The People’s Republic of China has recently begun imposing strict restrictions on its scientists and specialized experts in the field of artificial intelligence traveling outside China, in an effort to protect Chinese technology in this sector. Nine Chinese companies rank among the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies, while China invests more than $140 billion in this scientific field and employs over two million Chinese workers in the sector.

This move comes amid intensifying technological competition with the United States, which continues to escalate day after day. China has also restricted employees of prominent Chinese companies such as Alibaba and DeepSeek, according to Bloomberg News, citing sources.

According to the sources, Chinese government agencies have begun imposing restrictions on individuals involved in advanced artificial intelligence work who are considered strategically important to the country. Under these restrictions, they are now required to obtain approval from the relevant authorities before traveling abroad.

Among the key professionals in this sector who have been informed that they will be subject to these restrictions is a group that includes startup founders, researchers, and executives, according to the sources.

The sources also indicated that Chinese authorities had added various names to this restriction list based on an assessment of how vital these individuals are to the country, rather than solely on their professional rank or employer.

It is worth noting that China is pursuing massive investments to transform itself into a global superpower in the artificial intelligence sector by 2030. This strategy includes directing billions of dollars from public and private venture capital funds toward developing infrastructure, designing semiconductor chips domestically, and providing substantial incentives to attract users to artificial intelligence applications.