DEF 14A
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by the Registrant
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Filed by a party other than the Registrant
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Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, For Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
THE TAIWAN FUND, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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No fee required. |
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
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Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: |
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Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: |
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Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the
filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): |
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
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Total fee paid: |
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange
Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the
offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing
by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the
date of its filing. |
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Amount Previously Paid: |
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
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THE
TAIWAN FUND, INC.
c/o State
Street Bank and Trust Company, P.O. Box 5049,
2 Avenue de Lafayette,
6th
Floor, Boston, Massachusetts
02206-5049
For questions about the Proxy Statement, please call
(800) 636-9242
December 7,
2007
Dear Stockholder:
Enclosed you will find a Notice and Proxy Statement for the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. to be
held on Monday, January 21, 2008.
The only matter on which you, as a stockholder of the Fund, are
being asked to vote is the election of the Funds
directors. The Board of Directors recommends that you vote in
favor of the re-election of the Funds existing directors
listed on the proxy card.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT, REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF SHARES YOU
OWN. PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO REVIEW THIS MATERIAL, CAST
YOUR VOTE ON THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD AND RETURN IT IN THE
ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE. YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE IS NEEDED
TO AVOID
FOLLOW-UP
MAILINGS WHICH WOULD INCREASE COSTS PAID BY ALL STOCKHOLDERS.
Thank you very much for your assistance.
Sincerely,
President
THE
TAIWAN FUND, INC.
Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders
January 21,
2008
To the Stockholders of THE TAIWAN FUND, INC.:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders
of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. (the Fund) will be held at
the offices of HSBC Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Main
Building, Level 22, 1 Queens Road, Central, Hong
Kong, on Monday, January 21, 2008 at 1:00 p.m., local
time, for the following purposes:
(1) To elect eight directors to serve for the ensuing year.
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(2)
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To transact such other business as may properly come before the
meeting or any adjournments thereof.
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The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on
November 12, 2007 as the record date for the determination
of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting
or any adjournments thereof.
You are cordially invited to attend the meeting. Stockholders
who do not expect to attend the meeting in person are requested
to complete, date and sign the enclosed form of proxy and return
it promptly in the envelope provided for that purpose. The
enclosed proxy is being solicited by the Board of Directors of
the Fund.
By order of the Board of Directors
Secretary
December 7, 2007
PROXY
STATEMENT
THE
TAIWAN FUND, INC.
INTRODUCTION
This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the
solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of THE TAIWAN
FUND, INC. (the Fund) for use at the Annual Meeting
of Stockholders, to be held at the offices of HSBC Investments
(Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Main Building, Level 22, 1
Queens Road, Central, Hong Kong, on Monday,
January 21, 2008 at 1:00 p.m., local time, and at any
adjournments thereof. The Funds investment adviser is HSBC
Investments (Taiwan) Limited (the Adviser),
99 Tun Hwa South Road, Section 2, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
The approximate date on which this Proxy Statement and the form
of proxy will be mailed to stockholders is December 7,
2007. Any stockholder giving a proxy has the power to revoke it
by mail (addressed to the Secretary of the Fund
c/o the
Funds administrator, State Street Bank and
Trust Company, at the Funds address at
P.O. Box 5049, 2 Avenue de Lafayette,
6th Floor,
Boston, Massachusetts
02206-5049)
or in person at the meeting, by executing a superseding proxy or
by submitting a notice of revocation to the Fund. All properly
executed proxies received in time for the meeting will be voted
as specified in the proxy or, if no specification is made, for
the election of directors described in this Proxy Statement.
Abstentions are included in the determination of the number of
shares present at the meeting for purposes of determining the
presence of a quorum.
The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on
November 12, 2007 as the record date for the determination
of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting
and at any adjournment thereof. Stockholders on the record date
will be entitled to one vote for each share held, with no shares
having cumulative voting rights. As of the record date, the Fund
had outstanding 16,365,572 shares of common stock.
Management of the Fund knows of no business other than that
mentioned in Proposal (1) of the Notice of Meeting which
will be presented for consideration at the meeting. If any other
matter is properly presented, it is the intention of the persons
named in the enclosed proxy to vote in accordance with their
best judgment.
