Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan’s defence minister said Chinese sanctions on seven European companies over arms sales to the island would not affect Taipei’s ability to source weapons. He said it was not the first time China had taken such measures.
China’s export controls on European companies
China’s Commerce Ministry banned exports of dual-use items to seven European companies over arms sales to Taiwan, placing them on its export control list in a rare case of Europe-targeted, Taiwan-related sanctions.
Taiwan’s response in parliament
Taking questions from lawmakers in parliament, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said China had implemented similar measures before. He said the action did not affect Taiwan’s ability to continue sourcing goods through diversified channels, without elaborating.
Arms procurement and European ties
Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, gets most of its weapons from the United States. Europe has not sold major items such as fighter jets to Taiwan for around three decades, amid concerns about provoking Beijing.
Taipei has found increasing sympathy in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Four of the seven companies placed on China’s new list are Czech.
Previous sanctions on U.S. arms makers
China has repeatedly sanctioned major U.S. arms makers over sales to Taiwan, most recently in December following a U.S. announcement of an $11 billion weapons sale package to the island.
Japan weapons question
Asked whether Taiwan could begin buying weapons from Japan after Tokyo scrapped restrictions on overseas arms sales, Koo said recipients must be countries that have signed a defence equipment and technology transfer agreement with Japan, which Taiwan has not done. Asked whether such an agreement could be reached one day, Koo said no possibility could be ruled out, while noting that no transfer agreement currently exists.
What impact do you think China’s export controls could have on future defence cooperation involving Taiwan?