China bans dual-use item exports to seven European entities over Taiwan arms sales
Taiwan, which China sees as its own territory, gets most of its weapons from the United States. Europe has not sold big-ticket items such as fighter jets to Taipei for nearly three decades for fear of provoking Beijing’s ire.
Organizations including German defense electronics firm Hensoldt AG and Belgium-based defense and sporting arms manufacturer FN Browning participated in arms sales to Taiwan or “colluded with Taiwan,” a commerce ministry spokesman said in a statement.
There has been no immediate comment from the Taiwanese government, the EU or FN Browning.
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“We are currently verifying the facts and will assess the situation in due course,” Hensoldt told Reuters.
TRANSFER OF DUAL-USE ITEMS
Czech company Excalibur Army, a unit of the Amsterdam-listed Czechoslovak Group, which is also listed, said it did not source any dual-use technology directly from China and did not expect to see a material impact on its business.
Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka wrote on Facebook: “The Chinese authorities must explain this clearly to us. I have already instructed our embassy in Beijing.” Four of the seven organizations on the list are from the Czech Republic.
Dual-use products are products, software, or technologies that have both civilian and military applications, including some rare earth elements needed to make drones and chips.
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The ministry also said that foreign organizations and individuals are prohibited from transferring or providing dual-use items of Chinese origin to the seven organizations, and any related activities should be stopped immediately.
Signaling that China reserves the right to approve shipments on a case-by-case basis in exceptional circumstances, the ministry said exporters of dual-use products can approach the ministry if an export is deemed “genuinely necessary” for the organisations.
According to the ministry, China informed the European Union about the situation through the bilateral export control dialogue mechanism before the announcement.
“The measures apply only to dual-use products and do not affect normal economic and trade exchanges between China and Europe,” the spokesman said. “Integrity, law-abiding EU institutions have absolutely no need to worry.”
While many countries, particularly in Europe, are nervous about any defense cooperation with Taiwan due to fears of Chinese retaliation, Taipei has found an increasingly sympathetic ear in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
China has repeatedly imposed sanctions on major US arms manufacturers selling to Taiwan, most recently in December after the US announced an $11 billion arms sales package to the island.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s claims to sovereignty and says only the island’s people can decide their own future.