The Fund will furnish, without charge, a copy of its annual
report for its fiscal year ended August 31, 2007 to any
stockholder requesting such report. Requests for the annual
report should be made in writing to The Taiwan Fund, Inc.,
c/o State
Street Bank and Trust Company, P.O. Box 5049, 2
Avenue de Lafayette,
6th Floor,
Boston, Massachusetts
02206-5049,
Attention: William C. Cox, or by calling
(800) 636-9242.
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Persons named in the accompanying form of proxy intend in the
absence of contrary instruction to vote all proxies for the
election of the eight nominees listed below as directors of the
Fund to serve for the next year, or until their successors are
elected and qualified. Each of the nominees for director has
consented to be named in this Proxy Statement and to serve as a
director of the Fund if elected. The Board of Directors of the
Fund has no reason to believe that any of the nominees named
below will become unavailable for election as a director, but if
that should occur before the Annual Meeting for the Fund, the
persons named as proxies in the proxy cards will vote for such
persons as the Board of Directors of the Fund may recommend.
Information
Concerning Nominees and Officers
The following table sets forth certain information concerning
each of the nominees as a director, each of whom is currently
serving as a director of the Fund, and officers of the Fund.
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Principal
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Occupation(s)
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Other
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or Employment
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Directorships
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Name, Address, and
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Position(s) Held with
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Director
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During Past Five
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in Publicly-Held
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Age
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Fund
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Since
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Years
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Companies or Funds
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Independent Current Directors
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M. Christopher Canavan,
Jr. (68) #
73 Brook Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
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Director
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2003
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Independent Consultant
(2000-present).
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Harvey Chang (56) #
21F,
No. 172-1,
Section 2
Ji-Lung Road
Taipei, Taiwan, ROC 106
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Chairman of the
Board (since July 2005) and Director
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2005
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Taiwan Mobile Company
Limited (September 2003-present); Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Company
(February 1998-September 2003).
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Director, Taiwan Mobile Co. Ltd.
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Michael F. Holland (62) #
375 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10152
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Director
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2007
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Chairman, Holland &
Company LLC (1995-present).
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Director, The Holland Balanced Fund, Inc., The China Fund, Inc.,
Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Trust and Reaves Utility
Income Fund; Trustee, State Street Master Funds and State Street
Institutional Investment Trust.
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Benny T. Hu (58) #
6 F, 76 Tun Hwa
South Road, Section 2
Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
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Director
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1993
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Chairman, CDIB Bioscience Venture Management, Inc.
(August 2001-present);
Chairman, China Development
Industrial Bank
(June 2003-May
2004); Chairman, China Development Asset Management Corp. (June
2001-May 2004); Ambassador-at-Large, Republic of China (May
2001-May 2006).
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Director, USI Far East Corp.; Supervisor, China Steel Corp.;
Supervisor, Taiwan High Speed Mail Corporation; Supervisor,
Winbond Electronics Corp.; Director, Yangming Marine Transport
Corp.; Director,
T-Join
Transportation Co., Ltd.;
Chairman & Managing General Partner, Whitesun
Equity Partners; Chairman, Whitesun International.
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Principal
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Occupation(s)
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Other
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or Employment
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Directorships
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Name, Address, and
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Position(s) Held with
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Director
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During Past Five
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in Publicly-Held
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Age
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Fund
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Since
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Years
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Companies or Funds
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Anthony Kai
Yiu Lo (58) #
23/F Shun Ho Tower
24-30 Ice
House Street
Central, Hong Kong
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Director
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2003
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Chairman and Co-CEO, Shanghai Century Acquisition Inc. (October
2005-present); Director, Advantage Ltd. (2004-January 2006);
Founder and Managing Director, Advantage Ltd. (1999-August 2004).
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Christina Liu (50) #
Suite 312,
No. 3-1
Jinan Road
Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
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Director
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2005
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Legislator, Legislative Yuan, ROC (2002-present); Chairperson,
Finance Committee, Legislative Yuan, ROC (2002-2005).
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Joe O. Rogers (58) #
2477 Foxwood Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
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Director
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1986
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Organizing Member, The Rogers Team LLC (July 2001-present);
Manager, The J-Squared Team LLC (April 2003-May 2004).
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Director and Member of the Audit Committee, The China Fund, Inc.
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Bing Shen (58) #
1755 Jackson Street, #405
San Francisco, CA 94109
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Director
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2007
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Director, Delta Networks, Inc. (June 2007-present);
President CDIB & Partners Investment Holding Corporation
(May 2004-August 2005); Executive Vice President, China
Development Industrial Bank (March 1999-May 2004).
