By Anadolu staff
Taiwan has added China's Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) to its export control list, local media reported on Sunday.
According to the South China Morning Post, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs updated the trade blacklist late Saturday, and it included the two Chinese tech firms.
The move means Taiwanese companies must now obtain government approval before exporting any products to Huawei or SMIC. As a result, the firms will be less likely to acquire key semiconductor technologies from Taiwan.
The decision comes amid escalating US-China tensions over technology and trade.
Shenzhen-based Huawei and Shanghai-based SMIC, both under US sanctions, are regarded as China’s leading contenders for breakthroughs in the semiconductor industry.
Last month, the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security increased oversight of Chinese technology, stating that the use of Huawei's Ascend AI chips anywhere in the world violates US export regulations.
China’s Commerce Ministry has urged the US to reverse its export restrictions on chips from China, particularly those produced by Huawei, and commented that the US is “abusing export controls” by tightening restrictions on Chinese chips “based on groundless accusations."
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid