The UK approved a sharp increase in exports of submarine parts and technology last year to Taiwan as it upgrades its naval forces.
The value of licenses granted by the UK government to companies for the export of submarine components and technology to Taiwan totaled a record ￡167 million (US$202 million) during the first nine months of last year, UK government export licensing data showed.
That is more than the previous six years combined, a Reuters analysis of the data showed.
Photo: REUTERS
The data is publicly accessible, but the most recent figures on Taiwan have not previously been reported.
Beijing considers Taiwan part of China, and strongly objects to perceived foreign interference with the nation, as it believes it to be support for Taiwanese sovereignty.
When presented with the figures by Reuters, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “If this is true, it is a serious violation of the ‘one China’ principle, undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests, and undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
“China is highly concerned about this and firmly opposes it,” it said, urging the UK to “refrain from providing military support to the Taiwan authorities.”
The UK has a long record of “granting licenses for exports of controlled goods to Taiwan, on a case-by-case basis, where those applications are consistent with the rules that regulate the exports of arms and dual-use products,” a British government spokesperson said in a statement.
“We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion,” they added.
The increase in licenses granted reflects greater demand from Taiwan, two British government officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Two British lawmakers with knowledge of the exports and two former British officials said the approvals reflected the UK’s increased willingness to support Taiwan.
One of the lawmakers, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said authorizing the export licenses amounted to giving a “green light” to better equip Taiwan.
The data is from the Export Control Organisation, which is responsible for export licensing and sits within the British Department for International Trade.
It shows that the UK government authorized 25 export licenses to Taiwan during the first nine months of last year under the “components for submarines” and “technology for submarines” categories.
The data does not disclose which companies received the authorization or detail what equipment it covers.
In response to a request for comment about the submarine-related exports from the UK, the Ministry of National Defense said that its ship-building program was “a major national policy, and the navy has promoted various projects in a pragmatic way under it.”
“We hope that all walks of life will continue to give their support, to jointly maintain the security and peace of the Taiwan Strait,” it said.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
The nation’s fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter, and would be used to train large language models in finance and national defense sectors, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said. The supercomputer, which would operate at about 86.05 petaflops, is being tested at a new cloud computing center in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan. The exterior of the server cabinet features chip circuitry patterns overlaid with a map of Taiwan, highlighting the nation’s central position in the semiconductor industry. The center also houses Taiwania 2, Taiwania 3, Forerunner 1 and
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
FIRST TRIAL: Ko’s lawyers sought reduced bail and other concessions, as did other defendants, but the bail judge denied their requests, citing the severity of the sentences Former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was yesterday sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Taipei prosecutors in December last year asked the Taipei District Court for a combined 28-year, six-month sentence for the four cases against Ko, who founded the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The cases were linked to the Core Pacific City (京華城購物中心) redevelopment project and the mismanagement of political donations. Other defendants convicted on separate charges included Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇), who was handed a 15-year, six-month sentence; Core Pacific
RSS