China’s MiniMax completes export registration for open-source, overseas AI model licensing

BEIJING, Oct 23 (Reuters) – AI developer MiniMax said on Friday it had completed the technology export registration with China’s commerce ministry for open-source release and overseas licensing of “certain recently released and upcoming models.”

Here are some details:

• The registration comes a week after Beijing proposed export controls on 23 AI technologies, including models, agents and computing clusters, as it seeks to limit transfers of tools it views as vital to national security.

• A social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday that MiniMax and DeepSeek had won state approval for global use of their AI models. DeepSeek did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.

• In a separate post on Friday, the account, Yuyuan Tantian, said overseas internet users had urged other Chinese open-source large language models to follow suit.

• The Chinese commerce ministry had earlier said most AI technologies would stay freely exportable, with simplified licensing for open-source exports and for Chinese firms running their own computing centres overseas.

(Reporting by Andrew Silver and Kumar Tanishk in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue and Maju Samuel)