Taiwan has added China’s Huawei Technologies and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) to its export control list.

The decision, announced by the economy ministry’s trade administration, mandates that Taiwanese companies obtain government approval before exporting products to these entities.

The updated list includes 601 entities from various countries, including Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, and China, reported Reuters.

The ministry stated that this action was taken following a review of the entity list, emphasising the need for “prevention of arms proliferation and other national security considerations”.  

As a key player in the global semiconductor industry and home to TSMC, the contract chipmaker, Taiwan enforces strict chip export controls, especially for firms manufacturing domestically or supplying Chinese companies.

TSMC, a major supplier to Nvidia, has faced scrutiny over its supply chain.

In October 2024, a TSMC chip was found in Huawei’s 910B AI processor, prompting TSMC to suspend shipments to China-based chip designer Sophgo, which produced a similar chip.

In November the same year, the US Commerce Department directed TSMC to halt additional shipments to Chinese customers.

Huawei is already subject to US trade restrictions that limit its access to US goods and technology, including foreign-made products that utilise US technology, such as TSMC chips.

Meanwhile, SMIC has been expanding its production capacity to enhance China’s domestic semiconductor capabilities amid ongoing US export controls.

Taiwan’s government has also committed to addressing efforts by Chinese firms, including SMIC, to acquire technology and talent from the island.

In April 2025, Huawei announced plans to begin large-scale shipments of its 910C AI chip to domestic clients as soon as July, according to Reuters.