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The
department’s order, dating back to late July, also blocks
civilian agencies from procuring DeepSeek products and services.
DeepSeek is one of China's leading and best-known AI companies
and its open-source models are widely available in countries
including the United States. They are mostly free to use.
The notice in the Federal Register alleges that DeepSeek’s
models “present multiple threat vectors.” It said concerns
include that its servers are located in China and that Chinese
authorities' could potentially access private company
infrastructure and sensitive U.S. data.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said
China will “will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and
interests of Chinese companies” when asked at a regular press
conference about the U.S. ban.
“China consistently opposes the overstretching of the concept of
national security and the politicizing of science, technology,
economic and trade issues,” she told reporters at a routine
briefing.
DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are
set to meet in mid-November on the sidelines of the APEC, or
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, leaders’ summit in Shenzhen,
China.
AI is expected to be on the agenda.
China and the U.S. have recently made progress in some
collaboration on AI governance, including a U.S. proposal for
setting up of a notification system on national security-related
incidents, but the two countries are still at odds on many
issues.
U.S.-led restrictions still ban China from accessing some of the
world's most advanced AI chips and the machines that make them.
Last week, Beijing rolled out new proposed plans to restrict
exports of certain advanced AI models.
The U.S. has also said Chinese AI startups including DeepSeek
engaged in large-scale “distillation,” or extraction of
capabilities, from frontier American AI models, claims that
Beijing has dismissed.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
announced it was barring imports of new foreign-made humanoid
robots in a move seen as targeting China.
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