Taiwan, despite its pro-Ukrainian position, has become the most important supplier of metalworking machines to Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. This was found out by The Insider together with the Taiwanese edition of The Reporter, reports UNN.
Details
Germany, Japan, and Switzerland have left the market, and Chinese machines are not of sufficient quality, so Taiwanese machining centers, lathes, and EDMs meet the needs of the Russian military-industrial complex.
The article states that the machines are indispensable in the production of bombs, high-precision weapons and other military products.
The sanctions imposed by Taiwan do not help, as the machines are shipped to Russia via Turkey and other countries, and some types of machines are not subject to restrictions at all.
According to Russian customs data, in March-September 2023, Russia imported at least 193 Taiwanese-made machining centers worth nearly $29 million.
Most of the machines for the necessary military technologies are produced in the EU, Switzerland, Japan, and the United States. However, there are good analogues in Taiwan. They produce high-precision EDM cutting machines, round and profile grinding machines, thread grinding and gear grinding machines, longitudinal turning machines, and vertical turning machining centers.
If we look only at the data on transit through Turkey, the situation will seem even more alarming: as of September 2023, almost half of the machine tools imported by Russia from Turkey were manufactured in Taiwan
Taiwanese machines are often superior to Chinese ones in terms of precision, which is extremely important for weapons production, and if spare parts stop coming to Russia, the machines will quickly stop working.
Тайвань посилив санкції проти росії та білорусі 26.12.23, 14:41