Esg Inc. - 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risk Factors

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below and the other information contained in this report before deciding to invest in our common stock.

Risks Related to our Business

We face risks related to health epidemics that could impact our sales and operating results.

Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of a widespread outbreak of contagious disease, including COVID-19. Although the impact of COVID-19 was temporary on our business and operations in 2021 due to some shutdowns in China, any outbreak of contagious diseases in the future, and other adverse public health developments, particularly in China, could have a material and adverse effect on our business operations. These could include disruptions or restrictions on our ability to conduct our operations, as well as temporary closures of our facilities and ports or the facilities of our customers and third-party service providers. Any disruption or delay of our customers or third-party service providers would likely impact our operating results and the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of China and many other countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could affect demand for our products and significantly impact our operating results.

The loss of any of our key customers could reduce our revenues and our profitability.

Our key customers in fiscal year 2024 were distributor in Hefei China and processor in Fujian province China. If we cannot maintain long-term relationships with these major customers, the loss of our sales to them could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will maintain or improve the relationships with these customers, or that we will be able to continue to supply these customers at current levels or at all. In addition, having a relatively small number of customers/distributors may cause our quarterly results to be inconsistent, depending upon these customers’ daily capacity to sell.

Our failure to comply with PRC food safety laws may require us to incur significant costs.

Manufacturers in the Chinese food industry are subject to compliance with PRC food safety laws and regulations. Such laws require manufacturers to comply with regulations with respect to food, food additives, packaging, and food production sites, facilities and equipment. Failure to comply with PRC food safety laws may result in fines, suspension of operations and, in more extreme cases, criminal proceedings against an enterprise and its management. The Chinese government may also change the existing laws or regulations or impose additional or stricter laws or regulations, compliance with which may cause us to incur significant capital expenditures, which we may be unable to pass on to our customers through higher prices for our products.

We lack product and business diversification. Accordingly, our future revenues and earnings are more susceptible to fluctuations than a more diversified company.

Our primary business activities have historically focused on fresh white button mushrooms products although we began a fresh mushroom processing business in the fourth quarter of 2024. Because our focus has historically been limited in this way, any risk affecting the fresh mushrooms industry or consumers’ desire for fresh mushrooms products could disproportionately affect our business. To enhance our ability to continue to operate, we are dedicating resources to generate recurring revenues and sustainable operating cash flows. On December 31, 2022, AUM, a subsidiary of ESG acquired 12 mushroom houses by assuming debt. The new operations further increase the production of mushrooms and reduce fixed cost per unit to reach the scale effect of economics. On January 5, 2022, Funan Agricultural Reclining Investment Co. Ltd signed an agreement to fund $18.09 million by 10-year debt financing for the expansion of composting facilities, which will further generate revenue on compost sales with a higher profit margin. In 2024, we improved efficiency with current facilities, the revenue of fresh mushroom reached USD 5.86 million and the processing revenue of fresh mushroom reached USD 3.94 million, respectfully; on the other side, we were expanding our composting facilities to generate compost sale revenue of USD 2.88 million in 2024. In 2025, the revenue was USD 4.58 million due to the suspension of production in the fourth quarter.

Governmental support to the agriculture industry and/or our business may decrease or disappear.

Currently the Chinese government is supporting agriculture with tax exemption, especially e-commerce in agriculture. In addition, our local government has been supporting our company by providing subsidies from time to time. These beneficial policies may change, so the support we receive from the government may decrease or disappear, which may impact our development.

Beneficial tax incentives may disappear.

We operate our business through our Chinese subsidiaries. Currently the agriculture industry is highly supported by the Chinese government. For example, to further strengthen and standardize the support of comprehensive agricultural development to the characteristic industries with agricultural advantages, the Chinese National Office of Comprehensive Agricultural Development has decided to carry out the compilation of The Plan for Comprehensive Agricultural Development to Support the Agricultural Advantage and Characteristic Industries (2019-2021) (the “New Plan”). Mushrooms are emphasized and classified as a “dominant and characteristic industry,” which may become the objects of policy-support issue in the future. However, the New Plan has not yet been formally approved and the final result remains to be further observed.

As an agricultural production enterprise, we are enjoying certain tax benefits, including a tax waiver of VAT and income tax. If the tax policies change in a way that some or all of the tax benefits we presently receive are cancelled, we may need to pay much higher taxes which will reduce or eliminate our profit margin.

We are subject to extensive regulations by the Chinese government.

The food industry is subject to extensive regulations by Chinese government agencies. Among other things, these regulations govern the manufacturing, importation, processing, packaging, storage, exportation, distribution and labelling of our products. New or amended statutes and regulations, increased production at our existing facilities, and our expansion into new operations and jurisdictions may require us to obtain new licenses and permits and could require us to change our methods of operations at costs that could be substantial.

Failure to make adequate contributions to the Housing Provident Fund for certain employees of our PRC subsidiaries could subject us to labor disputes or complaints and adversely affect our financial condition.

Pursuant to the Regulations on Management of Housing Provident Fund (“HPF”), promulgated by the State Council on April 3, 1999 and amended on March 24, 2002, PRC enterprises must register with relevant HPF management center, open special HPF accounts at a designated bank and make timely HPF contributions for their employees. In accordance with the Regulations on Management of Housing Provident Fund and the Rules for Administrative Enforcement of Housing Provident Fund in Anhui Province, an enterprise that fails to register with HPF management center or open accounts for its employees shall be ordered to do so within the prescribed time; if a PRC company fails to comply within the prescribed time, it could be fined between RMB10,000 and RMB50,000.

