MOFA sues Peruvian contractor over APEC billboard incident

Taipei, Nov. 20 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit against a Peruvian contractor that reportedly failed to prevent members of China's delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit from cutting power to a Taiwanese government billboard in Lima.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said at a legislative hearing that the contractor failed to protect the billboard from tampering by individuals who reportedly shut off its power for 40 minutes to prevent Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) from seeing it during the Nov. 15-16 summit.

"We are determined to fight this to the end," Tien said, noting that Taiwan's representative office in Peru has filed a formal protest with the Peruvian government.

On the billboard, the word "Taiwan" was displayed in large letters, accompanied by the message "Chip in with Taiwan for global prosperity."

According to the ministry, during the summit, Taiwan had placed one lightbox billboard and seven T-bar advertisements on the streets of Lima, with China making repeated attempts to disrupt their display, including cutting power lines and blocking the signs.