on May 5, citing insider sources, that as of May 1, some AI company executives and core developers had been restricted from leaving the country, with related measures gradually being implemented within the industry.
Minghui’s report stated that the CCP has elevated AI to a core strategic position of national security, and as of May 1, restrictions on AI executives leaving the country were enacted. An informant within the CCP, using the pseudonym Feng Jing, told Minghui that authorities are now considering not only the technology itself but also the movement of developers and corporate executives.
Mr. Wang close to the CCP Ministry of Commerce also told Minghui that the CCP authorities regard some foreign major AI companies as direct competitors, escalating related issues to the national security level. He mentioned that authorities believe AI companies are involved in data, technology, and information control, which could pose security risks if controlled by foreign companies.
DeepSeek had also faced restrictions on personnel leaving the country. Minghui reported in March 2025, citing sources from the U.S. tech information site The Information, that some employees involved in AI model development at DeepSeek were prohibited from traveling abroad. DeepSeek and its parent company Fantasia Capital also required some employees to surrender their passports. The report mentioned that these employees were limited due to possessing information that could potentially involve commercial or even national secrets.
The headquarters of Fantasia Capital in Zhejiang province reportedly started screening all potential investors, allowing contact with DeepSeek management only after passing the screening. Some headhunting companies received calls from Zhejiang government officials requesting not to poach talent from DeepSeek.
The Manus incident had also garnered attention. Previously, Meta expressed interest in acquiring Manus, an AI lab founded by a Chinese entrepreneur in Singapore. After the news broke, two core executives of Manus allegedly returned to mainland China from Singapore for a “meeting” and were subsequently restricted from leaving, thus unable to return to Singapore to handle business.
Minghui had previously reported that the CEO of Manus, Xiao Hong, and Chief Scientist Ji Yichao had been summoned by the CCP National Development and Reform Commission in Beijing, then informed they could not leave China due to regulatory reviews. Currently, there is no evidence directly linking the latest AI talent exit restrictions with the Manus incident. These incidents collectively indicate the CCP’s enhanced control over the flow of AI technology and core talent.