MOFA Sues Peruvian Contractor Over APEC Billboard Incident.

Lima: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Wednesday that it has initiated legal proceedings against a Peruvian contractor. The lawsuit stems from an incident during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where the contractor allegedly failed to prevent interference with a Taiwanese government billboard by members of the Chinese delegation. According to Focus Taiwan, Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang reported at a legislative hearing that the contractor did not safeguard the billboard against tampering. It was claimed that individuals from the Chinese delegation cut off its power for 40 minutes to obscure it from Chinese President Xi Jinping's view during the summit held on November 15-16. Taiwan's government has expressed its firm resolve in addressing the issue. Deputy Minister Tien emphasized their commitment, stating, "We are determined to fight this to the end." Furthermore, Taiwan's representative office in Peru has issued a formal protest to the Peruvian government regarding the incident. The billboard prominently featured the word "Taiwan" alongside the message "Chip in with Taiwan for global prosperity." During the summit, Taiwan had installed a lightbox billboard and seven T-bar advertisements across Lima. The ministry reported that China made repeated attempts to disrupt these displays, including cutting power lines and obstructing the signs.