Asia Pac Wire &Cable (APWC) Risk Factors

We are subject to certain environmental protection laws and regulations governing our operations and the use, handling, disposal and remediation of hazardous substances used by us. We could incur environmental liability from our manufacturing activities in the event of a release or discharge by us of a hazardous substance. Under certain environmental laws, we could be held responsible for the remediation of any hazardous substance contamination at our facilities and at third party waste disposal sites and could also be held liable for any consequences arising out of human exposure to such substances or other environmental damage. There can be no assurance that the costs of complying with environmental, health and safety laws and requirements arising from our current operations, or the liabilities arising from past releases of, or exposure to, hazardous substances, will not result in future liabilities incurred, or expenditures payable, by us that would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our global operations are subject to many risks including errors and omissions, infrastructure disruptions such as large-scale outages or interruptions of service from utilities or telecommunications providers, supply chain interruptions, third-party liabilities and fires or natural disasters. The Company maintains insurance policies covering certain buildings, machinery and equipment against specified amounts of damage or loss caused by fire, flooding, other natural disasters and burglary and theft. The Company does not carry insurance for consequential loss arising from business interruptions or political disturbances and does not carry product liability insurance. In addition, the Company does not have business liability or disruption insurance for its operations in China and the Company does not have coverage for flood damage or business interruption for its operations in Thailand. Consequently, the amount of our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover all potential claims or liabilities, and we may be forced to bear substantial costs resulting from the lack of adequate insurance. No assurance can be given that we will not incur losses beyond the limits or outside the scope of coverage of our insurance policies. Accordingly, we may be subject to an uninsured or under-insured loss in such situations. Any failure to maintain adequate insurance coverage on terms favorable to us, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Political or social instability in China could also materially adversely affect our business operations or financial condition. Lack of political or social certainty exposes our operations to increased risk of adverse or unpredictable actions by PRC government officials. For example, APWC's principal office is located in Taipei, Taiwan, and any escalation in political tensions between the PRC and the government of Taiwan could materially adversely impact our ability to manage our operations in the PRC efficiently or without third party interference. The PRC government has long advocated a one-China policy with regard to the Republic of China. Any overtly aggressive actions by the PRC towards Taiwan could have a materially destabilizing impact on Taiwan generally, and on our business in particular, and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to risks specific to our international business operations, including: the risk of supply disruption; production disruption or other disruption arising from events of force majeure, such as severe weather and climatic events; the outbreak of highly infectious or communicable diseases such as COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, swine influenza or pandemics of a similar nature; the risk of potential conflict and further instability in the relationship between Taiwan and the PRC; risks related to national and international political instability, such as disruptions to business activities and investment arising out of political unrest and turmoil in Thailand; risks related to global economic turbulence and adverse economic developments in Asian markets; risks associated with possible interest rate increases, which could result in increases in the cost of borrowing and reduced liquidity for us and our customers; risks related to changes in governmental or private sector policies and priorities with respect to infrastructure investment and development; unpredictable consequences on the economic conditions in the U.S. and the rest of the world arising from terrorist attacks, and other military or security operations; unexpected changes in regulatory requirements or legal uncertainties regarding tax regimes; tariffs and other trade barriers, including current and future import and export restrictions; difficulties in staffing and managing international operations in countries such as Australia, Singapore, the PRC, Thailand and Taiwan; risks that changes in foreign currency exchange rates will make our products comparatively more expensive; limited ability to enforce agreements and other rights in foreign countries; changes in labor conditions; longer payment cycles and greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable; burdens and costs of compliance with a variety of foreign laws; limitation on imports or exports and the possible expropriation of private enterprises; and reversal of the current policies (including favorable tax and lending policies) encouraging foreign investment or foreign trade by our host countries.

