A new report reveals that Taiwan has become the world’s largest importer of Russian naphtha, even as it supports Ukraine and participates in international sanctions against Russia.
The report, published by the Finnish think tank the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in collaboration with a group of NGOs, states that Taiwan imported $1.3 billion worth of Russian naphtha in the first half of 2025. This quantity represents a nearly sixfold increase compared to the monthly average before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since February 2022, Taiwan has imported 6.8 million tons of Russian naphtha, valued at approximately $4.9 billion.
Naphtha is a vital raw material for the petrochemical industry, used to create key chemicals necessary for producing semiconductors and electronic components, industries which are the bedrock of Taiwan’s economy. The report points to the private company Formosa Petrochemical Corp. (FPCC) as the primary reason for the surge in imports, noting its reliance on Russian naphtha jumped from 9% in 2022 to 90% in the first half of 2025, making Taiwan the largest global buyer.