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.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said it plans to revise the export control list for strategic high-tech products by adding 18 items under three categories — advanced 3D printing equipment, advanced semiconductor equipment and quantum computers — which would require local manufacturers to obtain licenses for their export. The ministry’s announcement yesterday came as the International Trade Administration issued a 60-day preview period for planned revisions to the Export Control List for Dual Use Items and Technology (軍商兩用貨品及技術出口管制清單) and the Common Military List (一般軍用貨品清單), which fall under regulations governing export destinations for strategic high-tech commodities and specific strategic high-tech commodities. The
RSS