Furthermore, if such enterprise fails to pay in full or in part its HPF contributions, such enterprise will be ordered by the HPF enforcement authorities to make such contributions, and may be compelled by the people’s court that has jurisdiction over the matter to make such contributions. Pursuant to the relevant HPF laws and regulations, HPF contributions are only required for employees with urban housing registration. For employees with rural housing registration, contributions are voluntary and are not required. In addition, there are discrepancies in the interpretation and enforcement of such regulations at the national and local level. Local and national enforcement practices at times vary significantly.

Our PRC subsidiaries have not opened HPF accounts for their employees (almost all of them are with rural housing registration). With respect to employees for whom our PRC subsidiaries do not make HPF contributions, our PRC subsidiaries have entered into employment arrangements intended to clarify that compensation includes an amount in lieu of such contributions and that the employees are responsible for their own related housing arrangements. However, these arrangements may not be sufficient to eliminate the risk that the PRC subsidiaries could be required by the relevant authorities to make full HPF contributions and could face employee claims or other proceedings relating to such contributions. As of the date of this report, our PRC subsidiaries have not received any demand or order from the competent authorities with respect to their HPF contribution. To the extent the PRC subsidiaries are required to make such payments, our financial condition will likely be adversely affected.

Mushrooms are subject to risks related to diseases, pests, and system malfunction.

Mushrooms are exposed to diseases and pests. Pests and diseases during the cultivation process may significantly decrease the quantity of quality mushrooms, which may impact our revenue.

Temperature can have a significant impact on the growth and the quality of mushrooms. Although our growing facilities are indoors and operated under monitored environmental controls, we may still experience malfunctions in cooling, airflow, or heating system.

Our farms may fail to comply with the legal requirements and our quality standards and be negatively impacted by the quality of our raw materials.

Our farms are required to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. If we fail to comply with PRC laws relating to food safety, composting, cultivation or related operations, the relevant governmental authorities could require us to suspend or modify operations. In addition, the quality of our raw materials may affect our ability to meet our internal quality standards and applicable regulatory requirements.

Increases in our raw materials costs may negatively affect our operating results.

The price of the raw materials we use may be inelastic when we wish to purchase supplies. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to control our material expenses. In addition, as we are competing based upon low cost, we will risk losing customers by increasing our selling prices. To the extent our costs increase beyond the price we can charge our customers, our operating results could be harmed.

We may require additional financing in the future and our operations could be curtailed if we are unable to obtain required additional financing when needed.

While we do not anticipate seeking additional financing in the immediate future, any additional equity may result in dilution to the holders of our outstanding shares of capital stock. Additional debt financing may include conditions that would restrict our freedom to operate our business, such as conditions that:

increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

require us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our debt, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund capital expenditures, working capital and other general corporate purposes; and

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain any additional financing on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.

We are substantially dependent upon our senior management.

We are highly dependent on our senior management to manage our business and operations. In particular, we rely substantially on our Chief Executive Officer Zhi Yang on current stage.

Failure to manage our growth could strain our management, operational and other resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business and prospects.

Our growth strategy includes building a food processing facility, developing export customers of our existing fresh mushroom and Phase III compost, and increasing varieties of agricultural and food products. Pursuing these strategies has resulted in and will continue to result in substantial demands on management resources. In particular, the management of our growth will require, among other things:

stringent cost controls and sufficient liquidity;

strengthening of financial and management controls;

increased marketing, sales and support activities; and

hiring and training of new personnel.

If we are not able to manage our growth successfully, our business and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

Insufficient insurance coverage could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.

While we have purchased insurance to cover certain events, the amounts and scope of coverage could leave our business inadequately protected from loss. If we were to incur substantial losses or liabilities due to fire, explosions, floods, other natural disasters or accidents or business interruption, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, it could harm our business and competitive position.

We rely on a combination of patents, trademark, domain name laws and non-disclosure agreements and other methods to protect our intellectual property rights.

Implementation of PRC intellectual property-related laws have historically been lacking, primarily because of ambiguities in the PRC laws and enforcement difficulties. Accordingly, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other western countries. Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we may need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. Such litigation and an adverse determination in any such litigation, if any, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, which could harm our business and competitive position.

We may be exposed to trademark infringement and other claims by third parties which, if successful, could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we sell our branded products internationally, and as litigation becomes more common in China, we face a higher risk of being the subject of claims for trademark infringement, invalidity or indemnification relating to other parties’ proprietary rights. The defense of trademark suits, including trademark infringement suits, and related legal and administrative proceedings can be both costly and time consuming and may significantly divert the efforts and resources of our management personnel. Furthermore, an adverse determination in any such litigation or proceedings to which we may become a party could cause us to:

pay damage awards;

seek licenses from third parties;

pay ongoing royalties;

redesign our branded products; or

be restricted by injunctions,

each of which could effectively prevent us from pursuing some or all of our business and result in our customers or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our products. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

There are implications of being an emerging growth company.

