China to Expand Exit Curbs to Key Technology Workers From Sept. 15

China is extending its technology-security controls from shipments and intellectual property to the movement of skilled workers as competition with the United States intensifies. Beijing is seeking to prevent expertise in rare earths, batteries and advanced technologies from leaving through overseas recruitment. The move is significant because it brings people with sensitive know-how inside the export-control perimeter, potentially adding a new constraint on cross-border hiring and mobility.

Revised regulations governing entry and exit will take effect on Sept. 15, 2026, explicitly providing for departure restrictions on people who have violated export controls or possess key technologies. The measure shifts enforcement beyond controlled goods and technical information to the international movement of relevant personnel. It is intended to reduce the risk that strategically important expertise is transferred overseas when foreign companies recruit Chinese specialists.