Taiwan restricts export of more tech goods to Russia, here’s why

Taiwan has expanded the list of sanctioned goods for

Russia

and its ally Belarus to prevent the use of Taiwanese

tech goods

from being used for military purposes. The country’s economy ministry said that the decision has been taken in response to Russia's

invasion of Ukraine

.
According to a report by news agency Reuters, Taiwan condemned Russia’s attack and ‘symbolically’ joined the sanctions imposed by various Western countries on Russia because there is not much direct trade between Taiwan and Russia.

The move was made “in order to fulfil international cooperation and prevent the export of our high-tech goods for military purposes”, said Taiwan's economy ministry.
“The

Ministry of Economic Affairs

continues to hold discussions with trade unions and manufacturers to communicate on the expansion of export controls, and has given manufacturers a 30-day buffer period to prepare for the situation,” it said.

What goods are included in the expanded list
The ‘new’ list includes 45 goods and equipment for making semiconductors as well as certain chemicals and medicines. Taiwan is a world leader in chip making and the new products add to the list of goods which have already targeted the chip industry.
The ministry also said that the new sanctions are consistent with those already announced by the European Union (EU), the US and other countries.

The report also noted that the EU, the US and others have collected weapon debris from Ukrainian battlefields and come up with a “common high priority list” of electronic and mechanical parts and equipment.
These parts are widely used in commercial applications and can be used to make weapons, the ministry noted, adding that export licence applications will “in principle” not be approved.
Taiwan has been monitoring exports of goods from Taiwanese producers to Russia and Belarus since March 2022, under the Wassenaar Arrangement. Last year, Taiwan widened the scope of export restrictions to 57 products, including computer information, sensors, lasers and aerospace products.