China will require export licences for tunnel boring machines and two other types of construction machinery from 18 November. The Ministry of Commerce and the customs administration announced the move on 19 October1, 4.
The controlled list covers tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and related items, walking excavators, and plateau-type wet shotcrete machines1. A walking excavator moves on outriggers or wheels so it can dig on difficult ground. A plateau-type wet shotcrete machine sprays mixed concrete onto a surface at high altitude1. Beijing said the measures protect national security and interests1.
A licence, not a ban
The announcement sets up a licensing process rather than an outright ban, as described in the reports1. Exporters must apply to MOFCOM under China's Export Control Law and its rules on dual-use items, goods that can have military as well as civilian uses1. They must also declare the dual-use control code for each item on customs paperwork. Customs can ask for more technical detail, and shipments are not released while that check runs1.
The notice also adjusted controls on dredger equipment. It covers slurry pumps with an inlet diameter of at least 0.55 metres and a top speed of 400 revolutions per minute or less1. Large pump casings, impellers, dragheads and cutterheads are also covered1.
The reports reviewed did not say that India was named in the announcement1, 4. Chinese state media described the step as a national security measure4.
Delhi's read: cranes, engines and TBMs
The Centre will hold talks with stakeholders on ways to limit the impact, and a second official said the effect is being assessed2. One official said the curbs "could impact some critical projects, including the Bullet Train project"2. He pointed to high-duty engines, high-mass cranes and tunnel boring equipment as the weak points2.
Officials also said highway construction should not slow much, because Indian firms already make most conventional construction equipment2. Shalabh Chaturvedi heads the construction equipment business for India and SAARC at CNH Industrial. He said: "There will not be much impact of these curbs for general construction equipment since the domestic industry is self-sufficient"2.
The factory matters more than the brand
India has run into this problem before. In 2024, TBMs for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor were built by Germany's Herrenknecht at plants in China, and the machines were stuck in Chinese customs clearance3. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck that year that Beijing was not allowing the German company to export them to India1. A machine's country of manufacture can matter as much as the nationality of its maker3.
Imports of tunnelling machinery from China have already fallen. They were $18 million in 2022-23, $3 million in 2023-24, $500,000 in 2024-25 and $800,000 in 2025-26, according to figures cited by Reuters3.
What India can substitute
India's mining and construction equipment market was about $17 billion of domestic demand in 2025 and is growing 10-12% a year, according to a Boston Consulting Group and CII report3. Local content averages around 50%. Backhoe loaders reach 85-90%, but excavators only 55-60%, and hydraulics, electronic controls and undercarriage systems are still largely imported3.
The government's $1.2 billion scheme for construction and infrastructure equipment is close to final approvals after inter-ministerial discussions3. It was announced in the Union Budget for 2026-27. It aims to attract $1.8 billion of investment over seven years and is expected to cover TBMs, firefighting systems and elevators3. Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy said equipment and components worth around ₹45,000 crore have high import dependence2.