Taiwan adds 279 entities to export control list targeting arms proliferation
Taiwan’s International Trade Administration has added 279 entities to its export control list for strategic high-tech goods, including from Pakistan, Iran and China, while removing seven others, citing national security concerns and weapons proliferation prevention.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs said the latest update brings the total number of controlled entities and individuals to over 10,800, following inter-agency review meetings authorised under Article 13 of the Foreign Trade Act.
‘The entities were added following a review based on international sanctions and security assessments,’ according to the administration, with newly listed companies spanning Pakistan, Iran, Mexico, mainland China and Yemen.
The update is based on sanction lists from the UN Security Council and allied nations and follows Taiwan’s pattern of aligning its export controls with international standards, though the island remains outside major multilateral control regimes including the Australia Group and Wassenaar Arrangement.
Taiwanese manufacturers seeking to export strategic high-tech goods to any controlled entity must first obtain approval from the International Trade Administration, with customs authorities assisting enforcement to block unauthorised shipments.
‘Domestic manufacturers wishing to export to controlled entities on Taiwan’s Entity List must first obtain a strategic high-tech goods export license from the Department of International Trade,’ Deputy Director-General Qijuan Hu said in the announcement.
The administration emphasised that businesses must ‘comply with export control regulations, fulfill their corporate verification obligations, and carefully assess transaction risks to avoid involvement in arms proliferation activities’.
The move comes amid heightened tensions over semiconductor technology, with Taiwan having previously added Chinese tech giants Huawei and SMIC to its entity list in June, marking the first time Taipei imposed such restrictions on major Chinese companies. China responded by blacklisting eight Taiwanese defence contractors, escalating the technology confrontation across the Taiwan Strait.
The tightening comes after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company found itself under US investigation following the discovery in late 2024 that TSMC-made chips had ended up in Huawei’s Ascend 910B AI processor through Chinese intermediary Sophgo Technologies. TSMC suspended shipments to Sophgo and alerted authorities, but the incident highlighted potential loopholes in export control systems and could result in penalties of $1 billion or more for the Taiwanese chipmaker.
Taiwan’s export control regime operates under its Foreign Trade Act and has implemented a ‘catch-all’ control measure since 2004 to strengthen checks on end uses and end users of sensitive technologies.
The International Trade Administration said it will continue holding information sessions to help businesses understand export control regulations and maintain compliance with the expanding restrictions.
