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YoY shift: Neutral
Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K. This filing is -0.01pp more bearish than last year's.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Tone shift by section
The two components the gauge averages: how Risk Factors and MD&A each shifted in net tone versus last year's 10-K. The headline above is their average, so a green needle over a soft section just means the other section carried it.
Risk Factors
+0.06pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
MD&A
-0.09pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
Per-snippet highlights
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Language change vs prior 10-K
Risk Factors (Item 1A) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
difficult+1
fail+1
harm+1
lose+1
severe+1
Positive rising
regained+1
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
17,545 words
Language change vs prior 10-K
MD&A (Item 7) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Negative rising
impaired+1
against+1
adverse+1
Positive rising
satisfied+1
MD&A (Item 7)
2,489 words
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This Report and other reports filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC (collectively the “filings”) contain or may contain forward-looking statements and information that are based upon beliefs of, and information currently available to, the Company’s management as well as estimates and assumptions made by the Company’s management. Readers are not to place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are only predictions and speak only as of the date hereof. When used in the filings, the words “may”, “will”, “should”, “would”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “future”, “intend”, “plan”, or the of these terms and similar expressions as they relate to the Company or the Company’s management identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current view of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors (including the statements in the section “results of operations” below), and any businesses that the Company may acquire. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should the underlying assumptions prove , actual results may differ significantly from those anticipated, believed, estimated, expected, intended, or planned.
In recent years, the growth of Chinese economy has experienced slowdown, and if the growth of the economy continues to slow or if the economy contracts, our financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
The rapid growth of the PRC economy has resulted in widespread growth opportunities in industries across China. As a result of the global financial crisis and the inability of enterprises to gain comparable access to the same amounts of capital available in past years, the business climate has changed and growth of private enterprise in the PRC have slowed down. An economic slowdown could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. Further, if economic growth slows, and if, in conjunction, inflation is allowed to proceed unchecked, our costs would likely increase, and there can be no assurance that we would be able to increase our prices to an extent that would offset the increase in our expenses.
We depend on the waste energy of our customers to generate electricity .
We acquire waste pressure, heat and gases from steelworks, cement, coking or metallurgy plants and use these to generate power. Therefore, our power generating capacity depends on the availability of an adequate supply of our “raw materials” from our customers. If we do not have enough supply, power generated for those customers will be impeded. Since our contracts are often structured so that we receive compensation based on the amount of energy we supply, a reduction in production may cause problems for our revenues and results of operations.
Our revenue depends on gaining new customers and project contracts and purchase commitments from customers .
Currently and historically, we have only had a limited number of projects in process at any time. Thus, our revenues have historically resulted, and are expected to continue in the immediate future to result, primarily from the sale and operation of our waste energy recycling projects that, once completed, typically produce ongoing revenues from energy production. Customers may change or delay orders for any number of reasons, such as force majeure or government approval factors that are unrelated to us. As a result, to maintain and expand our business, we must continue to develop and obtain new orders. However, it is difficult to predict whether and when we will receive such orders or project contracts due to the lengthy process, which may be affected by factors that we do not control, such as market and economic conditions, financing arrangements, commodity prices, environmental issues and government approvals.
We may require additional funds to run our business and may be required to raise these funds on terms which are not favorable to us or which reduce our stock price.
We may need to complete additional equity or debt financings to fund our operations. Our inability to obtain additional financing could adversely affect our business. Financings may not be available at all or on terms favorable to us. In addition, these financings, if completed, may not meet our capital needs and could result in substantial dilution to our stockholders.
Changes in the economic and credit environment could have an adverse effect on demand for our projects, which would in turn have a negative impact on our results of operations, our cash flows, our financial condition, our ability to borrow and our stock price .
Since late 2021 and continuing through 2023, global market and economic conditions have been disrupted and volatile. Concerns over slowdown of Chinese economy, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, to this increased volatility. These factors, combined with declining business and consumer confidence and increased unemployment, precipitated a global recession. It is difficult to predict how long the current economic conditions will persist or whether they will deteriorate further. As a result, these conditions could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The slow growth of global economy has also resulted in tighter credit conditions, which may lead to higher financing costs. Although poor market conditions can act as an incentive for our customers to reduce their energy costs, if the global economic slowdownpersists and has material adverse effects on our customers’ business, our customers may delay or cancel their plan of installing waste energy recycling projects.
Decreases in the price of coal, oil and gas or a decline in popular support for “green” energy technologies could reduce demand for our waste energy recycling projects, which could materially harm our ability to grow our business .
Higher coal, oil and gas prices provide incentives for customers to invest in “green” energy technologies such as our waste energy recycling projects that reduce their need for fossil fuels. Conversely, lower coal, oil and gas prices would tend to reduce the incentive for customers to invest in capital equipment to produce electric power or seek out alternative energy sources. Demand for our projects and services depends in part on the current and future commodity prices of coal, oil and gas. We have no control over the current or future prices of these commodities.
In addition, popular support by governments, corporations and individuals for “green” energy technologies may change. Because of the ongoing development of, and the possible change in support for, “green” energy technologies we cannot assure you that negative changes to this industry will not occur. Changes in government or popular support for “green” energy technologies could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects and results of operations.
Changes in the growth of demand for or pricing of electricity could reduce demand for our waste energy recycling projects, which could materially harm our ability to grow our business .
Our revenues are dependent on the ability to provide savings on energy costs for our clients. In 2023, the growth rate of domestic electricity consumption rised, and the electricity consumption of emerging industries maintained its growth momentum. China’s electricity consumption reached 9.22 trillion KWH in 2023, an increase of 576.4 billion KWH over 2022, up 6.7% year-on-year and 3.1 percentage points higher than the previous year. Per capita electricity consumption reached 6,539 KWH, a record high. The electricity consumption of high-tech and equipment manufacturing industry increased by 11.3% year-on-year, 3.9 percentage points higher than the overall growth level of the manufacturing industry. The growth in electricity consumption increases due to the continued development of the Chinese economy. However, such growth is unpredictable and depends on general economic conditions and consumer demand, both of which are beyond our control. Furthermore, pricing of electricity in the PRC is set in advance by the state or local electricity administration and may be artificiallydepressed by governmental regulation or influenced by supply and demand imbalances. If these changes reduce the cost of electricity from traditional sources of supply, the demand for our waste energy recycling projects could be reduced, and therefore, could materially harm our ability to grow our business.
Our insurance may not cover all liabilities and damages .
Our industry can be dangerous and hazardous. The insurance we carry might not be enough to cover all the liabilities and damages that may be caused by potential accidents.
Our heavy reliance on the experience and expertise of our management may cause adverse impacts on us if a management member departs .
We depend on key personnel for the success of our business. Our business may be severelydisrupted if we lose the services of our key executives and employees or fail to add new senior and middle managers to our management.
Our future success is heavily dependent upon the continued service of our key executives. We also rely on a number of key technology staff for the operation of our company. Our future success is also dependent upon our ability to attract and retain qualified senior and middle managers to our management team. If one or more of our current or future key executives or employees are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to easily replace them, and our business may be severelydisrupted. In addition, if any of these key executives or employees joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we could lose customers and suppliers and incur additional expenses to recruit and train personnel. We do not maintain key-man life insurance for any of our key executives.
We may need more capital for the operation and failure to raise capital we need may delay the development plan and reduce the profits .
If we don’t have adequate income or our capital can’t meet the requirement for expansion of operations, we will need to seek financing to continue our business development. If we fail to acquire adequate financial resources at acceptable terms, we might have to postpone our proposed business development plans and reduce projections of our future incomes.
Our use of a “Build-Operate-Transfer” model requires us to invest substantial financial and technical resources in a project before we deliver a waste energy recycling project .
We use a “Build-Operate-Transfer” model to provide our waste energy recycling projects to our customers. This process requires us to provide significant capital at the beginning of each project. The design, construction and completion of a waste energy recycling project is highly technical and the time necessary to complete a project can take three to 12 months without any delays, including delays outside our control such as from the result of customer’s operations, and we incur significant expenses as part of this process. Our initial cash outlay and the length of the delivery time makes us particularly vulnerable to the loss of a significant customer or contract because we may be unable to quickly replace the lost cash flow.
Our BOT model and the accounting for our projects as sales-type leases could result in a difference between our revenue recognition and our cash flows .