As a company with less than $2.0 billion in revenue during its last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as a company is deemed to be an emerging growth company, it may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other regulatory requirements that are generally unavailable to other public companies. These provisions include:

a requirement to have only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in an initial public offering registration statement;

an exemption to provide less than five years of selected financial data in an initial public offering registration statement;

an exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting;

an exemption from the adoption of new or revised financial accounting standards until they would apply to private companies;

an exemption from compliance with any new requirements adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of the issuer; and

reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements.

An emerging growth company is also exempt from Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires that the registered accounting firm shall, in the same report, attest to and report on the assessment on the effectiveness of the internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting. Similarly, as a Smaller Reporting Company we are exempt from Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act and our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until such time as we cease being a Smaller Reporting Company.

As an emerging growth company, we are exempt from Section 14A (a) and (b) of the Exchange Act which require stockholder approval of executive compensation and golden parachutes.

Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Our financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

We will cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of:

the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common equity securities pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act;

the last day of the fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues equal or exceed $1.235 billion;

the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or

the date on which we become a large accelerated filer, meaning the market value of our common equity held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, we have been subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act for at least twelve calendar months, and we have filed at least one annual report.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Because all of our operations are in China currently, our business is subject to the complex and rapidly evolving laws and regulations there. The PRC government may exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our common stock.

Although substantially all of our operations are conducted in China through our subsidiaries, we are a Nevada corporation and our current independent registered public accounting firm is Tang Qian & Associates, PLLC, a Texas-based PCAOB-registered accounting firm engaged on February 18, 2026. Nevertheless, changes in U.S. or PRC law, regulation, inspection access, data-transfer restrictions, or the cross-border audit environment could adversely affect our reporting obligations, financing activities, and the market for our securities.

As a business operating in the PRC, we are subject to the laws and regulations of the PRC, which can be complex and evolve rapidly. The PRC government has the power to exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business, and the regulations to which we are subject may change rapidly and with little notice to us or our shareholders. As a result, the application, interpretation, and enforcement of new and existing laws and regulations in the PRC are often uncertain. In addition, these laws and regulations may be interpreted and applied inconsistently by different agencies or authorities, and inconsistently with our current policies and practices. New laws, regulations, and other government directives in the PRC may also be costly to comply with, and such compliance or any associated inquiries or investigations or any other government actions may:

Delay or impede our development,

Result in negative publicity or increase our operating costs,

Require significant management time and attention, and

Subject us to remedies, administrative penalties and even criminal liabilities that may harm our business, including fines assessed for our current or historical operations, or demands or orders that we modify or even cease our business practices.

The promulgation of new laws or regulations, or the new interpretation of existing laws and regulations, in each case that restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact the ability or manner in which we conduct our business and could require us to change certain aspects of our business to ensure compliance, which could decrease demand for our products, reduce revenues, increase costs, require us to obtain more licenses, permits, approvals or certificates, or subject us to additional liabilities. To the extent any new or more stringent measures are required to be implemented, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected as well as materially decrease the value of our common stock.

The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to customer rights, taxation, employment, property and other matters. The central or local governments of China 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. Such future administrative measure or actions may have material adverse effects on the offering of our securities to investors, our proposed listing in the U.S. or our business operation, for example in the event that it is required that we should obtain permission from the Chinese government to offer our securities to investors or list on U.S. exchanges, it is unpredictable whether such permission can be obtained by us, as the case may be, or, if permission is obtained, whether it could be later denied or rescinded. If we, including our subsidiaries, do not receive or maintain such permissions or approvals, or inadvertently conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required, it could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities to investors, list in the U.S. and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. 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 (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 and 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. In July 2021, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator launched the investigation on three Internet platforms.

On November 14, 2021, the CAC released the Regulations on the Network Data Security Management (Draft for Comments) (the “Data Security Management Regulations Draft”), to solicit public opinion and comments. Pursuant to the Data Security Management Regulations Draft, data processors holding more than one million users’ individual information shall be subject to cybersecurity review before listing abroad. Data processing activities refers to activities such as the collection, retention, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure, or deletion of data. According to the latest amended Cybersecurity Review Measures, which was promulgated on December 28, 2021 and became effective on February 15, 2022, and replaced the Cybersecurity Review Measures promulgated on April 13, 2020, online platform operator holding more than one million users’ individual information shall be subject to cybersecurity review before listing abroad. Since the Cybersecurity Review Measures is new, the implementation and interpretation thereof is not yet clear.

On July 30, 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 September 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.

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC issued the New Administrative Rules Regarding Overseas Listings, which became effective on March 31, 2023. According to the new administrative rules, among other things, a domestic company in the PRC that seeks to offer and list securities in overseas markets shall fulfill the filing procedure with the CSRC as per requirements thereof. Initial public offerings or listings in overseas markets shall be filed with the CSRC within 3 working days after the relevant application is submitted overseas. If an issuer offers securities in the same overseas market where it has previously offered and listed securities subsequently, filings shall be made with the CSRC within 3 working days after the offering is completed. Upon occurrence of any material event, such as change of control, investigations or sanctions imposed by overseas securities regulatory agencies or other relevant competent authorities, change of listing status or transfer of listing segment, or voluntary or mandatory delisting, after an issuer has offered and listed securities in an overseas market, the issuer shall submit a report thereof to CSRC within 3 working days after the occurrence and public disclosure of such event. Further, an overseas securities company that serves as a sponsor or lead underwriter for overseas securities offering and listing by domestic companies shall file with the CSRC within 10 working days after signing its first engagement agreement for such business, and submit to the CSRC, no later than January 31 each year, an annual report on its business activities in the previous year associated with overseas securities offering and listing by domestic companies. If an overseas securities company has entered into engagement agreements before the effectuation of the Trial Administrative Measures and is serving in practice as a sponsor or lead underwriter for overseas securities offering and listing by domestic companies, it shall file with the CSRC within 30 working days after the Trial Administrative Measures take effect.

