Taiwan’s Commerce Ministry has added Chinese chipmakers Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to its export control list amid rising trade and technology tensions involving Taiwan, China, and the United States.
Being on the “strategic high-tech commodities” list means Taiwanese firms must secure export permits before selling products to these companies. The list also includes organizations like the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as entities from China, Iran, and other countries.
This export control list was updated most recently on Sunday. Neither Huawei nor SMIC has commented on their addition so far.
Both companies are already under U.S. sanctions and are working to develop China’s most advanced domestic artificial intelligence chips, aiming to compete with U.S. firms like Nvidia and provide critical chips to Chinese tech companies despite export restrictions.
Taiwan is home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest chipmaker and a key supplier for Nvidia. Last November, the U.S. instructed TSMC to stop supplying certain advanced chips to Chinese clients as part of efforts to limit China’s access to cutting-edge technology.
China considers Taiwan its territory and has not ruled out using force to achieve reunification. The U.S. remains Taiwan’s main unofficial ally and supplier of arms.
