Newsletter
CWC TO BAN TRANSFERS OF SCHEDULE 3 CHEMICALS TO NON-PARTIES
From 29 April 2002 the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will consider whether to impose bans or other con-trols on transfers of chemicals listed in Schedule 3 of the United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to countries which are not parties to the convention. Schedule 3 chemicals have a wide range of uses as raw materials for products such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, pesticides, plasticizers, dyestuffs, solvents, sur-face coatings and detergents. Taiwan is not a CWC signatory, and at that time such controls can be expected to impact domestic industries such as specialty chemicals, printed circuit boards, silicon wafer processing, video display products, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cos-metics and plastics.
To reduce the impact of any bans on Taiwanese industry, the Industrial Development Bureau and the Chinese Specialty Chemical Association will assist companies in producing Schedule 3 chemicals themselves, or developing substitutes.