While we recognize a large portion of the revenue from each project when it goes on-line, all of the cash flow from the project is received in even monthly payments across the term of the lease. Although our revenues may be high, the initial cash outlay required for each project is substantial and even with the recovery of this cost in the early years of each lease, we may need to raise additional capital resulting in a dilution in your holdings. This discrepancy between revenue recognition and cash flow could also contribute to volatility in our stock price. We now do not have such business in 2025 and 2024.
There is collection risk associated with payments to be received over the terms of agreements with customers of our waste energy recycling projects .
We are dependent in part on the viability of our customers for collections under our BOT model. Customers may experience financial difficulties that could cause them to be unable to fulfill their contractual payment obligations to us. Although our customers usually provide collateral or other guarantees to secure their obligations to provide the minimum electricity income from the waste energy recycling projects, there is no guarantee that such collateral will be sufficient to meet all obligations under the respective contract. As a result, our future revenues and cash flows could be adversely affected.
We may not be able to assemble and deliver our waste energy recycling projects as quickly as customers may require which could cause us to lose sales and could harm our reputation .
We may not be able to assemble our waste energy recycling projects and deliver them to our customers at the times they require.
Manufacturing delays and interruptions can occur for many reasons, including, but not limited to:
the failure of a supplier to deliver needed components on a timely basis or of acceptable quality;
equipment failures;
personnel shortage;
labor disputes; or
transportation disruptions.
Assembly of our waste energy recycling projects is complex. If we fail to assemble and deliver our waste energy recycling projects in a timely fashion, our reputation may be harmed, we may jeopardize existing orders and lose potential future sales, and we may be forced to pay penalties to our customers.
We operate in an emerging competitive industry and if we are unable to compete successfully our revenue and profitability will be adversely affected .
Currently, the PRC waste energy recycling market is fragmented but competitive. As the industry evolves, we anticipate that competition will increase. We currently face competition primarily from companies that focus on one type of waste energy recycling project or one industry in the waste energy recycling market, some of which may have more expertise in their area of focus than we do. We also compete against companies that have substantial competitive advantage because of longer operating histories and larger marketing budgets, as well as substantially greater financial and other resources than us. Our largest potential clients may choose to build their own systems. National or global competitors could enter the market with more substantial financial and workforce resources, stronger existing customer relationships, and greater name recognition or could choose to target medium to small companies in our traditional markets. Competitors could focus their substantial resources on developing a more attractive solution set than ours or products with technologies that reduce demand for energy beyond what our solutions can provide and at cheaper prices. Competition also places downward pressure on our contract prices and profit margins, which presents us with significant challenges in our ability to maintain strong growth rates and acceptable profit margins. If we are unable to meet these competitive challenges, we could lose market share to our competitors and experience an overall reduction in our profits.
If we infringe the rights of third parties, we could be prevented from selling products, forced to pay damages and compelled to defendagainstlitigation .
If our waste energy recycling projects, methods, processes and other technologies infringe proprietary rights of other parties, we may have to obtain licenses (which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all), redesign our waste energy recycling projects or processes, stop using the subject matter claimed in the asserted patents, pay damages, or defendlitigation or administrative proceedings, which may be costly whether we win or lose. All of the above could result in a substantial diversion of valuable management resources and we could incur substantial costs.
We believe we have taken reasonable steps, including prior patent searches, to ensure we can operate under our intellectual property rights, and that our development and commercialization efforts can be carried out as planned without infringing others’ proprietary rights. However, a third-party patent may have been filed or will be filed that may contain subject matter of relevance to our development, causing a third-party patent holder to claim infringement. Resolution of such issues sometimes results in lengthy and costly legal proceedings, the outcome of which we cannot predict accurately.
We may not be able to adequately respond to changes in technology affecting the waste energy recycling industry .
Our industry could experience rapid technological changes and new product introductions. Current competitors or new market entrants could introduce new or enhanced products with features which render the systems used in our projects obsolete or less marketable. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to respond to changing technology and industry standards in a timely and cost-effective manner. We may not be successful in effectively using new technologies, developing new systems or enhancing our existing systems and technology on a timely basis. Our new technologies or enhancements may not achieve market acceptance. Our pursuit of new technologies may require substantial time and expense. We may need to license new technologies to respond to technological change. These licenses may not be available to us on terms that we can accept. Finally, we may not succeed in adapting our projects to new technologies as they emerge.
We are dependent on third parties for manufacturing key components and delays by third parties may cause delays in assembly and increased costs to us .
We rely upon third parties for the manufacture of key components. Delays and difficulties in the manufacturing of our waste energy recycling projects could substantially harm our revenues. There are limited sources of supply for some key waste energy recycling project components. Business disruptions, financial difficulties of the manufacturers or suppliers of these components, or raw material shortages could increase our costs, reduce the availability of these components or delay our delivery of projects to customers. To date, we have been able to obtain adequate supplies of these key components. If we are unable to obtain a sufficient supply of required components, we could experience significant delays in construction, which could result in the loss of orders and customers, and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If the cost of components increases, we may not be able to pass on price increases to our customers if we are to remain competitively priced. This would reduce profit, which in turn would reduce the value of your investment.
Increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws or disagreements with tax authorities could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S and in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. Increases in income tax rates or other changes in income tax laws that apply to our business could reduce our after-tax income from such jurisdiction and could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our operations outside the U.S. generate a significant portion of our income. In addition, the U.S. and many of the other countries in which our products are distributed or sold, including countries in which we have significant operations, have recently made or are actively considering changes to existing tax laws. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJ Act”) was recently signed into law in the U.S. The changes in the TCJ Act are broad and complex and we are continuing to examine the impact the TCJ Act may have on our business and financial results. This provisional expense is subject to change, possibly materially, due to, among other things, changes in estimates, interpretations and assumptions we have made, changes in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) interpretations, the issuance of new guidance, legislative actions, changes in accounting standards or related interpretations in response to the TCJ Act and future actions by states within the U.S that have not yet adopted state-level laws similar to the TCJ Act.
Additional changes in the U.S. tax regime or in how U.S. multinational corporations are taxed on foreign earnings, including changes in how existing tax laws are interpreted or enforced, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are also subject to regular reviews, examinations and audits by the IRS and other taxing authorities with respect to income and non-income based taxes both within and outside the U.S. Economic and political pressures to increase tax revenues in jurisdictions in which we operate, or the adoption of new or reformed tax legislation or regulation, may make resolving tax disputes more difficult and the final resolution of tax audits and any related litigation could differ from our historical provisions and accruals, resulting in an adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, in connection with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, companies are required to disclose more information to tax authorities on operations around the world, which may lead to greater audit scrutiny of profits earned in various countries.
A downturn in China or global economy, and economic and political policies of China could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us.
Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions. Any prolongedslowdown in the global or Chinese economy may affect potential clients’ confidence in financial market as a whole and have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs.
The recent outbreak of war in Ukraine has already affected global economic markets, and the uncertain resolution of this conflict could result in protracted and/or severedamage to the global economy. Russia’s recent military interventions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the U.S, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia’s military incursion and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could affect our client’s business and our business, even though we do not have any direct exposure to Russia or the adjoining geographic regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions, and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or resulting sanctions may magnify the impact of other risks described in this section. We cannot predict the progress or outcome of the situation in Ukraine, as the conflict and governmental reactions are rapidly developing and beyond their control. Prolongedunrest, intensified military activities, or more extensive sanctions impacting the region could have a material adverse effect on the global economy, and such effect could in turn have a material adverse effect on the operations, results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and business outlook of our business.
The assault on Israel by Hamas (the Islamic terrorist group that controls the Palestinian territory of Gaza) in early October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent declaration of war against Hamas may have severeadverse effects on regional and global economic markets. The war between Hamas and Israel and the varying involvement of the United States and other countries, as well as political and civil unrest related to the foregoing, makes it difficult to predict the conflict’s impact on global economic and market conditions and, as a result, the situation presents material uncertainty and risk with respect to the Company.
We face risks related to natural disasters, extreme weather conditions, health epidemics and other catastrophicincidents, which could significantly disrupt our operations.
China has experienced natural disasters, including earthquakes, extreme weather conditions and any similar event could materially impact our business in the future. If a disaster or other disruption occurred that affects the regions where we operate our business, the resulting loss of personnel and damage to property could materially adversely affect our business. Even if we are not directly affected, such a disaster or disruption could affect the operations or financial condition of our ecosystem participants, which could harm our results of operations.
In addition, our business could be affected by public health epidemics, such as the outbreak of avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, Zika virus, Ebola virus, COVID-19 or other disease. Should there be such a health epidemic in the future, our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects could be materially adversely affected to the extent that such health epidemics weaken the Chinese and global economy in general.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
We are a holding company and will rely on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to make dividend payments to us, or any tax implications of making dividend payments to us, could limit our ability to pay our parent company expenses or pay dividends to holders of our common stock.
