TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Wednesday (Oct. 23) that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Auckland has changed its location for financial and security reasons.

According to CNA, the original building, which housed TECO for 18 years, was purchased by Huawei Technologies and renamed the "Huawei Center." After careful consideration, Taiwanese officials decided to relocate the office, worrying sensitive information could be leaked to the Chinese tech giant.

MOFA said that the new office, which measures roughly 440 square meters, is situated in a prime location of the city. All furniture and personnel were transferred there by July 29, reported UDN.

When Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) asked about the increased budget for Taiwan's overseas offices at the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday, MOFA Director Lee Fang-cheng (李芳成) responded that rents are significantly influenced by the foreign exchange rate. He added that the new office in Auckland has more space to hold seminars and other events.