THE government is tightening controls on exports of some drones and powerful computers and will require firms to register to ensure they do not “compromise national security,” domestic media reported Sunday.

    From Aug. 15, manufacturers of certain powerful drones and computers will have to give technical details to the authorities to obtain a license prior to export, the Xinhua news agency said.

    The new regulations from the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs are aimed in particular at drones which can fly for more than one hour and at heights of more than 15,420 meters.

    In the first five months of 2015, China exported some 160,000 civilian drones, a jump of 70 percent year on year, worth more than US$120 million, China Daily reported last month.

    Leading Chinese maker DJI dominates 70 of the global market. But the manufacturing giant has ensured its products “were not involved in these (new) export controls,” according to a statement reported by domestic media, suggesting the government was mainly interested in restricting exports of military technology.

    China is also likely tightening controls on exports of powerful computers as it looks to maintain its edge in the global supercomputer battle long dominated by U.S.-Japanese rivalry.

    Since June 2013, China’s Tianhe-2 has headed the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful computers, with the machine capable of 33.86 petaflops (quadrillions of calculations per second).(SD-Agencies)