On February 24, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Confidentiality and Archives Administration Provisions”), which will also become effective on March 31, 2023. The Confidentiality and Archives Administration Provisions set out rules, requirements and procedures relating to provision of documents, materials and accounting archives for securities companies, securities service providers, overseas regulators and other entities and individuals in connection with overseas offering and listing, including without limitation to, domestic companies that carry out overseas offering and listing (either in direct or indirect means) and the securities companies and securities service providers (either incorporated domestically or overseas) that undertake relevant businesses shall not leak any state secret and working secret of government agencies, or harm national security and public interest, and a domestic company shall first obtain approval from competent authorities according to law, and file with the secrecy administrative department at the same level, if it plans to, either directly or through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies. Working papers produced in the Chinese mainland by securities companies and securities service providers in the process of undertaking businesses related to overseas offering and listing by domestic companies shall be retained in the Chinese mainland. Where such documents need to be transferred or transmitted to outside the Chinese mainland, relevant approval procedures stipulated by regulations shall be followed.

Our business may be subject to a variety of PRC laws and other obligations regarding cybersecurity and data protection.

Our business may be subject to PRC laws relating to the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may adopt other rules and restrictions in the future. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.

Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”). Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operator” remains unclear.

On April 13, 2020, twelve Chinese government agencies jointly promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which became effective on June 1, 2020, set forth the cybersecurity review mechanism for critical information infrastructure operators, and provided that critical information infrastructure operators who intend to purchase internet products and services that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to a cybersecurity review. On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Data Security Law, which will take effect in September 2021. The Data Security Law provides for a security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security. Moreover, the State Internet Information Office issued the Measures of Cybersecurity Review (Revised Draft for Comments, not yet effective) on July 10, 2021, which requires operators with personal information of more than 1 million users who want to list abroad to file a cybersecurity review with the CAC. Furthermore, 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 Severe and Lawful Crackdown on Illegal Securities Activities, which was available to the public on July 6, 2021. These 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. As these laws, opinions and the draft measures were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of these remain unclear in several respects at this time, and the PRC government authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, opinions and the draft measures. Therefore, it is uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on our business.

The Data Security Law also sets forth the data security protection obligations for entities and individuals handling personal data, including that no entity or individual may acquire such data by stealing or other illegal means, and the collection and use of such data should not exceed the necessary limits The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, PRC Cybersecurity Law and any other cybersecurity and related laws may limit the use and adoption of our products and services and could have an adverse impact on our business. Further, if the enacted version of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review mandates clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all.

There remains uncertainty as to how the Draft Measures will be interpreted or implemented and whether the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, may adopt new laws, regulations, rules, or detailed implementation and interpretation related to the Draft Measures. If any such new laws, regulations, rules, or implementation and interpretation comes into effect, we will take all reasonable measures and actions to comply and to minimize the adverse effect of such laws on us.

We cannot assure you that PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, would take the same view as we do, and there is no assurance that we can fully or timely comply with such laws. In the event that we are subject to any mandatory cybersecurity review and other specific actions required by the CAC, we face uncertainty as to whether any clearance or other required actions can be timely completed, or at all. Given such uncertainty, we may be further required to suspend our relevant business, shut down our website, or face other penalties, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain. Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system, including uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws, and sudden or unexpected changes in laws and regulations in China with little advance notice could have a material adverse effect on us and limit the legal protections available to you and us.

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 and the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with clients in certain circumstances. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and enforcement could be unpredictable, with little advance notice. The effectiveness and interpretation of newly enacted laws or regulations, including amendments to existing laws and regulations, may be delayed, and our business may be affected if we rely on laws and regulations which are subsequently adopted or interpreted in a manner different from our current understanding of these laws and regulations. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Prior court decisions are encouraged to be used for reference but it remains unclear to what extent the prior court decisions may impact the current court ruling as the encouragement policy is new and there is limited judicial practice in this regard. We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries established in China.

These subsidiaries are generally subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. However, since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties, which may limit legal protections available to us. In addition, any new or changes in PRC laws and regulations related to foreign investment in China could affect the business environment and our ability to operate our business in China. 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, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection requirements, etc. The Opinions and any related implementing rules to be enacted may subject us to compliance requirement in the future. In addition, some regulatory requirements issued by certain PRC government authorities may not be consistently applied by other government authorities (including local government authorities), thus making strict compliance with all regulatory requirements impractical, or in some circumstances impossible. For example, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protection that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to predict the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into with our business partners, clients and suppliers. In addition, such uncertainties, including any inability to enforce our contracts, together with any development or interpretation of PRC law that is adverse to us, could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Furthermore, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other more developed countries and 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 and may have retroactive effects. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such unpredictability towards our contractual, property, and procedural rights could adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations. We cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the pre-emption of local regulations by national laws. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us and other foreign investors, including you. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources and management attention.

