China Puts Tunnel Boring Machine Exports Under Licence Controls from Nov. 18

China will require licences or registration for exports of tunnel boring machines and key parts from Nov. 18, 2026.

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the General Administration of Customs will control exports of tunnel boring machines and related equipment from Nov. 18, 2026.

The two agencies issued the decision as Announcement No. 50 of 2026 on Oct. 19, 2026¹. It also covers some walking excavators and high-altitude concrete sprayers, with their key parts and technology¹.

In short, a Chinese exporter of these machines needs a licence to ship them to sensitive countries and regions that have disputes with China. Shipments to the rest of the world need a registration step instead. Every customs declaration for these goods must also carry a new note.

What does Announcement No. 50 change for exporters?

The announcement adds new items to China’s list of dual-use goods, meaning goods with both civilian and military uses¹. Export control here means the state decides, shipment by shipment or by registration, whether goods may leave the country.

The decision rests on four laws: the Export Control Law, the Foreign Trade Law, the Customs Law and the regulations on export control of dual-use items¹. The State Council, China’s cabinet, approved it¹.

The announcement takes effect on Nov. 18, 2026¹. On the same day, China will update its official list of controlled dual-use items to include the new entries¹.

Which tunnel boring machines and parts are covered?

The first group covers full-face tunnel boring machines, the large machines that dig a whole tunnel cross-section at once¹. Their control code is 2B906. The entry names two families:

• Shield machines for soft ground, including earth-pressure-balance and slurry-balance types and other shield types.
• Rock tunnel boring machines, including open, single-shield and double-shield types and other rock types.

Both families carry the reference customs commodity code 8430313010¹. The reference codes help exporters find the goods, but the technical description decides what is controlled.

Parts specially designed for these machines are also listed under code 2A906¹. They are:

• Cutters and cutterheads, the rotating front of the machine (reference code 8431499910).
• Screw conveyors, which carry dug soil out of the machine (reference code 8428310010).
• Segment erectors, which fit the tunnel lining rings into place (reference code 8479899959).
• Main drive systems and other key units (reference code 8431499910).

This list applies only to parts specially designed for the controlled machines¹. A third entry, 2E906, covers technology for remanufacturing, or rebuilding, these machines and parts¹.

Which walking excavators are on the list?

The second group covers walking excavators under code 2B904, with reference customs code 8429521920¹. The announcement defines them as machines that move themselves by combining the work arm, legs or wheels. They can dig on almost any ground¹.

A walking excavator is controlled if it has any one of these features¹:

• It can climb over a vertical obstacle higher than 1.2 m.
• It can drive through water deeper than 1.5 m.
• It can cross a trench wider than 3 m.
• It can walk up a slope steeper than 40°.

Machines below all four limits stay outside this entry. Code 2E904 also controls electro-hydraulic proportional control technology for the hydraulic systems of these excavators¹. This is the technology that lets operators move hydraulic parts smoothly and precisely.

Which high-altitude concrete sprayers are covered?

The third group covers wet shotcrete machines built for high plateaus, under code 2B903¹. These machines pump mixed concrete to a nozzle and spray it onto a tunnel or slope surface, adding air and a setting agent¹.

A sprayer falls under this entry only if it is used above 3,000 m altitude and has all of these features¹:

• An engine of more than 75 kW maximum power, with torque above 680 N·m.
• An electric motor of more than 55 kW maximum power.
• A pumping system that draws in material with better than 95% efficiency.
• An air compressor delivering more than 15 cubic metres per minute.
• Low-temperature hydraulic oil that works at -20°C.

Because a machine must meet all five features, smaller or standard sprayers are not covered by this entry. The reference customs code is 8479109010¹.

Which sprayer parts and technology are listed?

Code 2A903 controls parts specially designed for these sprayers¹. They are:

• High-altitude engines above 75 kW and 680 N·m (reference codes 8408909240 and 8408909330).
• Oxygen supply units that help the engine run in thin air (reference code 8421399030).
• High-altitude electric motors above 55 kW (reference codes 8501520020 and 8501530020).
• Two-stage air compressors delivering more than 15 cubic metres per minute (reference code 8414804110).
• High-altitude chassis and folding booms (both reference code 8479909030).