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Supervisor, CTCI Corporation; Independent Non-Executive
Director, Delta Networks, Inc., Chairman, Audit Committee, Delta
Networks, Inc.; Chairman, Audit Committee, CTCI Corporation.
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Principal
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Position(s)
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Occupation(s)
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Other Directorships
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Name, Address, and
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Held with
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Officer
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or Employment
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in Publicly-Held
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Age
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Fund
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Since
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During Past Five Years
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Companies or Funds
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Officers
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*Andrew Chen (44)
24th/F,
99 Tunhwa
South Road, Section 2
Taipei, Taiwan ROC
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President
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2007
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CEO, HSBC Investments (Taiwan) Ltd. (Nov. 2004 - present); and
Research Director, JF Asset Management (Taiwan) Limited
(Nov. 2002 - 2004).
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*Adelina Louie (41)
Level 22 HSBC Main
Building
1 Queens Road, Central
Hong Kong
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Secretary and
Treasurer
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2004
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Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific, HSBC Investments
(Hong Kong) Limited (May 2006-present); Chief Operating Officer,
HSBC Investments (Taiwan) Ltd. (March 2004-April 2006); Area
Commercial Manager, HSBC (U.K.) Ltd. (February 2002-March 2004);
Senior Vice President, Custody & Clearing, HSBC (Indonesia)
Limited (June 2000-February 2002).
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Richard F. Cook, Jr.
(56)
Foreside Compliance
Services, LLC
Two Portland Square
Portland, Maine 04101
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Chief Compliance
Officer
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2007
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Employee of Foreside Fund Services, LLC (November 2005-January
2006), Director of Foreside ComplianceServices LLC (January
2006-present). Founder and Managing Member of NorthLake, LLC
(2002-present). Executive Officer, Director and Shareholder of
Century Capital Management, Inc. and Secretary of Century Shares
Trust (1985-2002).
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Mary Moran Zeven (46)
2 Avenue de Lafayette
Boston, Massachusetts
02111
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Assistant Secretary
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2005
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Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel, State Street
Bank and Trust Company (2002-present); and Vice President and
Counsel, State Street Bank and Trust Company
(2000-2002).
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Nominee for director. |
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Officer is considered to be an interested person (as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
1940 Act)) of the Fund or of the Adviser. |
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There is one Portfolio in the Fund Complex overseen by the
Directors. |
The Funds Board of Directors has a separately designated
Audit Committee established in accordance with
Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the Exchange Act) which is responsible
for reviewing financial and accounting matters. The Funds
Audit Committee is composed of directors who are independent (as
defined in the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (NYSE)
listing standards, as may be modified or supplemented) and not
interested persons of the Fund and its actions are governed by
the Funds Audit Committee Charter, which was filed as an
exhibit to the Funds proxy statement dated
December 11, 2006. The current members of the Audit
Committee are Messrs. Canavan, Rogers, Lo, Holland and
Shen. The Audit Committee convened seven times during the fiscal
year ended August 31, 2007.
The Funds Board of Directors has a Nominating Committee,
which is responsible for recommending individuals to the Board
for nomination as members of the Board and its Committees. The
Nominating Committee does not consider nominees recommended by
the
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security holders. The Board believes that it is appropriate for
the Fund to have such a policy regarding nominees recommended by
security holders because the Committee has not previously
received any director candidate recommendations from a
non-director
stockholder. The Funds Nominating Committee is composed of
directors who are not interested persons of the Fund (as defined
in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act), and independent (as
defined in the NYSE listing standards), and its actions are
governed by the Funds Nominating Committee Charter,
attached hereto as Exhibit A. The current members of the
Nominating Committee are Messrs. Canavan, Chang and Lo. The
Nominating Committee convened four times during the fiscal year
ended August 31, 2007.
Persons recommended by the Funds Nominating Committee as
candidates for nomination as directors are required to possess
such knowledge, experience, skills, expertise and diversity so
as to enhance the Boards ability to manage and direct the
affairs and business of the Fund, including, when applicable, to
enhance the ability of committees of the Board to fulfill their
duties
and/or to
satisfy any independence requirements imposed by law, regulation
or any listing requirements of the NYSE.
