Responsible Business Conduct

To ensure that all employees conduct business activities with the highest ethical standards, we have stipulated Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles, Code of Ethics, and Procedures for Ethical Management and Guidelines for Conduct to detail the required ethics and responsibilities for employees in business practices and extensively promote and strengthen the corporate culture of ethics and integrity.

The purpose of stipulating various business codes of conduct/regulations is to prevent occurrence of misconduct. The scope of policy encompasses supplier partners, with which CHT conducts business. All such suppliers are required to abide by ethical standards equivalent to that of the CHT employees. and encourage stakeholders to act in line with integrity and ethics, not for personal gains, and abide by the laws and regulations.



Category Description
Employees Promotion and Trainings on the Code of Ethics and Ethical Management
  • Training Content:Explanations and case studies on the code of conduct, integrity guidelines, and protection of trade secrets to prevent unethical behavior and promote the reporting mechanism.
  • Training Audience:The scope includes all employees, including part-time employees and fixed-term contract employees. The training completion rate in 2024 exceeded 99%.
  • Employees have signed and abide by the letter of undertaking for the regulations of Code of Ethics and Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles, with the signing rate over 99% in 2024.
  • We incorporate compliance with the code of conduct as a performance criterion in the performance evaluation process and link it to compensation. Violations of the Code of Ethics and Ethical Management may result in disciplinary actions, including the possibility of termination of employment contracts.

Code of Conduct (CoC) Audit
External Audit
  • Regular independent third-party audits by SGS-Taiwan under commission regarding implementation of the Code of Ethics each year (with the headquarter and a 100% coverage of our branch offices)
  • In 2024, the headquarters and Enterprise Business Group obtained ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System certification.
Internal Audit
  • Regular review is performed in accordance with the annual audit plan for the compliance and implementation of ethical management practices.
  • The Fiscal Year 2024 internal audit plan was based on the results of the risk assessment. A total of 172 internal control cycles of 37 institutions (headquarters, branches, and subsidiaries) were audited. The content covered 447 sub-operations of the 11 major cycles of the Company's internal control system, and all cycles of the internal control system of the subsidiaries that were audited. A comprehensive review of the Group's business operations and compliance with the laws and regulations was conducted, and recommendations were proposed.
Suppliers
  • Suppliers required to comply with Chunghwa Telecom Sustainability/ESG Guidelines and Supplier Code of Conduct
  • Evaluate the implementation of anti-corruption policies of new suppliers through our ESG Self-Assessment Questionnaire
  • Regular audits by third-party verification unit to contractors and suppliers in terms of compliance with relevant laws and regulations to capture their implementation statuses

To achieve sound ethical corporate management, the chairman of the Company serving as the highest responsible person for Ethical Corporate Management and Anti-Corruption. "The Organization and Talent Development Department" (hereinafter referred as HR Department) shall allocate resources and personnel to formulate ethical corporate management policies and guidelines for conduct, supervise all departments to implement these policies and guidelines. Besides, the top manager who supervises HR Department, Senior Executive Vice President shall provide the regular reports to the board of directors regularly (at least once a year) on the implementation results, including training results on business ethics and anti-corruption issues, tracking of relevant risk indicators and the implementation results of the "Anti-Fraud Business Execution Plan", etc.

Chunghwa Telecom is committed to practicing sustainable business principles. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the headquarters and Enterprise Business Group successfully passed the ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System verification. The board of directors, as the highest governance body, is responsible for overseeing the operation and effectiveness of the management system.

  • There were 60complaints received in 2024, which were all handled and closed in line with pertaining regulations.
  • There was no corruption, bribery, discrimination, customer privacy or personal information, conflict of interest, money laundering, insider trading, and other violations specified in the Code of Ethics in 2024,there is no fine amount derived from such cases.
Categories of Violations in 2024
Violation Category Violation Category Count
Corruption or Bribery 0
Discrimination or Harassment 2*
Customer Privacy Data 0
Conflict of Interest 0
Money Laundering of Insider Trading 0

*Note: In 2024, there were two harassment cases, both of which were investigated, deliberated, and handled in accordance with the operating regulations and handling principles. Also, gender equality education was strengthened for all employees, and their awareness of conforming to the Code of Conduct was enhanced.



CoC Violation & the Prevention and Corrective Actions


Regarding incidents of Code of Conduct (CoC) violation, we enhance the promotion and communication of the CoC principles in line with the categories of violation incidents via appropriate training occasions and interviews. Meanwhile, reoccurrence of relevant incidents is prevented through interviews, correction of operating procedures, and improvement of internal review/audit mechanisms.

 

System & Procedures

Chunghwa Telecom has established a quality corporate governance system. With reference to "Corporate Governance Best-Practice Principles for TWSE/TPEx Listed Companies" stipulated by Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) and Taipei Exchange (TPEx), it formulated "Code of Corporate Governance of Chunghwa Telecom Ltd. Co.," for guidance and compliance.

