China Commerce Ministry Announces Export Controls for Tunnel Boring Machines
China said the controls cover dual-use machinery and drones as it seeks to safeguard national security and meet non-proliferation obligations.
- On Monday, the Chinese Commerce Ministry announced new export controls on tunnel-boring machines , dredgers, and drone-related items starting November 18 to "better safeguard national security and interests."
- Beijing's latest measures follow a separate plan to restrict 40 cutting-edge technologies, including advanced solar manufacturing and AI platforms, as the Ministry updates its dual-use items export list.
- As a key supplier of TBMs, China exported about $793 million of the equipment in 2025, while India has faced ongoing difficulties in customs clearance and delays importing the machinery.
- The Ministry specified that controlled items include "autopilots specially designed for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ; UAVs or unmanned airships with a maximum endurance of three hours or more; certain engines specially designed for UAVs or unmanned airships; and UAVs with a range of 300 kilometers or more."
- In 2025, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal raised concerns with German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck regarding blocked TBM exports, while the Ministry now claims it has notified relevant regions of the new measures.
29 Articles
29 Articles
China will tighten export controls on drones and components with possible military use. See when the new rules will come into force.
China, the world's leading drone manufacturer, announced on Monday that it will tighten controls on exports of unmanned air vehicles and related equipment that can have dual use, civil and military, reports AFP, according to Agerpres.
China’s drone export rules: less red tape for some, tighter controls for others?
China has updated its export rules on drones and industrial equipment, tightening restrictions on some parts and capabilities while easing requirements for less sensitive models. The changes could simplify overseas sales of consumer drones but increase compliance costs and delivery times for industrial models, analysts said. Announced on Monday by the Ministry of Commerce and other authorities, the changes added critical drone components, includ…
The Economic Times
Times of IndiaChina announces export curbs on key machinery used in India's infrastructure development
Beijing has announced new export controls on essential machinery, which will impact India's infrastructure development. These restrictions will take effect on November 18 and apply to tunnel boring machines and related items. Additionally, the export controls include walking excavators and specific dredger-related items, complicating several Indian projects. Exporters must obtain licenses and provide detailed technical information under the new …
China will change the export control of drones and their associated components from 18 November 2026 onwards. 19 October, according to the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, the export of products that meet the technical criteria will require authorization.
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