China now requires the families of some top AI and chip executives to get Beijing’s approval before travelling abroad, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The rule covers spouses and children, even for short trips.

Government agencies have started telling affected people about the wider restrictions, Bloomberg reported. Those covered include prominent startup founders and heads of strategically important AI companies whose work Beijing considers vital to state security. Several people have already been told they must clear family travel, two of the sources said.

It is unclear whether the families of everyone already under the curbs must follow the new rule, according to the report. Beijing plans to add more people to the list over time. TNW has not independently confirmed the report.

From executives to families

The move widens the travel curbs China has placed on top AI staff at private firms such as Alibaba and DeepSeek since earlier this year. The rules aim to stop key know-how and information flowing to the US, Bloomberg reported. It is not an outright travel ban.

Beijing has long restricted travel for researchers, nuclear scientists and state company executives, and their families. The new focus is the private sector, where much of China’s top AI talent has emerged since ChatGPT launched.

Separately, rules for enforcing exit bans took effect on 15 September. They cover cases from criminal investigations to possible breaches of China’s industrial and technological security, Bloomberg reported.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did not respond to a faxed request for comment from Bloomberg.

Officials’ worries about losing technology and talent grew after Meta’s $2bn deal for Manus. Beijing ordered the deal unwound and moved to limit US investment in sensitive tech firms. The travel plan is not necessarily linked to Manus, Bloomberg reported. More elite AI researchers now work in China than in the US, according to a Carnegie study.