We are a holding company and conduct substantially all of our business through our PRC subsidiaries, which are limited liability companies in China. We may rely on dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. If our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.
Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries, which are mostly wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China, may pay dividends only out of its accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a certain statutory reserve fund, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital.
Our PRC subsidiaries generate primarily all of their revenue in Renminbi, which is not freely convertible into other currencies. As a result, any restriction on currency exchange may limit the ability of our PRC subsidiary to use its Renminbi revenues to pay dividends to us. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and substantial vetting process may be put forward by SAFE for cross-border transactions falling under both the current account and the capital account. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC resident enterprises are incorporated. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
The Chinese government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities . We are currently not required to obtain approval from Chinese authorities to list on U.S exchanges, however, if our holding company or subsidiaries were required to obtain approval or filing in the future and were denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges, we will not be able to continue listing on U.S. exchange, which would materially affect the interest of the investors.
The Chinese government has exercised and can continue to exercise substantial control to intervene on virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership, and as a result, it can influence the manner in which we must conduct our business activities and effect material changes in our operations or the value of the common stock we are registering in this resale. Under the current government leadership, the government of the PRC has been pursuing reform policies which have adversely affected China-based operating companies whose securities are listed in the U.S., with significant policies changes being made from time to time without notice. There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business, or the enforcement and performance of our contractual arrangements with borrowers in the event of the imposition of statutory liens, death, bankruptcy or criminal proceedings. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.
Given recent statements by the Chinese government indicating an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, any such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law, or the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies. As of the date hereof, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions from PRC government authorities in connection with the Opinions.
On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, or the SCNPC, promulgated the PRC Data Security Law, which took effect in September 2021. The PRC Data Security Law imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals carrying out data activities, and introduces a data classification and hierarchical protection system based on the importance of data in economic and social development, and the degree of harm it will cause to national security, public interests, or legitimate rights and interests of individuals or organizations when such data is tampered with, destroyed, leaked, illegally acquired or used. The PRC Data Security Law also provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data an information.
In early July 2021, regulatory authorities in China launched cybersecurity investigations with regard to several China-based companies that are listed in the United States. The Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2 that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app stores. On July 5, 2021, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator launched the same investigation on two other Internet platforms, China’s Full Truck Alliance of Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) and Boss of KANZHUN LIMITED (Nasdaq: BZ). On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and variable interest entities are banned from this sector.
On August 17, 2021, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Protection of the Security of Critical Information Infrastructure, or the Regulations, which took effect on September 1, 2021. The Regulations supplement and specify the provisions on the security of critical information infrastructure as stated in the Cybersecurity Review Measures. The Regulations provide, among others, that protection department of certain industry or sector shall notify the operator of the critical information infrastructure in time after the identification of certain critical information infrastructure.
On August 20, 2021, the SCNPC promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC, or the Personal Information Protection Law, which took effect in November 2021. As the first systematic and comprehensive law specifically for the protection of personal information in the PRC, the Personal Information Protection Law provides, among others, that (i) an individual’s consent shall be obtained to use sensitive personal information, such as biometric characteristics and individual location tracking, (ii) personal information operators using sensitive personal information shall notify individuals of the necessity of such use and impact on the individual’s rights, and (iii) where personal information operators reject an individual’s request to exercise his or her rights, the individual may file a lawsuit with a People’s Court.
As such, the Company’s business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate. The Company could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. The Company may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. Additionally, the governmental and regulatory interference could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
Furthermore, it is uncertain when and whether the Company will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Although the Company is currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC federal or local government to obtain such permission and has not received any denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to its business or industry.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated Trial Administrative Measures of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Overseas Listing Trial Measures”) and five relevant guidelines, which became effective on March 31, 2023. According to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, PRC domestic companies that seek to offer and list securities in overseas markets, either in direct or indirect means, are required to fulfill the filing procedure with the CSRC and report relevant information. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures provides that an overseas listing or offering is explicitly prohibited, if any of the following: (1) such securities offering and listing is explicitly prohibited by provisions in laws, administrative regulations and relevant state rules; (2) the intended securities offering and listing may endanger national security as reviewed and determined by competent authorities under the State Council in accordance with law; (3) the domestic company intending to make the securities offering and listing, or its controlling shareholder(s) and the actual controller, have committed relevant crimes such as corruption, bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of property or undermining the order of the socialist market economy during the latest three years; (4) the domestic company intending to make the securities offering and listing is currently under investigations for suspicion of criminal offenses or major violations of laws and regulations, and no conclusion has yet been made thereof; or (5) there are material ownership disputes over equity held by the domestic company’s controlling shareholder(s) or by other shareholder(s) that are controlled by the controlling shareholder(s) and/or actual controller.
The Overseas Listing Trial Measures also provides that if the issuer meets both the following criteria, the overseas securities offering and listing conducted by such issuer will be deemed as indirect overseas offering by PRC domestic companies: (1) 50% or more of any of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent fiscal year is accounted for by domestic companies; and (2) the issuer’s main business activities are conducted in China, or its main place(s) of business are located in China, or the majority of senior management staff in charge of its business operations and management are PRC citizens or have their usual place(s) of residence located in China. Where an issuer submits an application for initial public offering to competent overseas regulators, such issuer must file with the CSRC within three business days after such application is submitted. In addition, the Overseas Listing Trial Measures provide that the direct or indirect overseas listings of the assets of domestic companies through one or more acquisitions, share swaps, transfers or other transaction arrangements shall be subject to filing procedures in accordance with the Overseas Listing Trial Measures. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures also requires subsequent reports to be filed with the CSRC on material events, such as change of control or voluntary or forceddelisting of the issuer(s) who have completed overseas offerings and listings.
At a press conference held for these new regulations (“Press Conference”), officials from the CSRC clarified that the domestic companies that have already been listed overseas on or before March 31, 2023 shall be deemed as existing issuers (the “Existing Issuers”). Existing Issuers are not required to complete the filling procedures immediately, and they shall be required to file with the CSRC upon occurrences of certain subsequent matters such as follow-on offerings of securities. According to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures and the Press Conference, the existing domestic companies that have completed overseas offering and listing before March 31, 2023, such as us, shall not be required to perform filing procedures for the completed overseas securities issuance and listing. However, from the effective date of the regulation, any of our subsequent securities offering in the same overseas market or subsequent securities offering and listing in other overseas markets shall be subject to the filing requirement with the CSRC within three working days after the offering is completed or after the relevant application is submitted to the relevant overseas authorities, respectively. If it is determined that any approval, filing or other administrative procedures from other PRC governmental authorities is required for any future offering or listing, we cannot assure you that we can obtain the required approval or accomplish the required filings or other regulatory procedures in a timely manner, or at all. If we fail to fulfill filing procedure as stipulated by the Trial Measures or offer and list securities in an overseas market in violation of the Trial Measures, the CSRC may order rectification, issue warnings to us, and impose a fine of between RMB1,000,000 and RMB10,000,000. Persons-in-charge and other persons that are directly liable for such failure shall be warned and each imposed a fine from RMB500,000 to RMB5,000,000. Controlling shareholders and actual controlling persons of us that organize or instruct such violations shall be imposed a fine from RMB1,000,000 and RMB10,000,000.
On February 24, 2023, the CSRC published the Provisions on Strengthening the Confidentiality and Archives Administration Related to the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Enterprises (the “Provisions on Confidentiality and Archives Administration”), which came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Provisions on Confidentiality and Archives Administration requires that, in the process of overseas issuance and listing of securities by domestic entities, the domestic entities, and securities companies and securities service institutions that provide relevant securities service shall strictly implement the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and the requirements of these provisions, establish and improve rules on confidentiality and archives administration. Where the domestic entities provide with or publicly disclose documents, materials or other items related to the state secrets and government work secrets to the relevant securities companies, securities service institutions, overseas regulatory authorities, or other entities or individuals, the companies shall apply for approval of competent departments with the authority of examination and approval in accordance with law and report the matter to the secrecy administrative departments at the same level for record filing. Where there is unclear or controversial whether or not the concerned materials are related to state secrets, the materials shall be reported to the relevant secrecy administrative departments for determination. However, there remain uncertainties regarding the further interpretation and implementation of the Provisions on Confidentiality and Archives Administration.
