China
China's Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology opened consultation on 16 October on revisions to the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export. The proposal would add 40 key technologies across artificial intelligence, biotechnology and solar energy. Submissions close on 15 November. Until the final revision takes effect, exports of the listed technologies must be registered in advance through the Ministry of Commerce's unified business system, with the interim requirement applying from the date of the announcement.
The proposed additions include 23 AI technologies involving large models, agents, computing clusters and information processing. The Ministry of Commerce said the central question is whether restricted technology is transferred from within China to a destination abroad. Providing functionality through an application programming interface, website, app or software-as-a-service platform would not ordinarily amount to a technology transfer. Technology already placed in the public domain through open-source publication or academic papers is outside the proposed controls. Simplified registration would be available in specified cases, including Chinese companies building computing centres overseas for their own use.
The biotechnology entries cover areas including cell and gene therapies and small interfering RNA, with some intellectual property transfers proposed for prohibition. The solar entries include selected materials, manufacturing and equipment technologies. Because the catalogue is under consultation, its contents are not final. The measure already in force is advance registration for exports of the technologies identified in the announcement, not a blanket prohibition on all related products or online services supplied abroad.
Australia
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission registered an amending legislative instrument on 16 October that raises net tangible asset thresholds applying to responsible entities, investor-directed portfolio service operators and corporate directors of retail corporate collective investment vehicles. The instrument is due to commence on 1 July 2027.
The instrument raises one minimum amount from A$150,000 to A$200,000, one cap from A$5 million to A$7 million, and another threshold from A$10 million to A$14 million. Amounts linked to a specified class of assets rise from A$500,000 to A$700,000. Which amount applies depends on the operator's category, asset scale and business arrangements.
From 1 July 2027, the specified amounts will be indexed annually using the Australian Bureau of Statistics' weighted-average Consumer Price Index for the eight capital cities, rounded to the nearest A$1,000. This links the financial resources that relevant fund and investment-platform operators must maintain to inflation, rather than leaving the thresholds fixed indefinitely in nominal terms.
United States
The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled two to one on 16 October to uphold the Environmental Protection Agency's unconditional approval of Oklahoma's authority to administer federal environmental regulatory programs on tribal lands within the state. The Pawnee Nation brought the case, which concerned a special provision attached to a 2005 transportation funding law.
Oklahoma invoked the provision after the US Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that large parts of eastern Oklahoma remained Native American reservation land. The EPA approved the state's request during the first Trump administration. The Biden administration later approved it again with a condition requiring Oklahoma to seek consensus with affected tribes. After the Trump administration returned to office, the EPA removed that condition, prompting the Pawnee Nation's challenge.
The majority held that the 2005 provision had no expiry date and required the EPA to approve a valid state request, leaving the agency without authority to attach a consultation condition that narrowed the approval. The dissent said the EPA retained discretion to impose protections for tribal interests and that tribes should not be wholly displaced as the original sovereigns without a clear statement from Congress. Counsel for the Pawnee Nation said the tribe was considering its legal options.
Editorial framework: This briefing uses Sustenesis as an editorial framework for selecting facts, organising relationships and structuring information, with attention to differences and constraints in rules, responsibilities, resources, risks and social relations. Sustenesis functions here as a method of organisation rather than a position or commentary; the body remains limited to verifiable facts.
Sources
Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, “MOFCOM and MOST Announcement No. 48 of 2026: Public consultation on revising the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export and interim registration for relevant technology exports”, https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zcfb/dwmygl/art/2026/art_61446ab4beee4f63973d4d0ab3097648.html
Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, “MOFCOM spokesperson answers questions on revising the Catalogue of Technologies Prohibited or Restricted from Export”, https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcjd/art/2026/art_b11d5c1e9374421e93e85dc87eba6e38.html
Reuters, “Beijing seeks tighter grip on AI exports amid US rivalry”, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-proposes-adding-40-ai-biotech-solar-technologies-export-control-list-2026-10-16/
Australian Securities and Investments Commission, “Regulatory tracker 2026”, https://www.asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/find-a-document/regulatory-document-updates/regulatory-tracker/regulatory-tracker-2026
Federal Register of Legislation, “ASIC Corporations (Amendment) Instrument 2026/708”, https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01391/asmade/text
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, “Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma v. Zeldin, No. 25-9548 — Published Opinion”, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/akveljzbrpr/10162026epa.pdf
Reuters, “Court backs EPA giving Oklahoma authority over environmental rules on tribal lands”, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/court-backs-epa-giving-oklahoma-authority-over-environmental-rules-tribal-lands-2026-10-16/
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