China expands travel restrictions to families of top AI and chip executives

China has quietly escalated one of its most consequential tech-sector policies. The government has extended overseas travel restrictions to include the family members of leading AI and chip executives at private companies, requiring government pre-approval before relatives can leave the country. The move, reported by Bloomberg on September 28, 2026, marks a sharp widening of measures that first appeared in May 2026, when Beijing began mandating travel pre-approval for top AI professionals at firms including Alibaba and DeepSeek. How the restrictions evolved DeepSeek employees began surrendering passports around March 2026, a timeline that coincides with the public release of the company’s R1 model. That same month, authorities imposed exit bans on the co-founders of Manus AI amid scrutiny of a major acquisition the startup was pursuing. By May 2026, the restrictions had formalized into a pre-approval requirement covering top professionals at private-sector AI firms broadly. September 15, 2026 brought another turn: nationwide rules took effect that formalize penalties specifically tied to violations of industrial and technological security, giving the exit-ban framework a firmer leg...