The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene or influence our operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding our industry that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, if China adopts more stringent standards with respect to certain areas such as corporate social responsibilities, we may incur increased compliance costs or become subject to additional restrictions in our operations. We cannot predict the effects of future developments in the PRC legal system on our business operations, including the promulgation of new laws, or changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us and our investors, including you.

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies, which could occur quickly with little advance notice, could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Substantially all of our assets and operations are located in the PRC. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in the PRC generally. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange, monetary and tax policies, allocation of resources, and regulation of the growth of the general or specific market and a host of other government policies such as those that encourage or restrict investment in certain industries by foreign investors. Although the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in the PRC is still owned by the government. In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over the PRC’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in the PRC, in the policies of the PRC government or in the laws and regulations in the PRC, which may occur quickly with little advance notice, could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of the PRC. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, lead to a reduction in demand for our products and adversely affect our competitive position. The PRC 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. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the PRC government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustment, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in the PRC, which may adversely affect our business and operating results. In addition, although these government involvements have been instrumental in China’s significant growth, if the PRC government’s current or future policies fail to help the Chinese economy achieve further growth, our growth rate or strategy, our results of operations could also be adversely affected as a result.

Our profitability may be seriously affected by fluctuations in exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar.

All of our revenue is denominated in Renminbi while our financial reporting is in U.S. dollars. As a result, any significant fluctuation in exchange rates may cause us to incur currency exchange translation and harm our financial condition and results of operations.

Movements in Renminbi exchange rates are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions and China’s foreign exchange regime and policy. Although the People’s Bank of China regularly intervenes in the foreign exchange market to limit fluctuations in Renminbi exchange rates, the Renminbi may appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the medium to long term. Moreover, it is possible that the PRC authorities may lift restrictions on fluctuations in Renminbi exchange rates and lessen intervention in the foreign exchange market in the future.

To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure at all.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to use our revenues effectively and the ability of our WFOE to obtain financing.

The PRC government imposes control on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive all our revenues in Renminbi, which currently is not a freely convertible currency. Restrictions on currency conversion imposed by the PRC government may limit our ability to use revenues generated in Renminbi to fund our expenditures denominated in foreign currencies or our business activities outside China. Under China’s existing foreign exchange regulations, Renminbi may be freely converted into foreign currency for payments relating to current account transactions, which include among other things dividend payments and payments for the import of goods and services, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Our WFOE is able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements Our WFOE may also retain foreign currency in its current account bank accounts for use in payment of international current account transactions. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not take measures in the future to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions.

Conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, and of foreign currencies into Renminbi, for payments relating to capital account transactions, which principally includes investments and loans, generally requires the approval of SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities. Restrictions on the convertibility of the Renminbi for capital account transactions could affect the ability of WFOE to make investments overseas or to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing, including by means of loans or capital contributions from us. We cannot assure you that the registration process will not delay or prevent our conversion of Renminbi for use outside of China.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management.

We conduct substantially all of our operations in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China, which is an emerging market. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to affect service of process upon us.

It may also be difficult for you to enforce the U.S. courts judgments obtained in U.S. courts, including judgments based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us with a significant part of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us, or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state. In addition, it is uncertain whether such PRC courts would entertain original actions brought in the courts of the PRC against us or such persons predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state.

Specifically, regarding judgment enforcement in the PRC, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of reciprocal arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest of the PRC. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the U.S.

We face uncertainty regarding the PRC tax reporting obligations and consequences for certain indirect transfers of the stock of our operating company.

Under the current PRC tax regulations, indirect transfers of equity interests and other properties of PRC tax resident enterprises by non- PRC holding companies may be subject to PRC tax. In accordance with the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Several Issues concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on the Indirect Transfers of Properties by Non-Resident Enterprises (“Announcement 7”) issued by the SAT on February 3, 2015, if a non-PRC tax resident enterprise indirectly transfers equities and other properties of a PRC tax resident enterprise and such indirect transfer will produce a result identical or substantially similar to direct transfer of equity interests and other properties of the PRC tax resident enterprise, the non-PRC tax resident enterprise may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate up to 10%. The Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Matters Concerning Withholding of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises at Source (“Announcement 37”), which was issued by SAT on October 17, 2017, and became effective on December 1, 2017, renovates the principles and procedures concerning the indirect equity transfer tax withholding for a non-PRC tax resident enterprise. Failure to comply with the tax payment obligations by a non-PRC tax resident will result in penalties, including full payment of tax owed, fines and default interest on those tax.

According to Announcement 7, where a non-resident enterprise indirectly transfers equity interests or other properties of PRC tax resident enterprises (“PRC Taxable Property”) to avoid its tax liabilities by implementing arrangements without reasonable commercial purpose, such indirect transfer shall be recharacterized and recognized as a direct transfer of PRC Taxable Property. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer and attributable to PRC Taxable Property may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%. In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of property of a PRC establishment or place of business of a foreign enterprise, the resulting gain is to be included with the annual enterprise filing of the PRC establishment or place of business being transferred and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Announcement 7 further sets forth certain “safe harbors” which would be deemed to have a reasonable commercial purpose. As a general principle, the SAT also issued the Administration of General Anti-Tax Avoidance (Trial Implementation) (“GATA”), which became effective on February 1, 2015, and empowers the PRC tax authorities to apply special tax adjustments for “tax avoidance arrangements.”