The Funds Board of Directors has a Fair Valuation
Committee which is responsible for establishing and monitoring
policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure that the
Funds assets are valued appropriately, objectively and
timely, reflecting current market conditions. The Funds
Fair Valuation Committee is composed of directors who are not
interested persons of the Fund as well as certain employees of
the Funds Adviser. The current Directors who are members
of the Fair Valuation Committee are Messrs. Holland, Lo and
Rogers. The Fair Valuation Committee met once during the fiscal
year ended August 31, 2007.
The Funds Board of Directors has an Investment Management
Oversight Committee which is responsible for overseeing and
evaluating the nature and quality of the investment services
provided to the Fund by the Adviser in order to assist the Board
in overseeing the investment services being provided to the Fund
by the Adviser. The current members of the Investment Management
Oversight Committee are Messrs. Chang and Hu and
Ms. Liu. The Investment Management Oversight Committee
convened five times during the fiscal year ended August 31,
2007.
The Board of Directors of the Fund held four regular meetings
and one special meeting during the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007. For the fiscal year ended August 31,
2007, each Director attended at least seventy-five percent of
the aggregate number of meetings held during the fiscal year of
the Board and of any committee on which he or she served.
For annual or special stockholder meetings, directors may but
are not required to attend the meetings; and for the Funds
last annual stockholder meeting, eight Directors attended the
meeting.
Stockholder
Communications
Stockholders may send communications to the Funds Board of
Directors by addressing the communication directly to the Board
(or individual Board members)
and/or
clearly indicating that the communication is for the Board (or
individual Board
5
members). The communication may be sent to either the
Funds office or directly to such Board member(s) at the
address specified for each Director above. Other stockholder
communications received by the Fund not directly addressed and
sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by
management, and will be forwarded to the Board only at
managements discretion based on the matters contained
therein.
Ownership
of Securities
The following table sets forth information regarding the
ownership of securities in the Fund by directors and nominees
for director as of November 15, 2007.
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Aggregate Dollar Range
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of Equity Securities in
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All Funds Overseen or
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to be Overseen by
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Director or Nominee in
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Name of Director or
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Dollar Range of Equity
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Family of Investment
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Nominee
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Securities in the Fund
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Companies
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Current Directors
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M. Christopher Canavan, Jr.
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$1-$10,000
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$1-$10,000
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Harvey Chang
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None
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None
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Michael F. Holland
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$10,001-$50,000
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$10,001-$50,000
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Benny T. Hu
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None
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None
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Christina Liu
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None
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None
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Anthony Kai Yiu Lo
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None
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None
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Joe O. Rogers
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$50,001-$100,000
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$50,001-$100,000
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Bing Shen
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None
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None
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The term Family of Investment Companies means two or
more registered investment companies that share the same
investment adviser or principal underwriter and hold themselves
out to investors as related companies for the purposes of
investment and investor services. The Fund is the only
investment company in the Family of Investment Companies. |
No director or nominee for election as director who is not an
interested person of the Fund, or any immediate family member of
such person, owns securities in the Adviser, or a person
directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under
common control with the Adviser.
Transactions
with and Remuneration of Officers and Directors
The aggregate remuneration, including expenses relating to
attendance at board meetings reimbursed by the Fund, paid in
cash to directors not affiliated with the Adviser was $370,833
during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2007. The Fund
currently pays each director that is not affiliated with the
Adviser an annual fee of $20,000 plus $2,500 for each
directors meeting and committee meeting attended in
person, and $2,500 for each meeting attended by telephone.
6
The following table sets forth the aggregate compensation from
the Fund paid to each director during the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007, as well as the total compensation earned
by each director from the Fund and other funds advised by the
Adviser or its affiliates (collectively, the
Fund Complex).
