China Urges US to Halt Expanded Investment Curbs

The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China urged the United States to halt a proposed expansion of outbound investment curbs on October 24, 2026. The move follows proposals issued by the U.S. Treasury Department on October 22 to update its outbound-investment security program.

The proposed updates would add biotechnology to the list of restricted sectors and expand existing curbs on hypersonic systems and high-performance computing. These measures build upon current restrictions targeting semiconductors, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence.

Beijing characterized the proposal as discriminatory and a typical practice of overstretching the concept of national security, claiming the move undermines the international trade order and contradicts recent consensus between the two nations' presidents. China reserved the right to take unspecified countermeasures. The U.S. Treasury Department defended the measures as necessary to prevent U.S. capital from supporting dual-use strategic technologies by foreign adversaries that could threaten national security.