Asustek Computer Inc would “consider an evacuation” from the Russian market, in the wake of an appeal by Ukraine for the company to stop doing business with Russia, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said yesterday.
Wang said that while she was not in a position to comment on the actions of individual companies, it was her understanding that Asustek was thinking about withdrawing its staff and operations from Russia, at Ukraine’s request.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Wang said she believes that the Taiwanese PC brand would take into account its business reputation and “consider an evacuation” from the Russian market.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
She did not elaborate further.
Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov on Thursday made a public appeal for the company to stop doing business with Russia until “the Russian aggression in Ukraine is fully stopped and fair order is restored.”
In a letter posted on Twitter, Fedorov called on Asustek chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) to suspend relations with Russia-based clients and partners, and to stop supplying them with hardware, electronics and technical support.
Photo: AFP
“@ASUS, Russians have no moral right to use your brilliant technology! It’s for peace, not for war!” Fedorov added in a separate tweet.
Asustek yesterday said in an e-mailed statement that it routinely abides by all international regulations, and the situation in Ukraine, together with complex supply chain, logistics, banking and other challenges, “has created an effective standstill of shipments to the Russian market.”
In light of the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the company said it would donate NT$30 million (US$1.05 million) to the Disaster Relief Foundation account set up for Ukraine and would pay close attention to any new developments.
The company faced calls on its social media channels for a boycott after Fedorov’s letter was posted.
The criticism is embarrassing for Taiwan, which has joined in Western-led sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. Many Taiwanese see parallels with the military threat Taiwan faces from China.
Russia is not a significant market for any major Taiwanese firm.
Asustek does not provide revenue breakdowns by country.
For the third quarter of last year, Europe accounted for only one-third of its revenue, the company reported.
According to market estimates, Russia accounted for less than 5 percent of Asustek’s notebook computer shipments last year, although the product has a strong presence in the Russian market.
The company does have a fully owned Russian sales unit, although it has similar units in a number of countries, and its latest quarterly report said that it has a product support unit in Ukraine.
Asustek shares lost 0.54 percent to close at NT$369.5 in Taipei trading yesterday.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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