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Pension or
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Retirement
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Total Compensation
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Aggregate
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Benefits Accrued
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Estimated Annual
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From Fund and Fund
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Compensation
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As Part of Fund
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Benefits Upon
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Complex Paid to
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Name of Person
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From Fund(1)
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Expenses
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Retirement
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Directors(2)
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Harvey Chang
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$
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31,500
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$
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31,500
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M. Christopher Canavan, Jr
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$
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50,500
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$
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50,500
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Michael F. Holland
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$
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15,000
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$
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15,000
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Benny T. Hu
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$
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24,644
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$
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24,644
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Christina Liu
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$
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23,500
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$
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23,500
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Anthony Kai Yiu Lo
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$
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50,500
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$
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50,500
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Joe O. Rogers
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$
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44,500
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$
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44,500
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Bing Shen
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$
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15,000
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$
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15,000
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Shao-Yu Wang(3)
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$
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27,500
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$
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27,500
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Includes all compensation paid to directors by the Fund. The
Funds directors do not receive any pension or retirement
benefits as compensation for their service as directors of the
Fund. |
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There is one fund in the Fund Complex. |
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Mr. Wang retired from the Board on April 23, 2007. |
Required
Vote
The election of each director will require the affirmative vote
of a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person or
represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote for the
election of the directors. For this purpose, votes that are
withheld will have no effect on the outcome of the elections.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE FUND RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE
FOR THE ELECTION OF THE EIGHT NOMINEES FOR DIRECTORS.
Audit
Committee Report
The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the Funds
audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007 with management, the Adviser and Tait,
Weller & Baker LLP, the Funds independent
registered public accounting firm (Tait Weller), and
has discussed with Tait Weller the matters required to be
discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61
(Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards, AU
Section 380), as may be modified or supplemented. The Audit
Committee has received the written disclosures and letter from
Tait Weller required by Independence Standards Board Standard
No. 1 (Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1,
Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), as may be
modified or supplemented, and
7
has discussed with Tait Weller its independence. Based on the
Audit Committee review and discussions referred to in the two
preceding sentences, the Audit Committee recommended to the
Board of Directors that the audited financial statements of the
Fund for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2007 be included
in its annual report to stockholders and the Funds annual
report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
M. Christopher Canavan, Jr., Chairman of the Audit
Committee Joe Rogers, Member of the Audit Committee
Anthony K. Y. Lo, Member of the Audit Committee
Michael F. Holland, Member of the Audit Committee
Bing Shen, Member of the Audit Committee
Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm
Tait Weller serves as the Funds independent registered
public accounting firm, auditing and reporting on the annual
financial statements of the Fund and reviewing certain
regulatory reports and the Funds federal income tax
returns. Tait Weller also performs other professional audit and
certain allowable non-audit services, including tax services,
when the Fund engages it to do so. Representatives of Tait
Weller are expected to be available via telephone at the meeting
and will have an opportunity to make a statement if they desire.
Such representatives are expected to be available to respond to
appropriate questions at the meeting.
On April 23, 2007, the Funds Board of Directors, upon
the recommendation of the Audit Committee, appointed Tait Weller
as the Funds independent registered public accountant. The
previous report issued by KPMG LLP (KPMG) on the
Funds financial statements for the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2006 contained no adverse opinion or disclaimer
of opinion nor was it qualified or modified as to uncertainty,
audit scope or accounting principles. During the Funds
fiscal year ended August 31, 2006, (i) there were no
disagreements with KPMG on any matter of accounting principles
or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope
or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the
satisfaction of KPMG, would have caused it to make reference to
the subject matter of the disagreements in connection with its
report on the financial statements for such year; and
(ii) there were no reportable events of the kind described
in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of
Regulation S-K
under the Exchange Act.
As indicated above, the Fund, by action of its Directors, upon
the recommendation of the Audit Committee, has engaged Tait
Weller as the independent registered public accountant to audit
the Funds financial statements beginning in the fiscal
year ending August 31, 2007. During the Funds fiscal
year ended August 31, 2006 and the interim period
commencing April 23, 2007, neither the Fund nor anyone on
its behalf has consulted Tait Weller on items which:
(i) concerned the application of accounting principles to a
specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type
of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Funds
financial statements or (ii) concerned the subject of a
disagreement (as defined in paragraph (a) (1) (iv) of
Item 304 of Regulations S-K) or reportable events (as
described in paragraph (a)(1)(v) of said Item 304).
8
Audit Fees. For the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007, Tait Weller billed the Fund aggregate fees
of US$55,000 for professional services rendered for the audit of
the Funds annual financial statements and review of
financial statements included in the Funds annual report
to stockholders.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2006, KPMG, the
Funds previous independent registered public accounting
firm, billed the Fund aggregate fees of US$58,500 for
professional services rendered for the audit of the Funds
annual financial statements and review of financial statements
included in the Funds annual report to stockholders.