To become the most valuable and most trust-worthy ICT company, professionals from different areas are invited as the Independent Directors. On one hand, they further improve the corporate governance with their expertise; on the other, they play the role of supervising the Company on behalf of the broader investors in terms of risk management and decent business operation.

Whistleblowing Mechanism

Dedicated department responsible for the whistleblowing mechanism


Employees:
Suppliers:
Customers:
Investors:

Whistleblowers allowed to submit reports anonymously

Pursuant to the "Guidelines for Handling Violations of the Code of Conduct" at the Company, both internal and external whistleblowers can choose to file reports either by name or anonymously. Chunghwa Telecom is committed to strictly protecting the identity of and the report content from the whistleblower. The access to such information is restricted solely to the dedicated personnel involved in handling the case, while any unauthorized disclosure or inquiry thereof is prohibited, ensuring a proper handling of the case.

Details of reports received kept confidential and "Zero tolerance" policy for retaliation

The "Zero tolerance Policy" has been explicitly stipulated at Chunghwa Telecom. The "Guidelines for Handling Violations of the Code of Conduct" clearly outlines the whistleblower protection mechanism. A strict confidentiality of both the identity of the whistleblower and the content of their report is warranted at the Company with the commitment to ensuring that whistleblowers do not face any improper treatment or retaliation as a result of their reporting. Any form of retaliation, threats, discrimination, or adverse actions against whistleblowers is strictly prohibited.

Provision of training on the use of reporting channel

All employees at the Company, including part-time and fixed-term contract personnel, are required to complete training courses related to the Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles of Chunghwa Telecom and the Code of Conduct. The training encompasses: whistleblowing mechanisms, the right to anonymous reporting, confidentiality obligations, Zero tolerance Policy, and the reporting procedures, which are also integrated with the Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles, Code of Conduct, as well as pertaining internal control systems and regulations.

The courses are delivered via an e-learning platform, incorporating practical case studies and post-course assessments to strengthen employees' knowledge of their reporting rights and responsibilities, ensuring all employees fully comprehend and can effectively utilize the whistleblowing channels, so as to collectively uphold the culture of integrity, transparency, and legal compliance at the Company.

Disclosure on the process for investigating the reported breaches

A formal investigation process will be initiated at the Company for any reported violations of the Code of Conduct based on the nature and content of the case. A dedicated unit shall undertake fact check and reporting in a thorough and timely manner. The investigation process explicitly outlines each handling stage and the respective responsible units. Also, standardized procedures have been established to facilitate the execution and internal control audits.

 

Internal Audit

The purpose of internal audit is to assist the Board of Directors and managers to check and review the internal control system and evaluate the operation efficiency. The CHT internal audit team answers to the Board of Directors, which conducts internal audits in line with the regulations and system. At the end of each year, based on the results of risk assessment, the audit plan of the coming year is formulated. Upon approval by the Board of Directors after submission thereof, the audit plan is submitted via online information system for the competent authority's reference.

2024 Information of Interest Conflicts
Item Description
Cross-board memberships
  • Non-competition Restrictions against the Independent Directors, Su-ming Lin and Chau-Young Lin were lifted on Session 9 of the meeting of the 10th Board of Directors on January 26, 2024.
  • Non-competition Restrictions against the Independent Directors, Shui-Yi Kuo and Yu-Fen Lin were lifted on Session 12 of the meeting of the 10th Board of Directors on August 9, 2024.
  • Non-competition Restrictions against the Independent Directors, Yu-Fen Lin and Lee-Feng Chien were lifted on Session 13 of the meeting of the 10th Board of Directors on November 8, 2024. 
Cross-shareholding with suppliers and other stakeholders
  • Cross-shareholding with suppliers and other stakeholders the "Procedures for Acquisition or Disposal of Assets of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd." has been stipulated in line with the government regulations; related parties are identified in accordance with the Regulations Governing the Preparation of Financial Reports by Securities Issuers, and the list of such is disclosed online.
  • Pursuant to the procedures, the Company may not enter into a transaction contract or make a payment until materials pertaining to a transaction of an amount of NT$300 million or more with related party are submitted and approved by the Audit Committee, followed by adoption by the Board of Directors and report on the website designated by the FSC.
Existence of controlling shareholders The controlling shareholder of Chunghwa Telecom is the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, with whom there is no conflict of interest that leads to damage to investors' rights.
Related parties, their relationships, transactions, and outstanding balances The disclosure requirement is met by the notes on the related parties in the financial statements in the Annual Report for the Shareholders' Meeting.

Documents

Report
 
  • Chunghwa Telecom Code of Corporate Governance
    View 
  • Code of Ethics
    View 
  • Statement of COC conformity
    View 
  • Chunghwa Telecom Procedures for Ethical Management and Guidelines for Conduct
    View 
  • Ethical Corporate Management Best Practice Principles
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  • Guidelines for Handling Violations of the Code of Conduct of Chunghwa Telecom
    View 
  • Workflow Diagram for Handling Cases of Violations of the Code of Conduct by Chunghwa Telecom
    View 

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