China Expands Overseas Travel Curbs to AI Talent at Alibaba, DeepSeek

China is restricting overseas travel for top AI professionals at private firms including Alibaba and DeepSeek, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter. Government agencies have begun requiring individuals working on advanced AI and deemed strategically important to obtain approval before traveling abroad, the people said. The curbs extend a longstanding practice previously reserved for state-owned enterprise executives and Communist Party officials to the private sector, with targets selected based on their critical importance to the country rather than just seniority or employer. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, DeepSeek and Alibaba did not respond to requests for comment.