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC Taxable Property are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our Company may be subject to withholding obligations if our Company is considered as a transferee in such transactions, under Announcement 7 and Announcement 37. For transfer of shares in our Company by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Announcement 7 and Announcement 37 or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident shareholders to personal liability and limit our ability to acquire PRC companies or to inject capital into WFOE, limit WFOE’s ability to distribute profits to us, or otherwise materially and adversely affect us.

Under the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues concerning Foreign Exchange Administration over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or Circular 37, issued by SAFE, prior registration with the local SAFE branch is required for PRC residents to contribute domestic assets or interests to offshore companies, known as SPVs. Moreover, Circular 37 applies retroactively. As a result, PRC residents who have contributed domestic assets or interest to a SPV but failed to complete foreign exchange registration of overseas investments as required before July 4, 2014, shall send a letter to SAFE and its branches for explanation. SAFE and its branches shall, under the principle of legality and legitimacy, conduct supplementary registration, and impose administrative punishment on those in violation of the administrative provisions on the foreign exchange pursuant to the law.

We have requested our shareholders who are PRC residents to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under Circular 37 and other related rules. We attempt to comply and attempt to ensure that our shareholders who are subject to these rules comply with the relevant requirements. However, we cannot provide any assurances that all of our shareholders who are PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any application registrations or comply with other requirements required by Circular 37 or other related rules. The failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to make any required registrations or comply with other requirements may subject such shareholders to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into or provide loans to our subsidiaries, limiting the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or otherwise distribute profits to us.

Failure to comply with the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules relating to the overseas direct investment or our PRC resident shareholders’ engaging in the issuance or trading of securities overseas may subject them to fines or other liabilities.

Other than Circular 37, our ability to conduct foreign exchange activities in China may be subject to interpretation and enforcement of the Implementation Rules of the Administrative Measures for Individual Foreign Exchange promulgated by SAFE in January 2007 (as amended and supplemented, the “Individual Foreign Exchange Rules”). Under the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules, any PRC individual seeking to make a direct investment overseas or engage in the issuance or trading of negotiable securities or derivatives overseas must make the appropriate registrations in accordance with SAFE provisions. PRC individuals who fail to make such registrations may be subject to warnings, fines or other liabilities.

We may not be fully informed of the identities of all our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. For example, because the investment in or trading of our shares will happen in an overseas public or secondary market where shares are often held with brokers in brokerage accounts, it is unlikely that we will know the identity of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. Furthermore, we have no control over any of our future beneficial owners and we cannot assure you that such PRC residents will be able to complete the necessary approval and registration procedures required by the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules.

It is uncertain how the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules will be interpreted or enforced and whether such interpretation or enforcement will affect our ability to conduct foreign exchange transactions.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to or in PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to WFOE, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We may make loans to the WFOE. Any loans to either are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example, loans by us to our WFOE in China cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local counterpart. We may also decide to finance our WFOE through capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce in China or its local counterpart. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals on a timely basis, if at all.

The SAFE’s Circular on Reforming the Administration Approach Regarding the Foreign Exchange Capital Settlement of Foreign- invested Enterprises (“Circular 19”) provides that the conversion from foreign currency registered capital of foreign-invested enterprises into the Renminbi capital may be at foreign-invested enterprises’ discretion, which means that the foreign currency registered capital of foreign-invested enterprises for which the rights and interests of monetary contribution has been confirmed by the local foreign exchange bureau (or the book-entry of monetary contribution has been registered) can be settled at the banks based on the actual operational needs of the enterprises.

Further, according to Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in China in actual practice.

In July 2016, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming and Standardizing the Administrative Provisions on Capital Account Foreign Exchange (“Circular 16”), which applies to all domestic enterprises in China. Circular 16 reiterates some of the rules set forth in Circular 19 but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises.

Circular 19 and Circular 16 may significantly limit the ability of our WFOE to transfer and use Renminbi funds from its foreign currency denominated capital, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries.

To the extent any funds or assets in the business is in mainland China or a mainland China entity, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of mainland China.

To the extent funds are generated in our PRC operating subsidiaries and may need to be used to fund operations outside of mainland China, such funds may not be available due to limitations placed by the PRC government. Furthermore, to the extent assets (other than cash) in our business are located in mainland China or held by a mainland China entity, the assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of mainland China due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on the ability of us and our subsidiaries to transfer assets by the PRC government.

We may be classified as a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes; such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.

The PRC enterprise income tax law and its implementing rules provide those 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 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. Circular 82, issued by the State Administration of Taxation, provides that a foreign enterprise controlled by a PRC company or a group of PRC companies will be classified as a “resident enterprise” with its “de facto management body” located within China if all of the following requirements are satisfied: (1) the senior management and core management departments in charge of its daily operations function are mainly in China; (2) its financial and human resources decisions are subject to determination or approval by persons or bodies in China; (3) its major assets, accounting books, company seals, and minutes and files of its board and shareholders’ meetings are located or kept in China; and (4) at least half of the enterprise’s directors with voting right or senior management reside in China. To provide more guidance on the implementation of Circular 82, the State Administration of Taxation issued Bulletin 45, which clarifies certain matters relating to resident status determination, post-determination administration and competent tax authorities.

