UK approves increased submarine-related exports to Taiwan

By Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth Piper

LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) – Britain last year approved a sharp increase in exports of submarine parts and technology to Taiwan to modernize its naval forces, a move that could damage relations between Britain and China. -Britain and China.

The value of licenses issued by the British government to companies to export submarine-related components and technology to Taiwan hit a record £167 million ($201.29 million) in the first nine months of last year, according to UK government export licensing data. The number is higher than the previous six years combined, according to a Reuters analysis of the data.

The data is publicly available, but the most recent figures for Taiwan have not previously been released.

Beijing views Taiwan as part of China, known as the One China Policy, and strongly opposes the perception of foreign interference on the island, seeing it as supporting Taiwan’s desire to be recognized as his own country.

When presented with the figures by Reuters, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “If this is true, it is a serious violation of the one-China principle, an attack on sovereignty and China’s security interests and an undermining of peace and stability in Taiwan. Detroit”.

“China is very concerned about this and strongly opposes it,” the written statement said, urging Britain to “refrain from providing military support to the Taiwanese authorities.”

The UK does not recognize Taiwan and does not have formal diplomatic relations with the island, but it does maintain economic and trade ties and there is a de facto British Embassy in Taipei.

A British government spokesman said in a statement that Britain has a long history of “granting licenses for the export of controlled goods to Taiwan on a case-by-case basis where such applications comply with export rules. arms and products. “.

“We believe that the Taiwan issue should be resolved peacefully by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without threat or the use of force or coercion,” the statement added.

The increase in licenses granted reflects increased demand from Taiwan, two government officials said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

Two parliamentarians with knowledge of exports and two former officials said the approvals reflected Britain’s increased willingness to support Taiwan. One of the lawmakers, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said allowing export licenses was tantamount to giving a “green light” to better equip Taiwan.

The data comes from the Export Control Organization, which is responsible for export licensing and reporting to the UK Department for International Trade. They show that the government authorized 25 export licenses to Taiwan in the first nine months of 2022 in the categories “underwater components” and “underwater technology”.

The data does not reveal which companies have received the authorization, nor does it detail the specific equipment covered.

One type of licence, called ML9, covers “warships, special naval equipment, fittings, components and other surface vessels”, according to Britain’s list of strategic military items requiring export clearance. Another type of license, the ML22, includes the technology necessary for the development, production, operation, installation, maintenance, repair of goods or software.

The UK government on Monday announced an increase in defense spending, while delivering an update on its defence, security and foreign policy priorities, outlining how it intends to “address new threats” from China and of Russia.

(1 US dollar = 0.8297 pounds)

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei, Martin Quin Pollard in Beijing and Andy Bruce and Paul Sandle in London; Editing in Spanish by Benjamín Mejías Valencia)