As of the date of this annual report, we and our PRC subsidiaries have obtain the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for the business operations of our PRC subsidiaries. In addition, as of the date of this annual report, we and our PRC subsidiaries are not required to obtain approval or permission from the CSRC or the CAC or any other entity that is required to approve our PRC subsidiaries’ operations or required for us to offer securities to foreign investors under any currently effective PRC laws, regulations, and regulatory rules. If it is determined that we are subject to filing requirements imposed by the CSRC under the Overseas Listing Regulations or approvals from other PRC regulatory authorities or other procedures, including the cybersecurity review under the revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, for our future offshore offerings, it would be uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to complete such procedures or obtain such approval and any such approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in completing such procedures or obtaining such approval for our offshore offerings, or a rescission of any such approval if obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities for failure to file with the CSRC or failure to seek approval from other government authorization for our offshore offerings. These regulatory authorities may impose fines and penalties on our operations in China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operating privileges in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from our offshore offerings into China or take other actions that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, as well as the trading price of our common stock. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt our offshore offerings before settlement and delivery of the securities offered. Consequently, if investors engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, they do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals or accomplish the required filing or other regulatory procedures for our prior offshore offerings, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, reputation, and the trading price of our common stock.
In addition, on December 28, 2021, the CAC, the National Development and Reform Commission (“NDRC”), and several other administrations jointly issued the revised Measures for Cybersecurity Review, or the Revised Review Measures, which became effective and has replaced the existing Measures for Cybersecurity Review on February 15, 2022. According to the Revised Review Measures, if an “online platform operator” that is in possession of personal data of more than one million users intends to list in a foreign country, it must apply for a cybersecurity review. Based on a set of Q&A published on the official website of the State Cipher Code Administration in connection with the issuance of the Revised Review Measures, an official of the said administration indicated that an online platform operator should apply for a cybersecurity review prior to the submission of its listing application with non-PRC securities regulators. Given the recency of the issuance of the Revised Review Measures and their pending effectiveness, there is a general lack of guidance and substantial uncertainties exist with respect to their interpretation and implementation. For example, it is unclear whether the requirement of cybersecurity review applies to follow-on offerings by an “online platform operator” that is in possession of personal data of more than one million users where the offshore holding company of such operator is already listed overseas. Furthermore, the CAC released the draft of the Regulations on Network Data Security Management in November 2021 for public consultation, which among other things, stipulates that a data processor listed overseas must conduct an annual data security review by itself or by engaging a data security service provider and submit the annual data security review report for a given year to the municipal cybersecurity department before January 31 of the following year. If the draft Regulations on Network Data Security Management are enacted in the current form, we, as an overseas listed company, will be required to carry out an annual data security review and comply with the relevant reporting obligations.
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the anti-monopoly law enforcement agency be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise.
For example, the M&A Rules require MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that impact or may impact national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. Moreover, the PRC Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress effective 2008 requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds (i.e., during the previous fiscal year, (i) the total global turnover of all operators participating in the transaction exceeds RMB10 billion and at least two of these operators each had a turnover of more than RMB400 million within China, or (ii) the total turnover within China of all the operators participating in the concentration exceeded RMB2 billion, and at least two of these operators each had a turnover of more than RMB400 million within China) must be cleared by the anti-monopoly enforcement authority before they can be completed. In addition, in 2011, the General Office of the State Council promulgated a Notice on Establishing the Security Review System for Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, also known as Circular 6, which officially established a security review system for mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors. Further, MOFCOM promulgated the Regulations on Implementation of Security Review System for the Merger and Acquisition of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, effective 2011, to implement Circular 6. Under Circular 6, a security review is required for mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors having “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions by which foreign investors may acquire the “de facto control” of domestic enterprises with “national security” concerns. Under the foregoing MOFCOM regulations, MOFCOM will focus on the substance and actual impact of the transaction when deciding whether a specific merger or acquisition is subject to security review. If MOFCOM decides that a specific merger or acquisition is subject to a security review, it will submit it to the Inter-Ministerial Panel, an authority established under Circular 6 led by the National Development and Reform Commission, and MOFCOM under the leadership of the State Council, to carry out security review. The regulations prohibit foreign investors from bypassing the security review by structuring transactions through trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions. There is no explicit provision or official interpretation stating that the merging or acquisition of a company engaged in the internet content business requires security review, and there is no requirement that acquisitions completed prior to the promulgation of the Security Review Circular are subject to MOFCOM review.
In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. We believe that it is unlikely that our business would be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” concerns. However, MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in China, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited.
Adverse changes in political and economic policies of the PRC government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could materially and adversely affect the demand for our projects and our business .
Currently, all of our operations are conducted in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are affected significantly by economic, political and legal developments in China. The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including:
the amount of government involvement;
the level of development;
the growth rate;
the control of foreign exchange; and
the allocation of resources.
While the PRC economy has grown significantly since the late 1970s, the growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us.
The PRC economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although the PRC government has in recent years implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of sound corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of the productive assets in China is still owned by the PRC government. The continued control of these assets and other aspects of the national economy by the PRC government could materially and adversely affect our business. The PRC government also exercises significant control over economic growth in China through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency- denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Efforts by the PRC government to slow the pace of growth of the PRC economy could result in decreased capital expenditure by energy users, which in turn could reduce demand for our products. In addition, the PRC government, which regulates the power industry in China, has adopted laws related to renewable energy, and has adopted policies for the accelerated development of renewable energy as part of a Development Plan promulgated on August 31, 2007.
Any adverse change in the economic conditions or government policies in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth and the level of energy investments and expenditures in China, which in turn could lead to a reduction in demand for our products and consequently have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.
Restrictions under PRC law on our subsidiaries’ ability to make dividends and other distributions could materially and adversely affect our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could benefit our business, pay dividends to you, and otherwise fund and conduct our business .
We conduct all of our business through our consolidated subsidiaries and affiliated companies operating in the PRC. We rely on dividends paid by these consolidated subsidiaries for our cash needs, including the funds necessary to pay any dividends and other cash distributions to our stockholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. The payment of dividends by entities established in the PRC is subject to limitations imposed by government regulations. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in the PRC, subject to certain statutory procedural requirements and these may not be calculated in the same manner as US GAAP. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside a certain amount of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserves. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in China incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Any limitations on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to transfer funds to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends and otherwise fund and conduct our business.
Fluctuation in the value of the Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on your investment .
The value of the Renminbi (“RMB”) against the US Dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political and economic conditions. The conversion of RMB into foreign currencies, including US Dollars, has historically been set by the People’s Bank of China(“PBOC”). On March 17, 2014, the PRC government changed its policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the US Dollar. Under the new policy, the RMB is permitted to fluctuate within a band against a basket of certain foreign currencies, determined by the Bank of China, against which it can rise or fall by as much as 2% each day. Since the adoption of this new policy, the value of the RMB against the US Dollar has fluctuated on a daily basis within narrow ranges, but overall has strengthenedagainst the US Dollar. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to further liberalize its currency policy, which could result in a further and more significant appreciation in the value of the RMB against the US Dollar. Appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to the US Dollar would affect our financial results reported in US Dollar terms even if there is no underlying change in our business or results of operations. In addition, if we decide to convert our RMB into US Dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our common stock or for other business purposes, appreciation of the US Dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the US Dollar amount available to us.
The PRC currency is not a freely convertible currency, which could limit our ability to obtain sufficient foreign currency to support our business operations in the future. In addition, changes in foreign exchange regulations in the PRC may affect our ability to pay dividends in foreign currency or conduct other foreign exchange business .
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of the PRC. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB, which is currently not a freely convertible currency. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict our ability to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends, or otherwise satisfy foreign currency-denominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from the transaction, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or the SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate governmental authorities is required where RMB are to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of bank loans denominated in foreign currencies.
The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay certain of our expenses as they come due.
We may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Chinese anti-corruption law.
We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and other laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials and political parties by U.S. persons and issuers as defined by the statute for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to Chinese anti-corruption laws, which strictly prohibit the payment of bribes to government officials. We have operations, agreements with third parties, and make sales in China, which may experience corruption. Our activities in China create the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of the employees, consultants or distributors of our company, because these parties are not always subject to our control. We are in process of implementing an anticorruption program, which prohibits the offering or giving of anything of value to foreign officials, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The anticorruption program also requires that clauses mandating compliance with our policy be included in all contracts with foreign sales agents, sales consultants and distributors and that they certify their compliance with our policy annually. It further requires that all hospitality involving promotion of sales to foreign governments and government-owned or controlled entities be in accordance with specified guidelines. In the meantime, we believe to date we have complied in all material respects with the provisions of the FCPA and Chinese anti-corruption law.
However, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may prove to be less than effective, and the employees, consultants or distributors of our Company may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. Violations of the FCPA or Chinese anti-corruption law may result in severecriminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, the government may seek to hold our Company liable for successor liability FCPA violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire.
Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations
The Ministry of Commerce published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015, or the 2015 FIL Draft, which expands the definition of foreign investment and introduces the principle of “actual control” in determining whether a company is considered a foreign-invested enterprise, or an FIE.
On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law, which took effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced three existing laws on foreign investments in China, namely, the PRC Equity Joint Venture Law, the PRC Cooperative Joint Venture Law and the Wholly Foreign-owned Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic invested enterprises in China. The Foreign Investment Law establishes the basic framework for the access to, and the promotion, protection and administration of foreign investments in view of investment protection and fair competition.
According to the Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investment” refers to investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by one or more natural persons, business entities, or otherwise organizations of a foreign country (collectively referred to as “foreign investor”) within China, and the investment activities include the following situations: (i) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, establishes a foreign-invested enterprise within China; (ii) a foreign investor acquires stock shares, equity shares, shares in assets, or other like rights and interests of an enterprise within China; (iii) a foreign investor, individually or collectively with other investors, invests in a new project within China; and (iv) investments in other means as provided by laws, administrative regulations, or the State Council.
According to the Foreign Investment Law, the State Council will publish or approve to publish the “negative list” for special administrative measures concerning foreign investment. The Foreign Investment Law grants national treatment to foreign-invested entities, or FIEs, except for those FIEs that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in the “negative list”. Because the “negative list” has yet to be published, it is unclear whether it will differ from the current Special Administrative Measures for Market Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List). The Foreign Investment Law provides that FIEs operating in foreign restricted or prohibited industries will require market entry clearance and other approvals from relevant PRC governmental authorities. If a foreign investor is found to invest in any prohibited industry in the “negative list”, such foreign investor may be required to, among other aspects, cease its investment activities, dispose of its equity interests or assets within a prescribed time limit and have its income confiscated. If the investment activity of a foreign investor is in breach of any special administrative measure for restrictive access provided for in the “negative list”, the relevant competent department shall order the foreign investor to make corrections and take necessary measures to meet the requirements of the special administrative measure for restrictive access.
The PRC government will establish a foreign investment information reporting system, according to which foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises shall submit investment information to the competent department for commerce concerned through the enterprise registration system and the enterprise credit information publicity system, and a security review system under which the security review shall be conducted for foreign investment affecting or likely affecting the state security.
Furthermore, the Foreign Investment Law provides that foreign invested enterprises established according to the existing laws regulating foreign investment may maintain their structure and corporate governance within five years after the implementing of the Foreign Investment Law.
In addition, the Foreign Investment Law also provides several protective rules and principles for foreign investors and their investments in the PRC, including, among others, that a foreign investor may freely transfer into or out of China, in Renminbi or a foreign currency, its contributions, profits, capital gains, income from disposition of assets, royalties of intellectual property rights, indemnity or compensation lawfully acquired, and income from liquidation, among others, within China; local governments shall abide by their commitments to the foreign investors; governments at all levels and their departments shall enact local normative documents concerning foreign investment in compliance with laws and regulations and shall not impair legitimate rights and interests, impose additional obligations onto FIEs, set market access restrictions and exit conditions, or intervene with the normal production and operation activities of FIEs; except for special circumstances, in which case statutory procedures shall be followed and fair and reasonable compensation shall be made in a timely manner, expropriation or requisition of the investment of foreign investors is prohibited; and mandatory technology transfer is prohibited.
Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China, which could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.
The EIT Law and its implementing rules provide that enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises” under PRC tax laws. The implementing rules promulgated under the EIT Law define the term “de facto management bodies” as a management body which substantially manages, or has control over the business, personnel, finance and assets of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued the Circular on Issues Concerning the Identification of Chinese-Controlled Overseas Registered Enterprises as Resident Enterprises in Accordance With the Actual Standards of Organizational Management, known as Circular 82, which has provided certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management bodies” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. However, there are no further detailed rules or precedents governing the procedures and specific criteria for determining “de facto management body.” Although our board of directors and management are located in Hong Kong, it is unclear if the PRC tax authorities will determine that we should be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise.”
If we are deemed as a PRC “resident enterprise,” we will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on our worldwide income at a uniform tax rate of 25%, although dividends distributed to us from our existing PRC subsidiary and any other PRC subsidiaries which we may establish from time to time could be exempt from the PRC dividend withholding tax due to our PRC “resident recipient” status. This could have a material and adverse effect on our overall effective tax rate, our income tax expenses and our net income. Furthermore, dividends, if any, paid to our shareholders may be decreased as a result of the decrease in distributable profits. In addition, if we were considered a PRC “resident enterprise”, any dividends we pay to our non-PRC investors, and the gains realized from the transfer of our common stock may be considered income derived from sources within the PRC and be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty). It is unclear whether holders of our common stock would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. This could have a material and adverse effect on the value of your investment in us and the price of our common stock.
PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment by offshore holding companies in PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating companies, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and ability to fund and expand our business .
As an offshore holding company of PRC operating companies, we may make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating companies. Any loans to our PRC operating companies are subject to PRC regulations. For example, loans to our operating companies in China to finance their activities may not exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE. If we decide to make capital contributions to our operating entities in the PRC, the PRC Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, (or MOFCOM’s local counterpart, depending on the amount involved) may need to approve these capital contributions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to any such capital contributions. If we fail to receive such approvals, our ability to capitalize our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our ability to fund and expand our business.
We may face PRC regulatory risks relating to our equity incentive plan .
On March 28, 2007, the SAFE promulgated a notice requiring PRC individuals who are granted stock options and other types of stock-based awards by an overseas publicly-listed company to obtain approval from the local SAFE branch through an agent of the overseas publicly-listed company (generally its PRC subsidiary or a financial institution).
We urged our PRC management personnel, directors, employees and consultants who were granted stock options under our Incentive Plan to register them with the local SAFE pursuant to the said regulation. However, we cannot ensure that each of these individuals have carried out all of the required registration procedures.
If we, or any of these persons, fail to comply with the relevant rules or requirements, we may be subject to penalties, and may become subject to more stringent review and approval processes with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as our PRC subsidiaries’ dividend payment to us or borrowing foreign currency loans, all of which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us and we may have limited legal recourse under PRC law if disputes arise under our contracts with third parties .
Since 1979, PRC legislation and regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China in particular, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published decisions and their non-binding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until some time after violation.
The Chinese government has enacted some laws and regulations dealing with matters such as corporate organization and governance, foreign investment, commerce, taxation and trade. However, their experience in implementing, interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations is limited, and our ability to enforce commercial claims or to resolve commercial disputes is unpredictable. The resolution of these matters may be subject to the exercise of considerable discretion by agencies of the Chinese government, and forces unrelated to the legal merits of a particular matter or dispute may influence their determination. Any rights we may have to specific performance, or to seek an injunction under PRC law, in either of these cases, are severely limited, and without a means of recourse by virtue of the Chinese legal system, we may be unable to prevent others from violating our rights. The occurrence of any such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may have difficulty maintaining adequate management, legal and financial controls in the PRC .
The PRC historically has been deficient in western style management and financial reporting concepts and practices, as well as in modern banking, and other control systems. We may have difficulty in hiring and retaining a sufficient number of qualified employees to work in the PRC. As a result of these factors, and especially since we are a publicly listed company in the U.S. and subject to regulation as such, we may experience difficulty in maintaining management, legal and financial controls, collecting financial data and preparing financial statements, books of account and corporate records and instituting business practices that meet western standards. We may have difficulty establishing adequate management, legal and financial controls in the PRC. Therefore, we may, in turn, experience difficulties in implementing and maintaining adequate internal controls as required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX 404, and other applicable laws, rules and regulations. This may result in significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal controls which could impact the reliability of our financial statements and prevent us from complying with SEC rules and regulations and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Any such deficiencies, weaknesses or lack of compliance could have a materially adverse effect on our business and the market price of our stock.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results or prevent fraud may be adversely affected and investor confidence and the market price of our common stock may be adversely impacted .
As directed by SOX 404, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the company’s internal controls over financial reporting in their annual reports. Our management may conclude that our internal controls over our financial reporting are not effective, which could result in an adverse reaction in the financial marketplace due to a loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our reporting processes, which could adversely impact the market price of our common stock.