The State Administration of Taxation has since issued a bulletin to provide more guidance on the implementation of Circular 82. This bulletin further provides that, among other things, an entity that is classified as a “resident enterprise” in accordance with the circular shall file the application for classifying its status of residential enterprise with the local tax authorities where its main domestic investors are registered. From the year in which the entity is determined to be a “resident enterprise,” any dividend, profit and other equity investment gain shall be taxed in accordance with the enterprise income tax law and its implementing rules.

Currently, there are no detailed rules or precedents governing the procedures and specific criteria for determining de facto management bodies which are applicable to our company or our overseas subsidiaries. If our company or any of our overseas subsidiaries is considered a PRC tax resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, our company or our overseas subsidiaries will be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate as to our global income as well as PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Second, although under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementing rules dividends paid to us from our PRC subsidiaries would qualify as tax-exempted income, we cannot assure you that such dividends will not be subject to a 10% withholding tax, as the PRC foreign exchange control authorities, which enforce the withholding tax, have not yet issued guidance with respect to the processing of outbound remittances to entities that are treated as resident enterprises for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Finally, dividends payable by us to our shareholders and gain on the sale of our shares may become subject to PRC withholding tax. It is possible that future guidance issued with respect to the new resident enterprise classification could result in a situation in which a withholding tax of 10% for our non-PRC enterprise shareholders or a potential withholding tax of 20% for individual investors is imposed on dividends we pay to them and with respect to gains derived by such investors from transferring our shares. In addition to the uncertainty in how the new resident enterprise classification could apply, it is also possible that the rules may change in the future, possibly with retroactive effect. If we are required under the Enterprise Income Tax law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends payable to our foreign shareholders, or if we are required to pay PRC income tax on the transfer of our shares under the circumstances mentioned above, the value of your investment in our shares may be materially and adversely affected. It is unclear whether, if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise, holders of our shares would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas.

Our current employment practices may be restricted under the PRC Labor Contract Law and our labor costs may increase as a result.

The PRC Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules impose requirements concerning contracts entered into between an employer and its employees and establishes time limits for probationary periods and for how long an employee can be placed in a fixed-term labor contract. Because the Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules have not been in effect very long and because there is lack of clarity with respect to their implementation and potential penalties and fines, it is uncertain how it will impact our current employment policies and practices. We cannot assure you that our employment policies and practices do not, or will not, violate the Labor Contract Law or its implementing rules and that we will not be subject to related penalties, fines or legal fees. If we are subject to large penalties or fees related to the Labor Contract Law or its implementing rules, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, according to the Labor Contract Law and its implementing rules, if we intend to enforce the non-compete provision with an employee in a labor contract or non-competition agreement, we have to compensate the employee on a monthly basis during the term of the restriction period after the termination or ending of the labor contract, which may cause extra expenses to us. Moreover, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules require certain terminations to be based upon seniority rather than merit, which significantly affects the cost of reducing workforce for employers. In the event we decide to significantly change or decrease our workforce in the PRC, the Labor Contract Law could adversely affect our ability to enact such changes in a manner that is most advantageous to our circumstances or in a timely and cost effective manner, thus our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Furthermore, the economy in China has experienced increases in inflation and labor costs in recent years. As a result, average wages in the PRC are expected to continue to increase. In addition, we are required by PRC laws and regulations to pay various statutory employee benefits, including pension, housing fund, medical insurance, on-the-job injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to control our labor costs or pass on these increased labor costs to our users by increasing the fees of our products, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We face uncertainties with respect to our business operations and direct and indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

We face uncertainties with respect to our business operations and direct and indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies. PRC Governmental Agencies may intervene or influence the Company’s operations at any time, which could result in a material change in the Company’s operations and/or the value of the Common shares. 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.

Adverse changes in economic and political policies of the PRC government could have a material and adverse effect on overall economic growth in China, which could materially and adversely affect our business. General macroeconomic conditions may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations and financial position. The PRC government’s control over foreign currency conversion may adversely affect our business and results of operations and our ability to remit dividends.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions. Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a “Resident Enterprise” of China. Such classification will likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment. The M&A Rules, among other things, purport to require CSRC approval prior to the listing and trading on an overseas stock exchange of the securities of an offshore special purpose vehicle established or controlled directly or indirectly by Material PRC Companies or individuals and formed for the purpose of overseas listing through the acquisition of PRC domestic interests held by such Material PRC Companies or individuals.

Risks Related to the Market f or our Stock The OTC and share value

Our Common Stock trades over the counter, which may deprive stockholders of the full value of their shares. Our stock is quoted via the Over-The-Counter (“OTC”) Pink Sheets under the ticker symbol “ESGH”. Therefore, our Common Stock is expected to have fewer market makers, lower trading volumes, and larger spreads between bid and asked prices than securities listed on an exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Stock Market. These factors may result in higher price volatility and less market liquidity for our Common Stock.

Low market price

A low market price would severely limit the potential market for our Common Stock. Our Common Stock is expected to trade at a price substantially below $5.00 per share, subjecting trading in the stock to certain Commission rules requiring additional disclosures by broker-dealers. These rules generally apply to any non-NASDAQ equity security that has a market price share of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions (a “penny stock”). Such rules require the delivery, prior to any penny stock transaction, of a disclosure schedule explaining the penny stock market and the risks associated therewith and impose various sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell penny stocks to persons other than established customers and institutional or wealthy investors. For these types of transactions, the broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to the sale. The broker-dealer also must disclose the commissions payable to the broker-dealer, current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock and, if the broker-dealer is the sole market maker, the broker-dealer must disclose this fact and the broker-dealer’s presumed control over the market. Such information must be provided to the customer orally or in writing before or with the written confirmation of trade sent to the customer. Monthly statements must be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks. The additional burdens imposed upon broker-dealers by such requirements could discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our Common Stock.

