The crisis is being watched closely in Taiwan, which China
claims as its own territory and which has faced increased military pressure
from Beijing over the last two years.
"We very harshly condemn such an act of invasion and
will join democratic countries to jointly impose sanctions," Premier Su
Tseng-chang told reporters in Taipei without giving details.
Taiwan Economy Minister Wang Mei-hua said the island will
"harshly scrutinise" exports to Russia and "coordinate"
with unspecified allies on further actions. She also did not elaborate.
The foreign ministry said in a statement the island, which
is key to the global semiconductor supply chain, will "coordinate closely
with the United States and other like-minded countries to adopt appropriate
measures in order to free Ukraine from the horrors of war."
Asked about the sanctions, Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC), a major Apple supplier and Asia's most
valuable listed company, said it would follow export control rules
TSMC complies with all applicable laws and regulations and
is fully committed to complying with the new export control rules
announced," it said in a statement.
"The company also has a rigorous export control system
in place, including a robust assessment and review process to ensure export
control restrictions are followed."
Russia is not a major market for Taiwan's goods. Taiwan's
trade with Ukraine and Russia each accounted for less than 1 percent of its
total, government data showed.
The island's natural gas contract with Russia is due to
expire in March and Taiwan will diversify its supplies, the economic ministry
said on Thursday.
Su vowed to defend Taiwan's sovereignty and safety and said
some "foreign forces" were working to link Taiwan's situation to that
in Ukraine, in what Taipei sees as a campaign of "cognitive warfare"
and misinformation.
Taiwan's government has said the island and Ukraine are
fundamentally different in terms of their geostrategic and geographical
environment and importance in international supply chains.
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