Taiwan says it will cooperate with further restrictions on Russian energy imports

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's government said on Thursday that it will cooperate should "international allies" impose further restrictions on Russian energy imports, after a group of non-governmental organisations criticised the island's continued business with the country.

While Taiwan joined the United States and major Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of energy, a major hard currency earner for Russia.

Responding to criticism on Wednesday from a group of NGOs including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air about Taiwan's continued imports of Russian naphtha, Taiwan's foreign ministry said the government will continue to closely coordinate with the United States, the European Union and other democracies.

"Should international allies impose further restrictions on Russian energy products or other items, Taiwan will actively cooperate, demonstrating its unwavering resolve to oppose aggression and defend the international order," it said.

Taiwan's economy ministry, which is in charge of energy policy, said in a separate statement that it "urges domestic enterprises to procure petroleum products that comply with EU regulations".

It noted that state-owned firms had stopped importing Russian oil in 2023 but that there is no restriction on private companies to continue doing so.

"As international sanctions continue to evolve, the ministry will further examine relevant control measures and communicate with domestic manufacturers," it added.

Taiwan has imported 102,000 barrels per day of refined products in the first nine months this year, up from 76,000 bpd in 2024, data from shiptracker Kpler showed. Naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, makes up the bulk of imports from Russia, the data showed.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Florence Tan in Singapore; Editing by Hugh Lawson)