Taiwan adds Huawei and chip titan SMIC to export blacklist

TAIPEI

Taiwan has put Chinese tech giant Huawei and chip titan SMIC on an export blacklist, further squeezing Beijing’s access to the technology needed to build the most advanced chips.

Huawei and SMIC were among 601 entities added to Taiwan’s “strategic high-tech commodities entity list,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration said.

Taiwan is a global chip powerhouse, producing more than half of the world’s semiconductors, including almost all high-end chips.

Local companies wanting to ship high-tech products to Huawei, SMIC or any other entity on the list will have to obtain permission from Taiwan’s government.

Other entities added to the list are based in Russia, Pakistan, Iran and Myanmar, according to the statement.

Taipei’s move deals another blow to Chinese tech companies, which are already facing increasing export restrictions imposed by the United States.

The United States has expanded efforts to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned they could be used to advance Beijing’s military systems and other tech capabilities.

Washington recently unveiled guidelines warning firms that using Chinese-made high-tech AI semiconductors, specifically Huawei’s Ascend chips, would put them at risk of violating U.S. export controls.

Tougher controls have prevented U.S. chip giant Nvidia, one of Huawei’s rivals, from selling certain AI semiconductors, widely regarded as the most advanced in the world, to Chinese firms.

As a result, it is now facing tougher competition from local players in the crucial market, including Huawei.

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