Audit-Related Fees. For the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007, Tait Weller billed the Fund aggregate fees
of US$6,500 for assurances and related services that are
reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of
the Funds financial statements and are not reported under
the section Audit Fees above. Audit-Related Fees represent
procedures applied to the semi-annual financial statement
amounts (reading the semi-annual report and valuation and
existence procedures on investments) as requested by the
Funds audit committee.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2006, KPMG billed the
Fund aggregate fees of US$7,500 for assurances and related
services that are reasonably related to the performance of the
audit or review of the Funds financial statements and are
not reported under the section Audit Fees above.
Audit-Related Fees represent procedures applied to the
semi-annual financial statement amounts (reading the semi-annual
report and valuation and existence procedures on investments) as
requested by the Funds audit committee.
Tax Fees. For the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007, Tait Weller billed the Fund aggregate fees
of US$12,500 for professional services rendered for tax
compliance, tax advice, and tax planning. The nature of the
services comprising the Tax Fees was the review of the
Funds income tax returns and tax distribution requirements.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2006, KPMG billed the
Fund aggregate fees of US$12,900 for professional services
rendered for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning. The
nature of the services comprising the Tax Fees was the review of
the Funds income tax returns and tax distribution
requirements.
All Other Fees. For the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007, Tait Weller did not bill the Fund any fees
for products and services other than those disclosed above. For
the fiscal year ended August 31, 2006, KPMG did not bill
the Fund any fees for products and services other than those
disclosed above.
The Funds Audit Committee Charter requires that the Audit
Committee pre-approve all audit and non-audit services to be
provided to the Fund by the Funds independent registered
public accounting firm; provided, however, that the pre-approval
requirement with respect to non-auditing services to the Fund
may be waived consistent with the exceptions provided for in the
Exchange Act. All of the audit and tax services described above
for which Tait Weller or KPMG billed the Fund fees for the
fiscal years ended August 31, 2007 and August 31, 2006
were pre-approved by the Audit Committee. For the fiscal years
ended August 31, 2007 and August 31, 2006, the
Funds
9
Audit Committee did not waive the pre-approval requirement of
any non-audit services to be provided to the Fund by Tait Weller
or KPMG.
Tait Weller did not bill any non-audit fees for services
rendered to the Funds Adviser, or any entity controlling,
controlled by, or under the common control with the Adviser that
provides ongoing services to the Fund, for the fiscal year ended
August 31, 2007. KPMG did not bill any non-audit fees for
services rendered to the Funds Adviser, or any entity
controlling, controlled by, or under the common control with the
Adviser that provides ongoing services to the Fund, for the
fiscal year ended August 31, 2006.
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners
Set forth below is information with respect to persons who, to
the knowledge of the management of the Fund, owned beneficially
more than 5% of the Funds outstanding shares as of
November 7, 2007. The information is based on publicly
available Schedule 13D and 13G disclosures filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Name and Address of
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Amount and Nature of
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Percent
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Title of Class
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Beneficial Owner
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Beneficial Ownership
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of Class*
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Common Stock
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Advance Developing Market Trust plc
145-157 St. John Street
London
EC1V 4RU, England
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Has sole power to vote and dispose of 1,601,600 shares.
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9.79%
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Common Stock
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Lazard Asset Management LLC 30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, New York 10112
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Has sole power to vote and dispose of 962,042 shares.
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5.88%
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Common Stock
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City of London Investment Management
10 Eastcheap
London
EN EC3M 1LX, England
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Has sole power to vote and dispose of 950,423 shares.
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5.81%
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Common Stock
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Credit Suisse 1 Madison Avenue New York,
NY 10010
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Has sole power to vote and dispose of 922,350 shares.
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5.64%
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* |
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Percentages are based on the number of outstanding shares of the
Fund as of November 7, 2007. |
Section 16(a)
Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires that the
Funds officers and directors, and beneficial owners of
more than 10% of any class of equity security registered
pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, make certain
filings on a timely basis under Section 16(a) of the
Exchange Act. Based solely on a review of copies of such reports
of ownership furnished to the Fund, the Fund believes that
during the past fiscal year all of its officers, directors and
greater than 10% beneficial holders complied with all applicable
filing requirements with two exceptions. As a result of
inadvertent
10
administrative delays on the part of the filing agent,
Form 3 for Mr. Cook was filed one day late in
February, 2007, and Form 3 for Mr. Shen was filed
6 days late in May, 2007.
