Taiwan Now Biggest Importer Of This Crude Oil Product From Russia, India Is Second

Taiwan, the United States' most effective bulwark in Asia against Chinese diplomatic and military pressure, has become the world's biggest importer of Russian naphtha, a petroleum derivative used in the semiconductor industry. Taiwan calls itself a Ukraine ally and was one of the nations that joined Western sanctions against Russia after the war began in 2023.

Taipei imported $1.3 billion worth of Russian naphtha in the first half of 2025, according to a report by The Guardian. Per the report, Taiwan's monthly imports of Russian crude oil product reached a level nearly six times higher than the 2022 average. Imports have risen 44 per cent compared to the first half of 2024, the report said. 

The findings are part of a report published by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a Finnish think tank, in collaboration with a consortium of European, Russian and Taiwanese NGOs. It comes at a time when the Donald Trump administration in the US has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on India as a punishment for its import of cheap Russian crude oil. 

India Tariffs

India is another leading destination for Russian seaborne naphtha exports. In the first half of 2025, New Delhi imported over 1.4 million tonnes of Russian crude oil products. But Indian exports have been penalised by the US.

What Is Naphtha?

Naphtha is a primary feedstock in the petrochemical industry for producing olefins and aromatics, which are then used to manufacture a wide array of products, including plastics, synthetic resins, synthetic fibres, and various other chemicals. It is also used to make chemicals for the semiconductor industry.

Taiwan's Ukraine Alignment

Since the start of the war, Taipei has been reiterating its support for Ukraine. It has joined international sanctions against Moscow. On Sunday, Taiwan's foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, signed a pact in Poland on supporting Ukrainian children affected by the Russian invasion.

The island nation has imposed export controls to prevent its hi-tech equipment from being used by Russia's military. But it continues to buy billions of dollars' worth of cheap crude product. 

US President Trump has urged countries to stop the purchase of Russian oil, which he claims is fuelling the Russian war machine.

US-Taiwan Ties

During the height of the Cold War, Taiwan hosted US military bases, and the two had a mutual defence treaty. In 1979, the United States severed official relations with the government in Taipei and instead recognised the government in Beijing. The defence treaty was terminated too.

Post-1979, the US relationship with Taiwan has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide the Chinese-claimed island with the means to defend itself but does not mandate that the US come to Taiwan's aid if attacked.

While the United States has long followed a policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether and under what circumstances it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, in 2022, then US President Joe Biden had said he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan.

The US does maintain some military personnel in Taiwan for training purposes, and Taiwan sends its F-16 pilots to be trained at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

Senior Taiwan defence officials also visit the United States, and intelligence sharing takes place too. The US retains a large de facto embassy in Taipei called the American Institute in Taiwan, staffed by diplomats. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office is the name of Taiwan's de facto embassy in the United States.