Asia Pac Wire &Cable (APWC) Risk Analysis

The Common Shares currently remain traded on Nasdaq. However, as APWC has a more than fifty percent (50%) shareholder, APWC relies upon a "controlled company exemption" to the requirement that a company have a board of directors comprised of a majority of independent directors in order to be listed on Nasdaq. At present, a majority of the board of directors of APWC is affiliated with PEWC. APWC also relies on Nasdaq's allowance for foreign private issuers to follow home country practices in lieu of the requirement that listed companies have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present ("executive sessions"). The independent directors of APWC meet periodically in executive session in their capacity as members of APWC's Audit Committee of APWC's Board of Directors without other directors present, but on occasion meet with APWC's independent auditors present in such executive session, and on occasion meet with members of management present in order to understand more fully management's analysis of the Company's financial performance and compliance with relevant corporate governance requirements. As APWC's majority shareholder, PEWC has sufficient votes to control the outcome of any matter presented for a shareholder vote, including the election of each member of APWC's Board of Directors. PEWC may vote its shares in APWC in the manner that it sees fit. In addition, subject to applicable securities laws, PEWC may sell, convey or encumber all or a portion of its ownership interest in APWC without regard to the best interests of APWC's other shareholders except to the extent that it is prohibited from engaging in conduct oppressive to non-controlling interests under applicable law. The interests of PEWC may conflict with our interests or the interests of our other shareholders. As a result, PEWC may take actions with respect to us or our business that may not be in our or our other shareholders' best interest. Financial or corporate governance issues at PEWC may affect PEWC's attention to and actions with respect to APWC, including with respect to its performance of its obligations under, or increase uncertainty regarding its ability to perform its obligations under, the Composite Services Agreement between PEWC and the Company. (See "Item 3.D. Risk Factors – PEWC may not perform its obligations under the Composite Services Agreement" and "Item 10.C. Material Contracts" for a description of the Composite Services Agreement.).

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit report included elsewhere in this annual report, as auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor's China affiliate is located in, and organized under the laws of, the PRC, which is a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities. In December 2020, the United States enacted the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the "HFCAA"). The HFCAA requires that the SEC identify issuers that retain an auditor that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction. Amongst other things, the HFCAA also requires the SEC to prohibit the securities of any issuer from being traded on any of the U.S. national securities exchanges, such as Nasdaq, or on the U.S. "over-the-counter" markets, if the auditor of the issuer's financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspections for three consecutive "non-inspection" years after the law became effective. On April 5, 2021, the SEC's interim final rule to implement the disclosure and submission requirements of the HFCAA was published in the U.S. Federal Register, along with the SEC's request for public comment on the interim final rule. Regarding how the term "retain" should be interpreted for purposes of determining whether an issuer has retained an auditor that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction, the SEC noted in the interim final rule that the HFCAA does not define the term "retain", and requested comment on how the term "retain" should be understood for purposes of the HFCAA. The auditor of our PRC-based subsidiaries is located in the PRC and that auditor is an affiliate of APWC's Taiwan-based auditor that signs APWC's audit report. Given the current question as to how "retain" should be understood for purposes of the HFCAA, we cannot assure you that we will not be identified by the SEC as an issuer that has retained an auditor that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction that the PCAOB determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction as a result of the fact that the auditor of our China affiliates is located in, and organized under the laws of, the PRC. In addition, there can be no assurance that, if we have a "non-inspection" year, we will be able to take remedial measures in response thereto. Given the foregoing, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the listing of the Common Shares on Nasdaq or that you will be allowed to trade the Common Shares in the United States on the "over-the-counter" markets or otherwise. Should the Common Shares not be listed or tradeable in the United States, the value of the Common Shares could be materially affected. This lack of PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our independent registered public accounting firm. As a result, we and investors in the Common Shares are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm's China affiliate's audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditor outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in the Common Shares to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

Active, liquid trading markets generally result in lower price volatility and more efficient execution of buy and sell orders for investors, compared to less active and less liquid markets. Thinly-traded securities equity can be more volatile than equity securities for which there is significant trading volume. In addition, APWC's share price may be volatile and could be subject to fluctuations in response to various factors, most of which are beyond our control. Liquidity of a securities market is often a function of the volume of the underlying shares that are publicly held by unrelated parties. Approximately 75.5% of APWC's issued and outstanding common shares are directly or beneficially owned by Pacific Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd. ("PEWC"), a Taiwanese company, which Common Shares are subject to restrictions on trading.  In addition, although the Common Shares currently remain traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market tier, the trading and demand for the Common Shares has been limited. As a consequence, shareholders may find that the value of their Common Shares and/or their ability to sell their Common Shares quickly or in substantial amounts may be materially adversely affected by the limited public trading market. In the future, the Common Shares may experience significant price fluctuations which could materially adversely affect the value of your ownership interest in APWC.

There may be future sales or other dilution of APWC's equity, which could materially adversely affect the market price of the Common Shares. APWC may, from time to time, issue equity securities, including Common Shares or securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Common Shares. The market price of the Common Shares could decline as a result of issuances of any such equity securities or any such securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Common Shares, or as a result of the perception that such issuances could occur.