The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said that it has expanded a list of sanctioned goods for Russia and its ally Belarus in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to prevent Taiwanese high-tech goods from being used for military purposes.
Taiwan has condemned Russia’s invasion and has already joined a Western-led sanctions effort, although it is largely symbolic as there is only minimal direct trade between the nation and Russia.
Announcing its latest round of sanctions, the ministry said the move was made “to fulfill international cooperation and prevent the export of our high-tech goods for military purposes.”
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The list includes equipment for making semiconductors, as well as certain chemicals and medicines, adding to previous announcements which already targeted the chip industry.
The new sanctions are consistent with those already announced by the EU, the US and other nations, the ministry said in a statement.
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 that are widely used in commercial applications and can be used to make weapons, it said.
Export license applications would “in principle” not be approved, the ministry said.
Ukraine’s plight has won broad public sympathy in Taiwan due to what many people view as the parallels between what it happening in the European nation and what could happen if China ever uses force to bring the nation it claims as its own territory under Chinese control.
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