DeepSeek and MiniMax have completed China's AI export registration

DeepSeek and MiniMax have completed China's new AI export registration process and gone ahead with open source releases and overseas licensing, according to a post from Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster China Central Television.

"Since the policy was announced, leading companies DeepSeek and MiniMax have successfully completed the registration process, as well as the procedures for open-sourcing and authorising overseas use," the account wrote late on Thursday, October 22. "AI companies can continue their commercialisation efforts as usual." The post said much of Chinese AI will remain free for export.

The statement responds to a draft proposal released the week before by China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology. The draft would add export controls on certain AI tools and services, including large language models and agents, and adds 23 AI items to the export catalogue. Parts of it took effect immediately, including a requirement that companies register the covered technologies. That raised questions about whether Beijing was about to limit overseas access to its most advanced models, at a time when cheap Chinese open weight models have been widely adopted abroad. CCTV says the measures are meant to set clearer regulatory boundaries rather than shut the door on exports.

Two caveats apply. The catalogue itself is still a draft open for public comment, and registration is not the same as a restrictive export license. Final rules could still tighten what can be shared, with whom, and under what conditions.

Why it matters for developers: many teams outside China build on DeepSeek, MiniMax and other Chinese open weight models because they are capable and cheap to run. The signal from Beijing, for now, is that those releases will continue. The risk has not disappeared, though, so teams that depend on these models should keep a fallback ready.

What's next: watch for the final version of the export catalogue, whether any model or capability lands on a restricted list, and whether other Chinese labs announce completed registrations.

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