Taiwan Targets Tech Transfers: Huawei, SMIC Added to Export Control List
Taiwan has added China’s Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) to its export control list, requiring Taiwanese companies to now seek government approval before exporting goods to these firms. The announcement was made via the Ministry of Finance’s updated list of high-tech strategic commodities, according to a report by Reuters.
The move places Huawei and SMIC in the same regulatory category as banned organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, reflecting Taipei’s heightened caution amid growing technological and geopolitical tensions. Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a key supplier to U.S. firms like Nvidia, is at the center of the global semiconductor supply chain.
Huawei and SMIC, on the other hand, have been intensifying their efforts to develop indigenous technologies amid tightening Western export restrictions. Notably, controversy erupted last year after a Huawei AI chip was found to contain components manufactured by TSMC, sparking concerns over unauthorized technology transfers.
In response, both Taiwan and the United States have ramped up enforcement measures against alleged intellectual property theft and technological espionage by Chinese firms.
