BEIJING: China on Monday moved to optimize export controls on a range of dual-use products, with updated measures covering certain unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related equipment as well as dredgers, while new controls were introduced on high-end engineering equipment including tunnel boring machines and walking excavators, according to statements released by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). The export controls will take effect on November 18.
Notably, the UAV-related adjustments tighten controls on some higher-risk items while streamlining export procedures for certain products that, with technological advances, have become widely used in civilian applications.
A spokesperson for MOFCOM stressed on Monday that the items covered by the measures have clear dual-use characteristics. China’s implementation of export controls in accordance with laws and regulations is consistent with common international practice, better safeguards national security and interests, and enables the country to better fulfill its international obligations, including non-proliferation commitments, the spokesperson said.
Chinese experts said the adjustments reflect a broader effort to keep export-control rules aligned with technological and industrial change. As sophisticated equipment becomes more capable and widely used, closer scrutiny of buyers, end users and end uses is increasingly necessary to reduce misuse risks while preserving legitimate civilian trade and international cooperation.
According to the MOFCOM, export restrictions on certain UAV-related items cover products meeting specified technical thresholds, including autopilots, long-endurance unmanned aircraft or airships, and certain engines specially designed for such aircraft.
For instance, autopilots specially designed for UAVs are among the items that may not be exported without authorization.
The export controls also cover UAVs or unmanned airships capable of controlled flight beyond the operator’s natural line of sight and with a maximum endurance of three hours or more.
UAVs or unmanned airships with a maximum endurance of at least 30 minutes but less than three hours, and capable of taking off and maintaining stable controlled flight in wind gusts of at least 46.3 kilometers per hour, or 25 knots, are also covered. However, exporters of such items may use a streamlined procedure, obtaining an export certificate by filing the required information before each shipment.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said the distinction illustrates how export control rules need to evolve alongside technological advances and expanding civilian applications. As UAV technology develops, some products that were once relatively sensitive have become increasingly common in agriculture, power inspection and other commercial scenarios, Wang said. Differentiated management can therefore help avoid unnecessarily constraining normal trade while keeping closer oversight over products with greater potential risks.
The controls also cover UAVs equipped with aerosol dispensing systems or devices with a capacity exceeding 80 liters, or designed to accommodate such systems or devices and capable of autonomous flight control and navigation.
Certain engines specially designed for UAVs or unmanned airships are also subject to the export controls, including air-breathing piston or rotary internal combustion engines designed for flight above 15,420 meters, aircraft engines with maximum continuous power exceeding 16 kilowatts, and turbojet engines with thrust of at least 400 newtons.
Certain radio communication equipment specially designed for regulated UAVs or unmanned airships is also covered, including equipment that allows a single ground station to control more than 10 aircraft.
Wang said UAVs with longer endurance, larger payload capacity and higher operating capability may pose greater risks if diverted from their declared civilian purposes. Clearer technical thresholds can therefore help strengthen end-use management and reduce the risk of misuse.
The MOFCOM spokesperson said the latest optimization of China’s UAV export controls is based on recent industrial and technological developments reported by the industry, reflecting China’s firm opposition to drones being illegally used for non-peaceful purposes while also supporting Chinese companies in international trade and cooperation in civilian UAV applications.
Balancing security and global trade
Beyond UAVs, China also adjusted export controls on certain dredger-related items and introduced controls on selected high-end engineering equipment.
The dredger-related measures cover slurry pumps, dragheads and cutterheads that meet specified technical thresholds, as well as key components specially designed for such pumps, while the engineering-equipment controls cover full-face tunnel boring machines and specially designed parts, certain walking excavators, and plateau-type wet shotcrete machines and related components and technologies.
The measures come as Chinese tunneling and other high-end engineering equipment has gained a growing presence in overseas infrastructure projects. China exported about $793 million worth of self-propelled coal or rock cutters and tunneling machinery in 2025, according to Reuters, underscoring the country’s role as an important supplier in the global tunneling equipment market.
Chinese-produced tunnel boring machines account for nearly 70 percent of the global market, according to the website of provincial government of Central China’s Hunan Province, reflecting how widely such equipment is now used in infrastructure construction worldwide.
Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times that the equipment covered by the measures has clear dual-use characteristics and may create wider risks if improperly used.
He said tightening management of such products is consistent with international export control practice and can help reduce potential spillover risks to international security and order. Export controls, he stressed, do not mean exports are prohibited altogether, but rather that they are subject to stricter and more clearly defined management.
Zhou said the latest adjustment also responds to changes in the international security and trade environment. By drawing clearer boundaries around controlled products and setting more precise requirements, China can improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of export control procedures while continuing to facilitate compliant trade.
He added that China’s export control system is continuing to evolve based on practical experience and changing external conditions, and that the latest measures also reflect ongoing interaction and communication with relevant international partners.
MOFCOM said China had notified relevant countries and regions with which it has established export control dialogue mechanisms before announcing the measures. The ministry said China is willing to work with other countries to maintain stable and smooth global industrial and supply chains, and that export license applications meeting relevant requirements will be approved. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
