List of technologies banned from export released

The Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology unveiled China's newly revised catalogue of technologies prohibited and restricted from export late on Friday.

The Ministry of Commerce said the main purpose of the revision is to further regulate technology exports, promote technological improvement, expand economic and technical exchange and cooperation with foreign countries and safeguard national economic security.

A total of 23 items of technologies restricted from export has been added to the revised catalogue, such as artificial breeding technology of agricultural wild plants, cashmere goat-breeding technology, space material production technology, large-scale high-speed wind tunnel design and construction technology, aerospace bearing technology and laser technology.

The new catalogue also has removed four items of technologies prohibited from export, including technologies in microbial fertilizer, caffeine production, riboflavin production and vitamin fermentation. Five items regrading technologies of Newcastle disease vaccine, natural medicine production, functional polymer material preparation and processing, chemical synthesis and semi-synthetic medicine production, and information security firewall software also has been removed from the category of technologies restricted from export.

The Chinese government has always insisted on making opening-up a catalyst for development, boosting innovation and being open to working together, the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement posted on its official website. "China is committed to creating a good environment for technological innovation and international cooperation and encouraging the free flow of production factors in technological innovation," it said.

Export of technologies not only improves China's export structure, but also helps promote the industrial upgrading and economic development of the country's trading partners. In the future, China will further deepen trade cooperation with other countries, continuously optimize the technology trade business environment and promote the healthy, orderly and sustainable development of China's technology trade, according to the statement.

The new catalogue also modified the specification of technologies involved in 21 items regrading technologies such as crop breeding, chemical raw material production, biological pesticide production, spacecraft measurement and control, space data transmission, mapping and information processing.

In the next step, the two ministries said they will further shorten both the catalogue of technologies prohibited and restricted from import and the catalogue of technologies prohibited and restricted from export.

The Ministry of Commerce said it will also take more measures to facilitate technology trade and promote international exchanges and cooperation in technology trade.