Proxies will be solicited by mail and may be solicited in person
or by telephone or telegraph by officers of the Fund or
personnel of the Adviser. The Fund has retained Georgeson
Shareholder Communications Inc. to assist in the proxy
solicitation. The cost of their services is estimated at $2,500,
plus out-of-pocket expenses. The expenses connected with the
solicitation of these proxies and with any further proxies which
may be solicited by the Funds officers or Georgeson
Shareholder Communications Inc. in person, by telephone, by
facsimile, or by telegraph will be borne by the Fund. The Fund
will reimburse banks, brokers, and other persons holding the
Funds shares registered in their names or in the names of
their nominees for their expenses incurred in sending proxy
material to and obtaining proxies from the beneficial owners of
such shares.
No business other than as set forth herein is expected to come
before the meeting, but should any other matter requiring a vote
of stockholders arise, the persons named in the enclosed proxy
will vote thereon according to their best judgment in the
interests of the Fund.
Stockholder
Proposals
In order to submit a stockholder proposal to be considered for
inclusion in the Funds proxy statement for the Funds
2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, stockholder proposals must
be received by the Fund (addressed to The Taiwan Fund Inc.,
c/o State
Street Bank and Trust Company, P.O. Box 5049, 2
Avenue de Lafayette,
6th Floor,
Boston, Massachusetts
02206-5049)
not later than August 10, 2008. Any stockholder who desires
to bring a proposal at the Funds 2009 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders without including such proposal in the Funds
proxy statement, must deliver written notice thereof to the
Secretary of the Fund (addressed to The Taiwan Fund, Inc.,
c/o State
Street Bank and Trust Company, P.O. Box 5049, 2
Avenue de Lafayette,
6th Floor,
Boston, Massachusetts
02206-5049),
not before October 24, 2008 and not later than
November 21, 2008.
By order of the Board of Directors,
Adelina Louie
Secretary
c/o State
Street Bank and Trust Company
P.O. Box 5049
2 Avenue de Lafayette,
6th
Floor
Boston, Massachusetts
02206-5049
December 7, 2007
11
Appendix A
The
Taiwan Fund, Inc.
NOMINATING
COMMITTEE CHARTER
Purpose
of Committee
The purpose of the Nominating Committee (the
Committee) of the Board of Directors (the
Board) of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. (the
Fund) is to recommend individuals to the Board for
nomination as members of the Board and its committees. The
Committee shall report to the Board on a regular basis and not
less than once a year.
Committee
Membership
The Committee shall consist solely of three or more members of
the Board, each of whom is, in the business judgment of the
Board, independent under the rules of the New York
Stock Exchange, Inc. (the NYSE) and
non-interested under the Investment Company Act of
1940.
Members shall be appointed by the Board and shall serve at the
pleasure of the Board and for such term or terms as the Board
may determine. In appointing members of the Committee, the Board
will take into consideration such factors as it deems
appropriate including, but not limited to, judgment, skill,
business experience and diversity.
Committee
Structure and Operations
The Board shall designate one member of the Committee as its
chairperson. In the event of a tie vote on any issue, the
chairpersons vote shall decide the issue. The Committee
shall meet in person or telephonically at least once a year at a
time and place determined by the Committee chairperson, with
further meetings to occur when deemed necessary or desirable by
the Committee or its chairperson. The Committee may request
members of management or others to attend meetings and provide
pertinent information as necessary.
Committee
Duties and Responsibilities
The following are the duties and responsibilities of the
Committee:
1. Make recommendations to the Board from time to time as
to changes that the Committee believes to be desirable to the
size of the Board.
2. Identify individuals believed to be qualified to become
Board members, and to recommend to the Board the nominees to
stand for election as directors at the annual meeting of
stockholders or, if applicable, at a special meeting of
stockholders. In the case of a vacancy in the office of a
director (including a vacancy created by an increase in the size
of the Board), the Committee shall recommend to the Board an
individual to fill such vacancy either through appointment by
the Board or through election by stockholders. In nominating
candidates, the Committee shall take into consideration such
factors as it deems appropriate. These factors may include
judgment, skill, diversity, experience with businesses and other
organizations of comparable size, the interplay of the
candidates experience with the experience of other Board
members, requirements of the NYSE and the Securities and
12
Exchange Commission (the SEC) to maintain a minimum
number of independent or non-interested directors, requirements
of the SEC as to disclosure regarding persons with financial
expertise on the Funds audit committee and the extent to
which the candidate generally would be a desirable addition to
the Board and any committees of the Board. In the event the Fund
is legally required, by contract or otherwise, to provide a
third party with the ability to nominate a director, the
selection and nomination of such director need not be subject to
the Committees review.
