Taipei tightens control on strategic tech amid national security fears
📌 What Happened?
Taiwan’s Commerce Ministry has officially added China’s tech giants Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to its strategic high-tech export control list—bringing the count to 601 entities
From now on, Taiwanese companies seeking to export advanced technology to Huawei or SMIC must obtain government approval before proceeding
⚙️ Why Now?
The export control revision, made on 10 June 2025, reflects Taiwan’s intent to:
Prevent arms proliferation
Shield against technology leakage to competing chipmakers
Align with broader international tech restrictions, especially those imposed by the U.S.
🌍 Geopolitical & Economic Significance
This move closely mirrors U.S. export curbs, which have already restricted Huawei from accessing American tech
Taiwan hosts TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, and major supplier to Nvidia Recent evidence showed that a TSMC-manufactured chip ended up inside Huawei’s 910B AI processor, highlighting TSMC’s advanced role
⚠️ What’s at Stake?
A direct move to restrict Chinese AI and chip development
Underscores Taiwan’s crucial position in the global semiconductor ecosystem
Forces Taiwanese tech firms to navigate stricter licensing and compliance procedures
🧩 Industry Implications
According to TrendForce:
Though Huawei and SMIC are now listed as “strategic high-tech entities”, many Taiwanese suppliers had already limited exports
This upgrade may pose minimal immediate impact, yet it strengthens Taiwan’s defense against future tech transfer risks .
#TaiwanTech #Huawei #SMIC #ExportControl #SemiconductorSecurity #GlobalTechPolicy
