Move will have little impact on Taiwan's defense contractors, which mainly rely on friendly countries for components.

China's commerce ministry on Wednesday said it has added eight Taiwanese firms to an export controls list, citing concerns over shipments of dual-use technologies from the democratically governed island that Beijing views as its own territory.

China has imposed export restrictions on eight Taiwanese companies, a move seen as symbolic with little commercial impact. The bans target dual-use items, affecting industries primarily independent of Chinese supply chains.

Momentum is building in Taiwan to lessen its business dependency on China, its biggest trading partner. Doing so will not be easy.