Taiwan has become the world's largest importer of Russian naphtha. Petroleum products from it are sold to the West - investigation

In the first half of 2025, Taiwan became the world leader in purchases of Russian naphtha, a petroleum distillation product used to produce gasoline and solvents. Products from the processing of Russian naphtha are then sold, including to Western European countries that support sanctions against the Russian mining industry. This became known from an investigation prepared jointly by several environmental organizations: Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Environmental Rights Foundation, Ecodefense and Urgewald.

While state-owned companies Taipower and Chinese Petroleum Corporation and private Taiwan Cement Corporation were able to stop purchasing Russian energy by 2024, private company Formosa Petrochemical Corporation, on the contrary, has increased its supplies from Russia and is now purchasing more 90% of all Russian naphtha coming to Taiwan. This also makes it the largest known buyer of Russian naphtha in the world.

96% of all Thai imports of Russian naphtha enter the country through the port of Mailiao. There are three Formosa Petrochemical refineries there, using Russian naphtha as a feedstock. Their products - orthoxylene, paraxylene, aniline and other chemicals - are supplied, among other things, to countries where there are sanctions on Russian oil products. Analysts counted at least 20 ships delivering Russian naphtha derivatives worth more than $150 million from Mailiao to Europe during the sanctions period. Formosa Petrochemical also trades with Australian, American and British counterparties.