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