Your ability to bring an action against us or against our directors and officers, or to enforce a judgment against us or them, will be limited because we conduct substantially all of our operations in the PRC and because the majority of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States .
We are a Nevada corporation but nearly all of our assets are located outside of the U.S. Most of our current operations are conducted in the PRC. In addition, most of our directors and officers are nationals and residents of the PRC. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons is located outside the U.S. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process within the U.S. upon these persons. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts judgments on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law . Courts in the PRC may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based on treaties between the PRC and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. The PRC does not have any treaties or other arrangements that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments with the U.S In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law , courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or the public interest. So it is uncertain whether a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S.
A failure by our stockholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents to comply with certain PRC foreign exchange regulations could restrict our ability to distribute profits, restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activities or subject us to liability under PRC laws, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition .
On October 21, 2005, SAFE issued the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 75 states that PRC residents (including both legal persons and natural persons) must register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas equity financing involving a roundtrip investment whereby the offshore entity acquires or controls onshore assets or equity interests held by the PRC residents. In addition, such PRC residents must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore SPV undergoes material events relating to increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, mergers or divisions, long-term equity or debt investments, external guarantees, or other material events that do not involve roundtrip investments. To further clarify the implementation of SAFE Circular 75, the General Affairs Department of SAFE issued SAFE Circular 106 on May 29, 2007. Under SAFE Circular 106, PRC subsidiaries of an offshore company governed by SAFE Circular 75 are required to coordinate and supervise the filing of SAFE registrations in a timely manner by the offshore holding company’s shareholders who are PRC residents. If these shareholders fail to comply, the PRC subsidiaries are required to report to the local SAFE authorities. If our shareholders who are PRC residents do not complete their registration with the local SAFE authorities, our PRC subsidiaries will be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries.
On July 14, 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular Relating to Foreign Exchange Administration of Offshore Investment, Financing and Return Investment by Domestic Residents Utilizing Special Purpose Vehicles (Circular 37). Replacing an earlier circular published by SAFE in 2005 (Circular 75), Circular 37 further simplifies the registration process for Chinese residents seeking the round- trip investment transactions where Chinese companies (Domestic Entities) are re-organized to create an offshore holding company (the SPV) that will control the Domestic Entities and seek offshore financing. Also, for the first time overseas investments by Chinese individuals are formally legalized under Circular 37.
We are committed to complying, and to ensuring that our shareholders, who are PRC residents, comply with the SAFE Circular 37 requirements. We believe that all of our PRC resident shareholders and beneficial owners have completed their required registrations with SAFE, or are otherwise in the process of registering. However, we may not at all times be fully aware or informed of the identities of all our beneficial owners who are PRC residents, and we may not always be able to compel our beneficial owners to comply with the SAFE Circular 37 requirements. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents will at all times comply with, or in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE Circular 37 or other related regulations. Failure by any such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE Circular 37 could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions or pay dividends or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Our labor costs may increase due to the implementation of the new PRC Labor Contract Law .
The PRC Labor Contract Law was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of PRC in June 2007 and became effective on January 1, 2008. The Implementation Rules of the PRC Labor Contract Law were passed by the PRC State Council in September 2008 and became effective that same month. The implementation of the new law and its Implementation Rules, particularly the following provisions, may increase our labor costs: (a) an employer shall make monetary compensation, which shall be based on the number of an employee’s working years with the employer at the rate of one month’s wage for each year, to the employee upon termination of an employment contract with certain exceptions (for example, in circumstances where the term of a fixed-term employment contract expires and the employee does not agree to renew the contract even though the conditions offered by the employer are the same as or better than those stipulated in the current contract); (b) the wages of an employee who is on probation may not be less than the lowest wage level for the same job with the employer or less than 80% of the wage agreed upon in the employment contract, and may not be less than the local minimum wage rate; (c) if an employee has been working for the employer for a consecutive period of not less than 10 years, or if a fixed-term employment contract with an employee was entered into on two consecutive occasions, generally the employer should enter into an open-ended employment contract with such employee, unless the employee requests a fixed-term employment contract; (d) if an employer fails, in violation of the related provisions, to enter into an open-ended employment contract with an employee, it shall in each month pay to the employee twice his/her wage, starting from the date on which an open-ended employment contract should have been entered into; (e) if an employer fails to enter into a written employment contract with an employee more than one month but less than one year after the date on which it started employing him/her, it shall in each month pay to the employee twice his/her wage; and (f) if an employer hires an employee whose employment contract with another employer has not yet been terminated or ended, causing the other employer to suffer a loss, the later hiring employer shall be jointly and severally liable with the employee for the compensation for such loss. Our labor costs may increase due to the implementation of the new PRC Labor Contract Law and the Implementation Rules of the PRC Labor Contract Law and our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
The Opinions recently issued by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future.
July 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. The aforementioned policies and any related implementation rules to be enacted may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. As the Opinions were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of the Opinions remain unclear in several respects at this time. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will remain fully compliant with all new regulatory requirements of the Opinions or any future implementation rules on a timely basis, or at all.
The recent joint statement by the SEC and PCAOB, proposed rule changes submitted by Nasdaq, and the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments could add uncertainties to our offering.
On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets.
On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in “Restrictive Market”, (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or board of director for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company’s auditors.
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCAA requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the Company’s auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a U.S. stock exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the HFCAA. On December 18, 2020, the HFCAA was signed into law.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced that it had adopted interim final amendments to implement congressionally mandated submission and disclosure requirements of the Act. The interim final amendments will apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report on Forms 10-K, 20-F, 40-F or N-CSR with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. The SEC will implement a process for identifying such a registrant and any such identified registrant will be required to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in that foreign jurisdiction, and will also require disclosure in the registrant’s annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and governmental influence on, such a registrant.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which was signed into law on December 29, 2022, amending the HFCAA and requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchange if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.
On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCAA, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.
On December 16, 2021, SEC announced the PCAOB designated China and Hong Kong as the jurisdictions where the PCAOB was not allowed to conduct full and complete audit inspections as mandated under the HFCAA.
On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced it signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Statement of Protocol”) with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of China. The terms of the Statement of Protocol granted the PCAOB complete access to audit work papers and other information so that it may inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered accounting firms headquartered in China and Hong Kong.
On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely in 2022. The PCAOB Board vacated its previous 2021 determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainties and depends on a number of factors out of our and our auditor’s control. The PCAOB continues to demand complete access in mainland China and Hong Kong moving forward and is making plans to resume regular inspections in early 2023 and beyond, as well as to continue pursuing ongoing investigations and initiate new investigations as needed. The PCAOB has also indicated that it will act immediately to consider the need to issue new determinations with the HFCAA if needed.
The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, the investors may be 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 these accounting firms’ audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause existing and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Enrome LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2025, is based in Singapore and is registered with PCAOB and subject to PCAOB inspection. Therefore, we believe Enrome LLP is subject to the determinations as to the inability to inspect or investigate registered firms announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021.
However, recent developments with respect to audits of China-based companies create uncertainty about the ability of Enrome LLP to fully cooperate with the PCAOB’s request for audit workpapers without the approval of the Chinese authorities. We cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements. In the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely the Company’s auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction, then such lack of inspection could cause trading in the Company’s securities to be prohibited under the HFCAA ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist the Company’s securities. It remains unclear what the SEC’s implementation process related to the above rules will entail or what further actions the SEC, the PCAOB or Nasdaq will take to address these issues and what impact those actions will have on U.S. companies that have significant operations in the PRC and have securities listed on a U.S. stock exchange. In addition, the above amendments and any additional actions, proceedings, or new rules resulting from these efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could create some uncertainty for investors, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we and our auditor are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement or being required to engage a new audit firm, which would require significant expense and management time.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
The market price for our common stock may be volatile .
Our common stock may be subject to extreme volatility that is seemingly unrelated to the underlying performance of our business. In particular, our common stock may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility, low volumes of trades and large spreads in bid and ask prices, given that we will have relatively small public floats after this offering. Such volatility, including any stock-run up, may be unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects. The market price for our common stock is highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors including the following:
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;
announcements of new services by us or our competitors;
announcements by our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;
conditions in the energy recycling market;
changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other companies involved in the same industry;
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretation or principles;
loss of external funding sources;
failure to maintain compliance with Nasdaq listing rules;
additions or departures of key personnel;
potential litigation;
conditions in the market; or
relatively small size of shares of our common stock available for purchase.
