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 advanced semiconductor equipment category includes complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor chips, low-temperature cooling systems, scanning electron microscope equipment and low-temperature wafer-probing equipment, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The revision would require local manufacturers to obtain prior approval from the International Trade Administration before exporting strategic high-tech commodities, a ministry official told the Taipei Times by telephone.
The ministry would issue export permits only after confirming that the commodities would not be used to proliferate weapons of mass destruction, the official said on condition of anonymity.
The revision aims to prevent such risks through international cooperation, rather than impose a blanket ban on exports of these products, the official said.
The ministry has referred to international export control regulations and protocols — including the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia Group and the Chemical Weapons Convention — when revising the lists, the official said.
This to ensure that Taiwan’s controlled commodity categories align with international export control regimes, the official said.
The ministry reviews and revises the two lists annually in accordance with international regulations and Article 13 of the Foreign Trade Act (貿易法), the official said.
After the 60-day preview period, the ministry would review the lists again to determine whether further adjustments are needed based on industry feedback, and would issue a final notice before the revisions take effect, the official said.
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