Taiwan completely halts machine tool exports to Russia amid tighter controls, ministry says - Euromaidan Press

Taiwan has completely halted the export of machine tools that could be used in military enterprises to Russia, DW reports that Taiwan’s Economy Ministry announced on 1 November 2024.

The ministry has tightened export control rules following a series of media investigations about such supplies. The penalty for first-time sanctions violations against Russia and Belarus has been significantly increased to 1 million Taiwanese dollars (approximately $31,100), according to the ministry.

The Taiwanese Economy Ministry reports that it is conducting “active explanatory work” with manufacturers, urging them to comply with laws and control the final flow of products. The ministry states that these measures have already shown results, with machine tool exports from Taiwan to Russia having “dropped to zero.“

In January 2024, Russia’s The Insider and Taiwan’s The Reporter published a joint investigation revealing that Taiwan had become Russia’s primary supplier of metalworking CNC machines for military-industrial enterprises, despite the government’s pro-Ukrainian stance. The investigation showed that exports were conducted through third countries, such as Türkiye.

The Insider released another investigation in July showing that Taiwanese company Giant Force planned to circumvent restrictions to supply Russia with an essential device for testing rocket casing heat-resistant coating. According to the publication, this scheme involved a Chinese factory of the Taiwanese firm, a Malaysian transport company, and a Kyrgyz bank.

Regarding German involvement, SWR television company’s investigation revealed that Russia received over 300 automated machines from German manufacturers in 2023 through sanctions evasion. According to SWR, Russian military industries, including KamAZ, NIR, and Industrial Solutions, actively use German CNC machines from over 30 manufacturers, including Heller company.

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