In addition, the securities markets from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Holders of our common stock may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our common stock. Furthermore, the potential extreme volatility may confuse the public investors of the value of our stock, distort the market perception of our stock price and our company’s financial performance and public image, negatively affect the long-term liquidity of our common stock, regardless of our actual or expected operating performance. If we encounter such volatility, including any rapid stock price increases and declines seemingly unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, it will likely make it difficult and confusing for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our common stock and understand the value thereof.
Shareholders could experience substantial dilution .
We may issue additional shares of our capital stock to raise additional cash for working capital. If we issue additional shares of our capital stock, our shareholders will experience dilution in their respective percentage ownership in the company.
If we fail to meet all applicable Nasdaq requirements and the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC determines to delist our common stock, the delisting could adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock, impair the value of our common stock and harm our business.
The listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market is contingent on our compliance with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s conditions for continued listing. On September 24, 2024, the Company received a written notification from Nasdaq, notifying the Company that it is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rules for continued listing on the Nasdaq. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of US$1.00 per share (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”), and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the Minimum Bid Price Requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Based on the closing bid price of our common stock for the 37 consecutive business days, the Company no longer meets the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company was provided 180 calendar days, or until March 24, 2025, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by March 24, 2025, the Company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day grace period. On August 1, 2025, the Company received a letter from the Staff notifying the Company that the Staff had determined that for the last 10 consecutive business days, from July 18, 2025 to July 31, 2025, the closing bid price for the Company’s common stock was at least $1.00 per share, and, accordingly, the Company has regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2)and the matter is now closed.
There can be no assurance that we will continue to maintain compliance with the requirements for listing our common stock on Nasdaq. Any potential delisting of our common stock from the Nasdaq Capital Market would likely result in decreased liquidity and increased volatility for our common stock and would adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital or to enter into strategic transactions. Any potential delisting of our common stock from the Nasdaq Capital Market would also make it more difficult for our stockholders to sell our common stock in the public market.
Additionally, the market price of our common stock may decline further and stockholders may lose some or all of their investment.
In the event that our common stocks are delisted from Nasdaq, U.S. broker-dealers may be discouraged from effecting transactions in our common stocks because they may be considered penny stocks and thus be subject to the penny stock rules.
The SEC has adopted a number of rules to regulate “penny stock” that restricts transactions involving stock which is deemed to be penny stock. Such rules include Rules 3a51-1, 15g-1, 15g-2, 15g-3, 15g-4, 15g-5, 15g-6, 15g-7, and 15g-9 under the Exchange Act. These rules may have the effect of reducing the liquidity of penny stocks. “Penny stocks” generally are equity securities with a price of less than $5.00 per share (other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on Nasdaq if current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system). Our common stocks could be considered to be a “penny stock” within the meaning of the rules. The additional sales practice and disclosure requirements imposed upon U.S. broker-dealers may discourage such broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our common stocks, which could severely limit the market liquidity of such common stocks and impede their sale in the secondary market.
A U.S. broker-dealer selling a penny stock to anyone other than an established customer or “accredited investor” (generally, an individual with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or an annual income exceeding $200,000, or $300,000 together with his or her spouse) must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and must receive the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale, unless the broker-dealer or the transaction is otherwise exempt. In addition, the “penny stock” regulations require the U.S. broker-dealer to deliver, prior to any transaction involving a “penny stock”, a disclosure schedule prepared in accordance with SEC standards relating to the “penny stock” market, unless the broker-dealer or the transaction is otherwise exempt. A U.S. broker-dealer is also required to disclose commissions payable to the U.S. broker-dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities. Finally, a U.S. broker-dealer is required to submit monthly statements disclosing recent price information with respect to the “penny stock” held in a customer’s account and information with respect to the limited market in “penny stocks”.
The market for “penny stocks” has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include (i) control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; (ii) manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; (iii) “boiler room” practices involving high-pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; (iv) excessive and undisclosed bid-ask differentials and markups by selling broker-dealers; and (v) the wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker-dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, resulting in investor losses. Our management is aware of the abuses that have occurred historically in the penny stock market. Although we do not expect to be in a position to dictate the behavior of the market or of broker-dealers who participate in the market, management will strive within the confines of practical limitations to prevent the described patterns from being established with respect to our securities.
We have no present intention to pay dividends .
We have not paid dividends or made other cash distributions on our common stock during any of the past three years, and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain any future earnings for working capital and to finance current operations and expansion of our business.
A large portion of our common stock is controlled by a small number of shareholders .
A large portion of our common stock is held by a small number of shareholders. As a result, these shareholders are able to influence the outcome of shareholder votes on various matters, including the election of directors and extraordinary corporate transactions including business combinations. In addition, the occurrence of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock, or the perception that these sales could occur, may affect our stock price and could impair our ability to obtain capital through an offering of equity securities. Furthermore, the current ratios of ownership of our common stock reduce the public float and liquidity of our common stock which can in turn affect the market price of our common stock.
Future sales of our common stock, whether by us or our shareholders, could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
If our existing shareholders sell, or indicate an intent to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline significantly. Similarly, the perception in the public market that our shareholders might sell our common stock could also depress the market price of our shares. A decline in the price of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional common stock or other equity securities. In addition, the issuance and sale by us of additional common stock, or securities convertible into or exercisable for our common stock, or the perception that we will issue such securities, could reduce the trading price for our common stock as well as make future sales of equity securities by us less attractive or not feasible.
A possible “short squeeze” due to a sudden increase in demand of our common stock that largely exceeds supply may lead to additional price volatility.
Investors may purchase common stock to hedge existing exposure or to speculate on the price of our common stock. Speculation on the price of our common stock may involve long and short exposures. To the extent an aggregate short exposure in our common stock becomes significant, investors with short exposure may have to pay a premium to purchase common stock for delivery to share lenders at times if and when the price of our common stock increases significantly, particularly over a short period of time. Those purchases may in turn, dramatically increase the price of our common stock. This is often referred to as a “short squeeze.” A short squeeze could lead to volatile price movements in our common stock that are not directly correlated to our business prospects, financial performance or other traditional measures of value for the Company or its common stock.
If we are not careful with the use of our cash assets, we could become an investment company and be subject to the additional obligations of such a categorization.
The Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, requires registration as an investment company for companies that are engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities. Unless an exemption or safe harbor applies, a company may be deemed to be an investment company if it owns “investment securities” with a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets on an unconsolidated basis, excluding government securities and cash items. Securities issued by companies other than majority-owned subsidiaries are generally counted as investment securities for purposes of the Investment Company Act.
As of December 31, 2025, approximately 0.025% of our $157.6 million in assets was in cash. If we were to invest a significant enough percentage of this cash in speculative investment securities we could be considered an investment company. Registration as an investment company would subject us to restrictions that are inconsistent with our fundamental business strategies. We may have to take actions, including buying, refraining from buying, selling or refraining from selling securities, when we would otherwise not choose to in order to continue to avoid registration under the Investment Company Act.
Under interpretations by the staff of the SEC, we would not be considered an investment company if we invest this cash in various non-speculative investment securities and engage in activities that are consistent with our goal of discovering, developing and commercializing antiviral and anticancer medications. If we are not careful in how we invest our cash, we could inadvertently invest in securities that would result in us becoming an investment company.
cautioned
undue
negative
incorrect
Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, the Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements to conform these statements to actual results. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made throughout the entirety of this Report, which attempts to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Our financial statements are prepared in US Dollars and in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. See “Foreign Currency Translation and Comprehensive Income (Loss)” below for information concerning the exchange rates at which Renminbi (“RMB”) were translated into US Dollars (“USD”) at various pertinent dates and for pertinent periods.
OVERVIEW
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Comparison of Operating Results for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024
The following table sets forth our operating results for the designated periods, expressed as a percentage of net sales.
% of Sales
% of Sales
Sales
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Total operating expenses
Loss from operations
Total non-operating income (expenses), net
Loss before income tax
Income tax expense
Net loss
SALES .
Total sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 , amounted to $262,509. The company signed an Operation and Maintenance Contract for power stations. The contract has total amount RMB3.0 million (US$0.4 million) per annum, starting from 2025 to 2035 for 10 years with third parties. The Company recognized the revenue based on the time period.
COST OF SALES.
Cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2025 , was $145,895.
GROSS PROFIT .
For the year ended December 31, 2025 , the gross margin was 44%.
OPERATING EXPENSES .
