China's latest revision to the catalogue of technologies that are subject to export bans or restrictions heralds its will to expand technical exchanges with foreign countries on the basis of safeguarding national security, an expert observed.
The revised catalogue, released jointly by the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Science and Technology Friday, deleted four items prohibited from export, including microbial fertilizer and caffeine production technologies.
The catalogue also removed five items subject to export restrictions, including Newcastle disease vaccine technology and information security firewall software.
A total of 23 items subject to export restrictions were added to the catalogue while technical parameters of 21 items were revised.
It has become a common international practice to implement negative lists for technology exports, said Professor Cui Fan at the University of International Business and Economics.
Since 2008 when the catalogue was last revised, some technologies that are subject to export bans or restrictions are no longer at the forefront while new technologies are constantly emerging, making it necessary to adjust the catalogue accordingly, said Cui.
As Cui observed, China's technology import and export management system continues to improve, and China supports international cooperation in sci-tech innovation and expands the opening up of sci-tech fields.
"China is not in favor of the so-called decoupling," said Cui.
Some forefront technologies, however, might impact national security and public welfare, and need to be included in catalogue management, he said.
"Only when we adhere to the overall concept of national security can we achieve stable and long-term development in the opening up of the technical field," Cui said.
"The improvement of the technology trade management system is in line with the long-term and fundamental interests of innovative enterprises," he added, noting that government authorities are supporting firms affected by the revision by facilitating approval procedures and offering innovation incentives.
