China bans overseas travel for top AI talent from DeepSeek, Alibaba and other

China is reportedly restricting overseas travel for top AI professionals working at companies like DeepSeek and Alibaba. The move shows Beijing is treating talent and expertise as a strategic asset in its AI rivalry with the US.

In Short

• China reportedly restricting overseas travel for top AI professionals
• Restrictions may apply even to lesser-known researchers on sensitive projects
• US-China AI rivalry expanding beyond chips to human expertise

China’s AI race is no longer limited to building smarter chatbots or more powerful models. It has now expanded to controlling the people behind them. After reportedly blocking Meta from acquiring Manus AI, China is tightening its grip on the country’s top artificial intelligence talent. According to a Bloomberg report, Chinese authorities are now restricting overseas travel for leading AI professionals working at private companies such as Alibaba Group and DeepSeek.

Who is impacted by this move?

As per the report, government agencies have started imposing travel restrictions on people involved in advanced AI research and development. These individuals, including startup founders, researchers, and executives, will now need approval from authorities before travelling abroad.

Some AI engineers in China were already required to inform officials about foreign travel plans. But the latest move reportedly goes a step further by actively restricting such travel.

What makes the development notable is that the restrictions are not only based on seniority or company position. Chinese authorities are reportedly also identifying people based on how “important” they are to the country’s technological ambitions. In other words, even relatively lesser-known researchers working on sensitive AI projects could come under scrutiny.

Why is China restricting travel for AI talent?

The approach is not entirely new for China. The country has previously imposed travel restrictions on strategically important individuals, including nuclear scientists and prominent university researchers. Bloomberg’s report notes that some Chinese state-owned enterprises even hold the passports of senior executives and Communist Party officials.

But applying similar thinking to the AI industry signals how seriously Beijing now views the global AI battle.

The move also comes at a time when China is becoming increasingly cautious about foreign influence in its technology sector. Authorities are reportedly trying to prevent US investors from gaining stakes in technologies linked to national security. China has also restricted leading AI startups from accepting American funding without government approval.

Manus AI fallout and growing US-China rivalry

The Manus AI episode appears to have intensified those concerns further. China reportedly barred two co-founders of Manus from leaving the country after fallout linked to Meta’s reported $2 billion acquisition deal, which authorities believed violated investment rules.

All of this highlights how the AI rivalry between China and the United States is expanding beyond chips and software into control over people and expertise.

The US has already imposed strict export controls aimed at stopping China from accessing advanced AI chips. Now, Beijing appears equally determined to protect its own side of the equation.

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