Operating expenses consisted of general and administrative expenses (“G&A”) totaling $ 3,132,219 for the year ended December 31, 2025 , compared to $1,093,468 for the year ended December 31, 2024. This represented an increase of $2,038,751 year-over-year. The increase was mainly attributable to an increase in financing costs of $948,648 and share-based compensation of $831,520, previously deductible input VAT from prior years is now confirmed as non-deductible and recorded as an expense of $168,204.
NET NON-OPERATING INCOME (EXPENSES ).
Net non-operating income (expenses) consisted of gain or loss from note conversion, interest income, interest expenses, and other miscellaneous expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2025 , net non-operating income were $156,100 compared to non-operating expenses of $451,547 for the year ended D ecember 31, 2024. The primary reason was the provision of financial support to other companies, which generated interest income of $264,346, coupled with the reversal of a $200,000 provision for impaired prepayments.
INCOME TAX EXPENSE .
Income tax expense was $40,536 for the year ended December 31, 2025 , compared with income tax expense of $13,997 for the year December 31, 2024. The consolidated effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2025 , and 2024 were 2.4% and 1.5%, respectively. In 2025, Management concluded that the realizability of related tax benefits from these losses was uncertain due to the continuing operating losses at the US parent company. Accordingly, a 100% valuation allowance was provided against the deferred tax asset.
NET LOSS.
Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2025 , was $2,900,041 compared to loss of $1,559,012 for the year ended December 31 , 2024, representing an increase in net loss of $1,341,029. The increase in net loss was mainly driven by rising operating expenses and the reversal of impairment provision, as previously discussed.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Comparison of years ended December 31, 2025 , and 2024
As of December 31, 2025, the Company maintained cash and equivalents of $40,156, other current assets (excluding cash and equivalents) of $156.78 million, current liabilities of $11.14 million, and working capital of $145.68 million, with a current ratio of 14.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09:1.
The following is a summary of cash flows provided by or used in each of the indicated types of activities, for the years ended December 31, 2025 , and 2024:
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating Activities
Investing activities
Financing activity
Net cash generated from operating activities was $66.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $10.8 million net cash used for the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in net cash inflow for the year ended December 31, 2025, was mainly driven by the collection of $68.1 million in advance payments to suppliers, which generated cash inflows.
Net cash used in investing activities was $99.5 million and net cash provided by investing activities was $11.0 million respectively for the year ended December 31, 2025, and 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company had new short-term loan receivable of $156.8 million, and collected back $58.0 million.
Net cash provided by financing activities was $32.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 , primarily attributable to proceeds from equity issuance.
We believe that inflation did not have or is not expected to have a significant adverse impact on our operating results in 2025.
Net cash used in operating activities was $10,764,096 during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $68,099,899 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in net cash outflow for the year ended December 31, 2024 was mainly due to cash outflow on payment of Entrusted loan payable by $10.5 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $11,031,196 and $(69,124,086), respectively for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024. The cash inflow of investing activities mainly due to the short-term loan collection of RMB 486.1 million ($66,69 million), offsetting by new short-term loan receivable of $55.6 million.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $ 55,660,131 (RMB 406.3 million) short term loan to Xi’an Yingtai Energy Conservation Technology Co., Ltd (“Xi’an Yingtai”), an unrelated party of the Company.
There was no cash provided by or use in financing activities during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
We do not believe inflation has had or will have a significant negative impact on our results of operations in 2024.
Transfers of Cash to and from Our Subsidiaries
The PRC maintains currency controls and capital transfer regulations that require us to comply with certain requirements on capital movement of. The Company may transfer USD cash to its PRC subsidiaries through following channels: (i) an equity investment (by increasing the Company’s registered capital in a PRC subsidiary), or (ii) a stockholder loan. The Company’s PRC subsidiaries have not transferred any earnings or cash to the Company to date. The Company’s business is primarily conducted through its subsidiaries. The Company functions as a holding entity and its material assets consist solely of the equity interests in its PRC-based subsidiaries. The Company relies on dividends distribution from its subsidiaries to meet its working capital and cash needs, including the funds necessary: (i) to pay dividends or cash distributions to its stockholders, (ii) to service any debt obligations and (iii) to pay operating expenses. Under applicable PRC laws and regulations (noted below), the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are legally required to allocate 10% of annual after-tax income into general reserve fund, prior to payment of dividends. These requirements, combined with other regulatory constraints, materially limit the subsidiaries’ ability to distribute a portion of net assets as dividends to the parent company.
With respect to transferring cash from the Company to its subsidiaries, to increase the Company’s registered capital in a PRC subsidiary, requires submission of the filing to local commerce department, while a stockholder loan requires a filing with the state administration of foreign exchange or its local bureau.
With respect to dividends distribution, we note the following:
PRC regulations currently only permit the payment of dividends out of accumulated profits, as determined in accordance with accounting standards and PRC regulations (an in-depth description of the PRC regulations is set forth below);
Under Chinese Accounting Standards (CAS) and the PRC Company Law, our PRC subsidiaries are required to allocate, at least 10% of their annual after-tax net income, to statutory surplus reserves until the cumulative reserve balance reaches 50% of their registered capital;
Such reserves may not be distributed as cash dividends;
Our PRC subsidiaries may also allocate a portion of their after-tax profits to their staff welfare funds and bonus funds; except in the event of a liquidation, these funds can not be distributed to stockholders; the Company does not participate in a Joint Welfare Fund;
The incurrence of debt, particularly the instruments governing such debt, may restrict a subsidiary’s ability to pay dividends to stockholders or make other cash distributions; and
The Company is subject to covenants and consent requirements.
If, due to the aforementioned reasons, our subsidiaries are unable to pay dividends and/or make other cash payments to the Company when needed, the Company’s ability to conduct operations, make investments, engage in acquisitions, or undertake other working capital-dependent initiatives, may be materially and adversely affected. However, our operations and business, including investment and/or acquisitions by our subsidiaries in China, will not be affected as long as the capital flows remain within PRC.
PRC Regulations
In accordance with PRC regulations on Enterprises with Foreign Investment and their articles of association, a foreign-invested enterprise (“FIE”) established in the PRC is required to provide statutory reserves, which are appropriated from net profit, as reported in the FIE’s PRC statutory financial accounts. A FIE is required to allocate at least 10% of its annual after-tax profit to the surplus reserve until such reserve balance reaches 50% of its respective registered capital (based on the FIE’s PRC statutory accounts). The aforementioned reserves may only be used for specific purposes and may not be distributed as cash dividends. Until such contribution of capital is satisfied, the FIE is not allowed to repatriate profits to its stockholders, unless approved by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Once this requirement is satisfied, the remaining funds may be appropriated at the discretion of the FIE’s board of directors. Our subsidiary, Shanghai TCH, qualifies as a FIE and is therefore subject to the aforementioned regulations on distributable profits.
Additionally, in accordance with PRC corporate law, a domestic enterprise is required to maintain a surplus reserve of at least 10% of its annual after-tax profit until such reserve has reached 50% of its respective registered capital based on the enterprise’s PRC statutory accounts. The aforementioned reserves can only be used for specific purposes and may not be distributed as cash dividends. Xi’an TCH, Huahong, Zhonghong and Erdos TCH were established as domestic enterprises; therefore, each is subject to the above-mentioned restrictions on distributable profits.
As a result of PRC laws and regulations that require annual appropriations of 10% of after-tax income to be set aside, prior to payment of dividends, in a general reserve fund, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the Company as a dividend or otherwise.
Chart of the Company’s Statutory Reserve
Pursuant to PRC corporate law, effective January 1, 2006, the Company is required to appropriate a statutory reserve from its after-tax profit before declaring or paying dividends. The statutory reserve is restricted retained earnings. Our restricted and unrestricted retained earnings under US GAAP are classified as below:
We have not entered into any other financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as stockholders’ equity or that are not reflected in our CFS. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
The Company’s contractual obligations as of December 31, 2025 , are as follows:
1 year
More than
See Note
Contractual Obligation
or less
1 year
(for details)
Interest payable of Entrusted loan
Lease liability obligation
Total
The Company believes it has sufficient cash as of December 31, 2025 , and a sufficient channel to obtain any loans that may be necessary to meet its working capital needs from commercial institutions. Historically, we have been able to obtain loans or otherwise achieve our financing objectives due to the Chinese government’s support for energy-saving businesses with stable cash inflows, good credit ratings and history. In November 2024, we paid the Entrusted loan principal of $10,548,957 (RMB77 million), with interest still outstanding.
