China’s TBM Curbs: Could India’s Infrastructure Push Hit A Supply-Chain Wall?

China has announced export controls on specified tunnel-boring machines (TBMs), key components and related technologies, with the measures taking effect on November 18. The announcement could complicate procurement for infrastructure projects that require specialised tunnelling equipment, including India’s high-speed rail and Himalayan railway networks.

The rules, issued by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs on October 19, cover several types of full-face TBMs, designated components and remanufacturing technology. China says the measures are intended to protect national security and fulfil its non-proliferation obligations.

The controls are not a blanket ban on all TBM exports. They require licences for exports to specified sensitive countries and regions with which China has disputes, while exports to other destinations are subject to registration and export-certificate requirements. The public announcement does not name India, and its effect on Indian procurement will depend on how the rules are applied to individual exports.

For India, the announcement puts the supply chains behind major infrastructure projects under scrutiny. The immediate question is not whether construction will stop, but whether access to particular machines, components and technical support could become more complicated.

What Has China Restricted?

Under Announcement No. 50, the controls cover earth-pressure-balance and slurry-shield TBMs, along with specified open, single-shield and double-shield rock-boring machines.

The listed components include cutterheads, screw conveyors, segment erectors, main-drive systems and other key units. The announcement also covers specified remanufacturing technologies designed for the controlled machinery and components.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said the equipment has civilian and military applications and that the measures comply with Chinese export-control laws and international non-proliferation obligations. It also said applications meeting the relevant requirements would be approved, indicating a licensing and review system rather than a universal prohibition.

The rules distinguish between destinations. Exports to sensitive countries and regions with which China has disputes require a licence from the commerce authorities. Exports to other destinations require exporters to register the relevant information to obtain an export certificate. Exporters and end users must also undertake not to transfer Chinese-origin controlled items to disputed destinations without authorisation.

India is not expressly identified in the public notice. Whether a particular Indian procurement is subject to a licensing requirement cannot be established from the announcement alone.

Why Are TBMs Important?

TBMs excavate tunnels mechanically, supporting the surrounding ground as they advance and, in many cases, installing concrete lining segments behind the cutting head. Different machines are designed for different geological conditions, including soft ground, water-bearing formations and hard rock.

Their specialised design makes them difficult to replace with conventional excavation equipment. A machine must match a project’s tunnel diameter, ground conditions, water pressure and engineering requirements. Its cutterhead, drive systems, pressure controls and support equipment are integral to the excavation process.

The machinery is also part of a wider operating system. Tunnel construction depends on power systems, pumps, slurry treatment, segment handling, monitoring equipment and maintenance support. A delay involving one critical component can affect the operation of an entire machine.

This is why access to TBMs matters to India’s infrastructure expansion. The issue extends beyond the purchase price of a machine to the availability of compatible components, technical expertise and replacement parts over a project’s life.

Which Indian Projects Use TBMs?

India’s Mumbai–Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor illustrates the scale of specialised tunnelling involved in major infrastructure projects.

In July, the Ministry of Railways said a second TBM had begun excavating beneath Thane Creek in Maharashtra. Of the 21-km underground section, 16 km between Sawli, near Ghansoli, and Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex is being constructed using TBMs. A seven-kilometre stretch beneath Thane Creek forms part of India’s first undersea rail tunnel.

The machine deployed for the urban section is a slurry-based Mixshield TBM with a 13.6-metre cutterhead, designed to stabilise the tunnel face and minimise surface settlement in complex ground conditions. The project demonstrates why equipment specifications and technical support matter: an alternative machine cannot necessarily be substituted without engineering assessments and adjustments.

The Rishikesh–Karnaprayag railway line offers another example. A July 2025 Ministry of Railways update described a project involving 16 main tunnels with a combined length of 105 km and 12 escape tunnels spanning about 98 km. A TBM was deployed for the first time by Indian Railways in Himalayan geology to excavate the 14.8-km T-8 tunnel, for which a breakthrough had been achieved.

Tunnelling is also relevant to road and strategic connectivity. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation has issued a tender for a proposed twin-tube road-and-rail underwater tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra in Assam.