Lack of market and state blue sky laws

Investors may have difficulty in reselling their shares due to the lack of market or state Blue Sky laws. The holders of our shares of Common Stock and persons who desire to purchase them in any trading market that might develop in the future should be aware that there may be significant state law restrictions upon the ability of investors to resell our shares. Accordingly, even if we are successful in having the shares available for trading on the OTC, investors should consider any secondary market for our securities to be a limited one. We intend to seek coverage and publication of information regarding our Company in an accepted publication which permits a “manual exemption.” This manual exemption permits a security to be distributed in a particular state without being registered if the company issuing the security has a listing for that security in a securities manual recognized by the state. However, it is not enough for the security to be listed in a recognized manual. The listing entry must contain (1) the names of issuers, officers, and directors, (2) an issuer’s balance sheet, and (3) a profit and loss statement for either the fiscal year preceding the balance sheet or for the most recent fiscal year of operations. We may not be able to secure a listing containing all of this information. Furthermore, the manual exemption is a non-issuer exemption restricted to secondary trading transactions, making it unavailable for issuers selling newly issued securities. Most of the accepted manuals are those published in Standard and Poor’s, Moody’s Investor Service, Fitch’s Investment Service, and Best’s Insurance Reports, and many states expressly recognize these manuals. A smaller number of states declare that they “recognize securities manuals” but do not specify the recognized manuals. The following states do not have any provisions and therefore do not expressly recognize the manual exemption: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Accordingly, our shares of Common Stock should be considered totally illiquid, which inhibits investors’ ability to resell their shares.

Penny stock regulations

We will be subject to penny stock regulations and restrictions and you may have difficulty selling shares of our Common Stock. The Commission has adopted regulations which generally define so-called “penny stocks” to be an equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exemptions. We anticipate that our Common Stock will become a “penny stock”, and we will become subject to Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act, or the “Penny Stock Rule”. This rule imposes additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell such securities to persons other than established customers. For transactions covered by Rule 15g-9, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale. As a result, this rule may affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and may affect the ability of purchasers to sell any of our securities in the secondary market.

For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require delivery, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, of a disclosure schedule prepared by the Commission relating to the penny stock market. Disclosure is also required to be made about sales commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities. Finally, monthly statements are required to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stock.

We do not anticipate that our Common Stock will qualify for exemption from the Penny Stock Rule. In any event, even if our Common Stock were exempt from the Penny Stock Rule, we would remain subject to Section 15(b)(6) of the Exchange Act, which gives the Commission the authority to restrict any person from participating in a distribution of penny stock, if the Commission finds that such a restriction would be in the public interest.

Rule 144 Risks

Sales of our Common Stock under Rule 144 could reduce the price of our stock. There are 18,273,910 issued and outstanding shares of our Common Stock held by affiliates that Rule 144 of the Securities Act defines as restricted securities.

These shares will be subject to the resale restrictions of Rule 144, since we are not deemed a “shell company”. In general, persons holding restricted securities, including affiliates, must hold their shares for a period of at least six month. Affiliates may not sell more than 1.0% of the total issued and outstanding shares in any 90-day period, and must resell the shares in an unsolicited brokerage transaction at the market price. The availability for sale of substantial amounts of Common Stock under Rule 144 could reduce prevailing market prices for our securities.

Security laws exposure

We are subject to compliance with securities laws, which expose us to potential liabilities, including potential rescission rights. We may offer to sell shares of our Common Stock to investors pursuant to certain exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, as well as those of various state securities laws. The basis for relying on such exemptions is factual; that is, the applicability of such exemptions depends upon our conduct and that of those persons contacting prospective investors and making the offering. We may not seek any legal opinion to the effect that any such offering would be exempt from registration under any federal or state law. Instead, we may elect to relay upon the operative facts as the basis for such exemption, including information provided by investor themselves.

If any such offering did not qualify for such exemptions, an investor would have the right to rescind its purchase of the securities if it so desired. It is possible that if an investor should seek rescission, such investor would succeed. A similar situation prevails under state law in those states where the securities may be offered without registration in reliance on the partial pre-emption from the registration or qualification provisions of such state statutes under the National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996. If investors were successful in seeking rescission, we would face severe financial demands that could adversely affect our business and operations. Additionally, if we did not in fact qualify for the exemptions upon which we have relied, we may become subject to significant fines and penalties imposed by the Commission and state securities agencies.

No cash dividends

Because we do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our Common Stock, our stockholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell them. We intend to retain any future earnings to finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on shares of our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. Unless we pay dividends, our stockholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell them. There is no assurance that stockholders will be able to sell shares of our Common Stock when desired.

Delayed adoption of accounting standards

We have delayed the adoption of certain accounting standards through an opt-in right for emerging growth companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards under Section 102(b)(2) of the Jobs Act, which allows us to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As a result of this election, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.