Code 2E903 also controls hydraulic and pumping technology specially designed for these sprayers¹. Technology exports, like machine exports, therefore fall under the same rules.

Who needs an export licence, and who only registers?

The announcement creates two routes, depending on where the goods go¹.

For exports to sensitive countries and regions in dispute with China, an exporter must apply for a licence from MOFCOM¹. Without a licence, the goods may not be shipped there¹. The announcement does not name these countries.

For exports to all other countries, the exporter gets an export certificate by registering and filling in information¹. This is lighter than a licence, but it is still a required step before shipment.

In this second route, both the exporter and the end user must give a written promise¹. They must promise not to transfer Chinese-origin listed items to countries in dispute with China without a licence¹.

The rule also reaches beyond China. Organisations and individuals outside China may not pass Chinese-origin listed items to those sensitive countries without a licence¹. Foreign buyers, dealers and rental firms that resell Chinese tunnel boring machines are therefore covered by the transfer ban.

What must customs declarations say from Nov. 18?

Exporters are responsible for the truth of what they declare to customs¹. The announcement sets two rules for the remarks box of the export declaration:

1. If the goods are controlled, the exporter must write "belongs to dual-use items" and give the dual-use control code, such as 2B906.
2. If the goods are not controlled but have similar specifications, the exporter must write "does not belong to controlled items" and list the actual specifications.

Customs will question a declaration when it doubts that the information is complete, accurate or true¹. While customs questions it, the goods will not be released¹. A missing note or vague specifications can therefore hold a shipment at the Chinese border.

The second rule matters for makers of excavators and sprayers just below the limits. A walking excavator with a 1.1 m obstacle limit, for example, still needs a note with its real figures.

Why did China put tunnel boring machines under control?

MOFCOM’s spokesperson said the listed items have clear dual-use, civilian and military, features². The spokesperson said the controls follow common international practice and protect national security and interests². The spokesperson added that they help China meet non-proliferation duties².

The spokesperson said China had told countries and regions with which it holds export control dialogues before the release². China will review licence applications under the law and approve applications that meet the rules². The spokesperson also said China wants to keep global supply chains stable and to make lawful trade easier².

How does the dredger notice issued the same day differ?

MOFCOM and Customs issued a second decision the same day, Announcement No. 51 of 2026, on dredger parts³. It adjusts existing controls on dredging equipment and also takes effect on Nov. 18, 2026³.

Announcement No. 51 covers large dredger mud pumps, their pump casings and impellers, drag heads and cutter heads above set sizes³. For example, it lists mud pumps with an intake of at least 0.55 m and a top speed of no more than 400 rpm³.

The two notices differ on licensing. Announcement No. 51 requires a licence for all exports of the listed dredger items³. Announcement No. 50 requires a licence only for sensitive destinations and registration elsewhere¹. Both notices use the same declaration rules for the customs remarks box³.

Key points on China’s tunnel boring machine export controls

The table sums up Announcement No. 50.

From Nov. 18, 2026, a tunnel boring machine leaving China needs either a MOFCOM licence or a registered export certificate, depending on its destination¹. Customs will hold any shipment whose remarks box it doubts until the question is settled¹.

Sources

1. ↩ 商务部 海关总署公告2026年第50号 公布对盾构机等物项实施出口管制的决定 https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2026/art_9ce34ccfa6c040d7a4f7622f89133be5.html
2. ↩ 商务部新闻发言人就盾构机等物项实施出口管制、优化调整挖泥船相关物项出口管制措施答记者问 https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/syxwfb/art/2026/art_9b5963dea9e34cb586b693e2e576f2c1.html
3. ↩ 商务部 海关总署公告2026年第51号 公布优化调整挖泥船相关物项出口管制措施的决定 https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2026/art_24e42675dd30435a944eee87427a94d2.html