Taiwan weighs up to 10 years in prison for unapproved exports of advanced AI chips to China
A Legislative Yuan committee held a hearing Monday on a DPP amendment to the Foreign Trade Act; passage is uncertain in a divided legislature.
Why it matters
Taiwan has had no criminal export offence for advanced chips sent to China: when nine people were indicted in August over 74 Nvidia B300 servers diverted to Chinese buyers, prosecutors could charge only breach of trust and forgery. The amendment would require government approval for listed chips, wafer materials and equipment, and cover shipments routed through third countries. It would align Taipei more closely with US export curbs. Watch whether opposition parties back it in committee.
Key facts
- Up to 10 years in prison
- Fines of NT$5 million to NT$10 million
- Covers shipments via third countries
- Amendment to the Foreign Trade Act proposed by the DPP
- Follows August indictment of nine over 74 Nvidia B300 servers