Chunghwa to reapply for permit

Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) said it's seeking renewed government authorization to sell shares overseas, after it scrapped a sale last year and its permit expired. "We will reapply," said Shen Fufu, a company spokeswoman. "We have to keep the application valid." The government may sell a 13.8 percent stake in the company overseas during the current quarter, Chairman Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said earlier this year. The government, which owns 95 percent of the company, has planned to sell two-thirds of Chunghwa Telecom since September 2000. The government failed in attempts earlier this year to sell a 5.7 percent stake in the company domestically. The application to sell the stake overseas expired on Aug. 13, Shen said.