Government of China · 2026-05-26 · major
Beijing Expands Overseas Travel Curbs to Top AI Talent at Alibaba and DeepSeek — Founders, Researchers, and Executives Now Need Government Approval Before Going Abroad
China is now requiring some AI founders, researchers, and senior executives at Alibaba and DeepSeek to get government approval before traveling overseas, extending controls previously reserved for state-affiliated nuclear scientists and university researchers to private-sector AI firms.
China treats top AI engineers like nuclear scientists — they now need state approval before any overseas trip.
What is it?
Bloomberg reported on May 26 that Chinese government agencies have begun requiring select startup founders, researchers, and senior executives at private AI firms — including Alibaba and DeepSeek — to obtain prior government approval before traveling abroad. The policy reuses controls historically reserved for academics, nuclear scientists, and senior executives at state-owned enterprises.
How does it work?
The restrictions are not a formal public decree. They are being applied case-by-case to individuals working on advanced AI considered strategically important. Some private-sector engineers have for some time had to report overseas trips, but obtaining advance approval is new. Bloomberg previously reported similar curbs on DeepSeek executives in December 2025; two Manus co-founders were also barred from overseas travel last year. Neither Alibaba, DeepSeek, nor Chinese authorities have publicly commented; Reuters said it could not independently verify the report.
Why does it matter?
Beijing is now treating private AI talent as a national-security asset. That changes the calculus for any Chinese AI lab trying to attract overseas talent, partner with foreign companies, or send researchers to US conferences. It also raises the bar for what counts as a credible US export-control retaliation: when the US tightens chip flows, China can tighten human-capital flows.
Who is it for?
China-watchers, policy analysts, frontier-lab hiring managers, and anyone tracking the human-capital dimension of the US–China AI race.