The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19"), which has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a "public health emergency of international concern," has spread across the globe and is impacting worldwide economic activity and financial markets. We are facing significant adverse risks related to the spread of COVID-19, and the recent developments surrounding the global pandemic have had, and are expected to continue to have, significant adverse effects on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. As a result, COVID-19 could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Our manufacturing and production have been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. COVID-19 has affected and disrupted our operations and the operations of our suppliers, customers, and other business partners, including as a result of travel restrictions, business shutdowns, and other COVID-19 containment measures. A slowdown in economic activity as a result of COVID-19 has also resulted in, and could continue to result in, a reduction in demand for our products. Due to the measures instituted in China in response to COVID-19, our China production facilities had been operating below normal production levels in the first half of 2020. Although our production in China has recovered, there can be no assurance that it will not decrease again as a result of COVID-19. The Singapore government implemented a partial lockdown, also known as a circuit breaker, from April 7, 2020 to June 1, 2020. During this circuit breaker period, we were permitted to continue to operate with reduced on site staff, and approximately half of the employees of our Singapore operation worked from home while the remaining employees continued to work on-site. Although the Singapore government eased some of the circuit breaker measures after June 1, 2020, we cannot predict whether the Singapore government will again institute measures requiring businesses to close or reduce on-site staff, or if it will institute other measures in response to COVID-19 that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. COVID-19 has had, and is expected to continue to have, a negative impact on our business in Singapore. In addition, COVID-19 has delayed the fulfillment of contracts with our customers, causing negative impacts on our cash flow and liquidity. If we are not able to expand or extend lines of credit from banks, we may negotiate business terms with our suppliers to meet our liquidity needs in Singapore, which could cause an increase in financing costs. The impact of COVID-19 is constantly changing. Our operations in Thailand and Australia could be materially and adversely affected if an outbreak recurs in these regions. Although we are monitoring the situation, the extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are uncertain and unpredictable in nature. We are facing increased operational challenges as we take measures to support and protect employee health and safety as a result of COVID-19. For example, in order to protect the employees from COVID-19, the Company has taken measures to protect its employees, including temperature checks before entering the workplace, mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing, and work from home. We have also implemented staggered work hours to lower the risk that our employees might get infected on public transportations if they commute during peak hours. In particular, our remote work arrangements, coupled with stay-at-home orders and quarantines, pose challenges to our employees and our IT systems, and the extension of remote work arrangements could increase operational risk, including cyber security and IT systems management risks, and impair our ability to manage our business. The increased operational challenges could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, and results of operations. COVID-19 has also adversely impacted the recoverability of certain of our assets and resulted in the recognition of impairment charges for the year ended December 31, 2020. COVID-19 is expected to continue to impact the recoverability of the Company's assets and lead to further impairment charges in the future. In addition, COVID-19 is also expected to result in a decline in the price of copper, which has the effect of reducing the value of our inventory. If COVID-19 continues to adversely affect our business operations and financial results, the probability of the occurrence of other risks described in this Annual Report could also increase. Further, COVID-19 may materially and adversely affect our business, operations and financial results in manners that are not presently known to us or that we currently do not anticipate.

Government policies on international trade and investment such as import quotas, tariffs, and capital controls, whether adopted by individual governments or addressed by regional trade blocs, can affect the demand for our products and services and those of our customers and impact the competitive position of our products or services or those of our customers. For example, the business of our customers in China may be adversely impacted by the continuing trade friction between the United States and China. We cannot predict future trade policy or the terms of any renegotiated trade agreements and their impact on our business. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products, our costs, our customers, and our suppliers, which in turn could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to properly execute customer projects in markets where a small number of customers are responsible for a large portion our sales could materially adversely impact our ability to obtain similar contracts from other customers in that market and may result in material financial penalties. In certain of our markets, sales of manufactured products are highly concentrated in large state-controlled entities or large private infrastructure developers. As those markets are often highly concentrated, the loss of individual customers in such markets could have a material adverse impact on our position in that market as a whole and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

APWC's subsidiaries each have their respective information systems to support the operation of such subsidiary. While APWC's operating subsidiaries vary in the degree of reliance that they place on their information systems, any failure or interruption of these systems could materially adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Among other things, financial data may be corrupted and financial information may not be accurately reported or presented in a timely manner, which could impair the Company's ability to timely file periodic or annual reports with the SEC or timely disseminate material information to shareholders. Cyber security presents risks and threats to us because intense competition in the wire and cable sector renders the Company vulnerable to theft and copying of design specifications. While the Company relies upon its majority shareholder, PEWC, for much of its research and development, its products are designed precisely to meet customer specifications for the applications for which they are intended. Cyber security risks create the potential for a material adverse impact on the Company's business, financial condition and result of operations due to, but not limited to, losing intellectual property, implementing reactive measures, managing litigation or investigations, addressing reputational harm, or losing a competitive advantage. To date, none of the cyber incidents identified have had a material adverse effect on our business. However, we do not have visibility into all unauthorized incursions and our systems may be experiencing ongoing incursions of which we are not aware. Mitigating these risks requires ongoing management oversight to ensure that sufficient controls and procedures are in place for appropriate persons to receive pertinent cyber security risk information to take appropriate action. We cannot offer any assurance that those controls and procedures will be sufficient to protect against cyber security risks and that our business, financial condition and results of operations will not be materially and adversely affected as a result of any such failure. Increased reliance on information systems requires the implementation of information technology ("IT") security measures to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access and ensure the confidentiality, availability and integrity of Company data. The Company employs safeguards, both technological and contractual, in order to protect its proprietary interests and those of its customers and third-party licensors, including, without limitation, certain insurance against theft and risk of loss. However, we cannot guarantee that such safeguards will protect the Company from all types of IT and cyber security threats. If the Company's IT and cyber security measures are compromised or otherwise fail to protect systems, networks and data, or if an event of force majeure occurs and the Company's disaster recovery plan does not operating effectively, the Company's business may be disrupted and stand to lose assets, reputation and business, and potentially face regulatory fines and litigation as well as the cost of remediation, which could materially adversely impact the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our telecommunications cable business is subject to competition from other transmission technologies, principally wireless-based technologies. Wireless telecommunications businesses have sometimes made substantial inroads in early emerging markets where sufficient funding may not then be available to install the infrastructure necessary for market-wide fixed line telecommunications. In addition, the ease of use of wireless telecommunications may make that medium an attractive alternative in circumstances where access to fixed line telecommunications is limited. These technologies present significant competition in the markets in which we conduct or plan to conduct business and no assurance can be given that the future development and use of such alternative technologies will not materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.