3. Identify Board members qualified to fill vacancies on
any committee of the Board (including the Committee) and to
recommend that the Board appoint the identified member or
members to the respective committee. In nominating a candidate
for committee membership, the Committee shall take into
consideration the factors set forth in the charter of the
committee, if any, as well as any other factors it deems
appropriate, including without limitation the consistency of the
candidates experience with the goals of the committee, the
interplay of the candidates experience with the experience
of other committee members, requirements of the NYSE for
independent members to serve on the Funds audit and
compensation committees and the Committee, and requirements of
the SEC as to disclosure regarding persons with financial
expertise on the Funds audit committee.
4. To periodically review director and committee member
compensation and recommend any appropriate changes in
compensation to the Board.
5. To fulfill any other duties or responsibilities
expressly delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to
time relating to the nomination of Board and committee members.
Performance
Evaluation
The Committee shall produce and provide to the Board an annual
performance evaluation of the Committee, which evaluation shall
compare the performance of the Committee with the requirements
of this charter and set forth the goals and objectives of the
Committee for the upcoming year. The performance evaluation
shall also recommend to the Board any improvements to the
Committees charter deemed necessary or desirable by the
Committee. The performance evaluation by the Committee shall be
conducted in such manner as the Committee deems appropriate. The
report to the Board may take the form of an oral report by the
chairperson of the Committee or any other member of the
Committee designated by the Committee to make this report.
Delegation
to Subcommittee
The Committee may, in its discretion, delegate all or a portion
of its duties and responsibilities to a subcommittee of the
Committee.
Resources
and Authority of the Committee
The Committee shall have the resources and authority appropriate
to discharge its duties and responsibilities, including the
authority to retain counsel and other experts or consultants at
the expense of the Fund. The Committee shall have the sole
authority to select and retain a consultant or search firm, to
terminate any consultant or search firm retained by it, and to
approve the consultant or search firms fees and other
retention terms.
13
THE TAIWAN FUND, INC.
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS JANUARY 21, 2008
The undersigned hereby appoints Joe O. Rogers, Adelina Louie, Elizabeth A. Watson, Tim Walsh and
Mary Moran Zeven, and each of them, the proxies of the undersigned, with full power of substitution
to each of them, to vote all shares of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. which the undersigned is entitled to
vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of The Taiwan Fund, Inc. to be held at the offices of
HSBC Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, HSBC Main Building, Level 22, 1 Queens Road, Central, Hong
Kong, on Monday, January 21, 2008 at 1:00 p.m., local time, and at any adjournments thereof, unless
otherwise specified in the boxes provided on the reverse side hereof, for the election of the
directors named on the reverse side and in their discretion, on any other business which may
properly come before the meeting or any adjournments thereof. The undersigned hereby revokes all
proxies with respect to such shares heretofore given. The undersigned acknowledges receipt of the
Proxy Statement dated December 7, 2007.
PLEASE VOTE, DATE AND SIGN ON OTHER SIDE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s). When signing as attorney, executor, administrator,
trustee or guardian, please give your full title as such.
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HAS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGED?
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DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS? |
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FRONT OF PROXY CARD
THE TAIWAN FUND, INC.
C/O COMPUTERSHARE
P.O. BOX 8694
EDISON, NJ 08818-8694
þ |
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Please mark your votes as in this example. |
1. The election of the following persons to serve as directors of the Taiwan Fund, Inc. for the
next year or until their successors are elected and qualified.
Nominees: (01) Harvey Chang, (02) Benny T. Hu, (03) Michael F. Holland, (04) Christina Liu, (05)
Joe O. Rogers, (06) Bing Shen, (07)
M. Christopher Canavan, Jr. and (08) Anthony Kai Yiu Lo
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FOR
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WITHHELD |
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ALL
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FROM ALL |
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NOMINEES |
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NOMINEES |
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For all nominees except
as noted above |
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Mark box at right if an address change or comment
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has been noted on the reverse side of this card. |
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Please be sure to sign and date this Proxy.
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Date: |
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Stockholder sign here |
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Co-owner sign here |
RECORD DATE SHARES:
BACK OF CARD