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Chinese authorities have decided to impose strict restrictions on senior AI professionals traveling abroad. The decision targets experts working in major companies such as Alibaba and Deepseek, and requires prior approval from the competent authorities before traveling.
Chinese authorities have taken the extraordinary step of imposing tight travel restrictions on elite AI specialists as they seek to protect their strategic technological assets. The new measures include experts working at Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba Group and Deepseek, who will have to obtain official clearance from the relevant authorities before any trip outside the country. Beijing has drawn up a special list of company founders emerging AI researchers and executives, based on their strategic importance to the state and not just their job positions. The Chinese government views these experts as a national treasure that supports the country's position as the second largest economic power globally, especially in light of the technological boom that followed the emergence of ChatGPT. Experts warn that these policies could hurt Chinese companies' ability to attract and retain talent. There is growing concern about the level of state intervention in private sector activities. Although China has for years imposed restrictions on the movement of scientists and employees of government companies, the extension of these restrictions to the private sector represents a remarkable development in government policy.
Source: France 24 Arabic
