HTC Corp (宏達電) is offering free smartphones to the Taiwanese delegates at the APEC leaders’ summit in Indonesia, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday.
The move is a way of showing support for Taiwan’s participation in the high-profile event while at the same time promoting the company’s products before world leaders, the source said.
HTC has provided about 100 smartphones — including its new 5-inch Butterfly S and flagship One models — to the delegation at the summit taking place in Bali, according to the source.
Former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) is heading the 90-strong delegation that includes HTC chairwoman Cher Wang (王雪紅), who is participating as a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council.
Siew, who is representing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) on the sidelines of the APEC summit over the past few days.
HTC has been seeking to revive its falling sales and reported its first quarterly loss as a public company in the third quarter.
According to a report last week, HTC reported NT$47 billion (US$1.59 billion) in sales for the third quarter, down 29.3 percent from the previous quarter and a net quarterly loss of NT$2.97 billion, or NT$3.58 per share.
HTC shares fell by the maximum daily limit of 7 percent to close at NT$126 yesterday on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
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