These projects show the importance of reliable equipment supplies. They do not, however, establish that any machine currently deployed on these projects is covered by China’s new controls or that the announcement has delayed construction.

How Dependent Is India On Imports?

India has an established heavy-engineering and construction-machinery sector, but experience in tunnelling does not automatically translate into the ability to manufacture every type of advanced TBM and its critical components domestically.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries lists tunnelling machines among the equipment produced by India’s earthmoving, construction and mining machinery sector. Foreign manufacturers also have a presence in the Indian market. Germany’s Herrenknecht, for instance, lists Chennai Metro among its project references, while Larsen & Toubro has executed major TBM tunnelling projects in India.

These examples establish domestic project experience and access to international technologies. They do not show that India can independently manufacture every specialised machine, drive system or component it may need.

Nor does the available official material establish a precise share of India’s TBM imports sourced from China. The Department of Commerce’s TradeStat portal provides commodity-wise and country-wise trade data, but a reliable estimate would require isolating the relevant machinery classifications and controlled components. Broad construction-equipment import figures would not be sufficient.

The distinction matters because dependence on imported technology is not the same as dependence on Chinese exports. A project may use equipment from a European manufacturer, locally assemble components or source parts from several countries. Its exposure to the new controls depends on the origin and classification of the specific items involved.

Could Alternative Suppliers Fill The Gap?

India could seek equipment from established manufacturers in Europe, the United States and other markets, including Germany’s Herrenknecht and the US-based Robbins Company. Expanding domestic manufacturing and developing components locally are other options.

But changing suppliers is not as straightforward as choosing another machine from a catalogue. TBMs are selected for particular geological and engineering conditions. Replacing a machine or a critical component can require technical evaluation, design changes, new maintenance arrangements and additional procurement.

Timing is another constraint. A different supplier may not have a suitable machine immediately available, and a replacement may require modifications to project plans or supporting systems. The cost of changing suppliers would depend on the project, the machinery required and the stage of construction.

The controls could also have implications beyond complete machines. A TBM supplied by a non-Chinese manufacturer may still depend on Chinese-origin components or technology covered by the rules. Conversely, the use of a foreign brand does not itself establish exposure to Chinese export controls.

India’s existing manufacturing capabilities provide a base for expanding domestic production, but the transition to greater self-reliance in advanced TBMs would require sustained investment in specialised engineering, components, testing and technical skills.

Why Does The Announcement Matter Strategically?

China’s stated rationale is national security, not an explicitly declared attempt to obstruct Indian infrastructure projects. Its public announcement does not name India, and there is no evidence in the cited official material that the measures were designed specifically to target Indian procurement.

Nevertheless, the rules highlight how controls over specialised machinery can affect infrastructure supply chains. The strategic concern is not limited to whether a complete TBM can be bought: restrictions on key components or technologies can also affect maintenance, replacement and the ability to keep equipment operating.

For India, the implications will depend on the licensing treatment of particular consignments, manufacturers’ supply chains and the availability of alternative sources. The distinction between a theoretical exposure and an actual disruption is essential. No project-specific delay arising from the new controls has been established in the available reporting.

The announcement also underlines the limits of measuring industrial self-reliance only by domestic assembly. A machine assembled in India may still depend on imported drives, control systems or other specialised parts. Reducing vulnerability requires identifying those dependencies and developing credible alternatives, rather than assuming that local assembly alone guarantees supply-chain independence.

What Happens Next?

The controls are due to take effect on November 18. Their practical consequences will become clearer through licensing decisions, clarification of how destinations are classified and evidence of whether Indian buyers encounter delays or restrictions in obtaining covered equipment.

India’s response will also depend on whether manufacturers and infrastructure agencies can diversify procurement, secure alternative components and expand domestic production without disrupting project schedules.

China has announced export controls, not a blanket ban on all TBMs, and India has not been named in the public notice. The immediate effect on Indian projects therefore remains uncertain. The broader challenge is clearer: sustaining an ambitious tunnelling programme requires dependable access to specialised machines and their components, alongside the industrial capacity to replace critical imports when supplies become vulnerable.