Hanjiao Group (HJGP) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q3, 2022
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Sep 30, 2022, filed Dec 30, 2022
Risk Change Over Time
Risk Highlights Q3, 2022
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 14
- Regulation - Risk 1The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies 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 complex procedures and requirements for acquisition of Chinese companies by foreign investors, including requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which became effective in 2008, requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds must be cleared by the Ministry of Commerce before they can be completed. In addition, the security review rules issued by the Ministry of Commerce and became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise "national defense and security" concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise "national security" concerns are subject to strict review by the Ministry of Commerce, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may pursue potential strategic acquisitions that are complementary to our business and operations. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other rules to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval or clearance from the Ministry of Commerce, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. Furthermore, according to the M&A Rules, if a PRC entity or individual plans to merger or acquire its related PRC entity through an overseas company legitimately incorporated or controlled by such entity or individual, such a merger and acquisition will be subject to examination and approval by the Ministry of Commerce. The application and interpretations of M&A Rules are still uncertain, and there is possibility that the PRC regulators may promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain approval of the Ministry of Commerce for our completed or ongoing mergers and acquisitions. There is no assurance that we can obtain such approval from the Ministry of Commerce for our mergers and acquisitions, and if we fail to obtain those approvals, we may be required to suspend our acquisition and be subject to penalties. Any uncertainties regarding such approval requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and corporate structure. Furthermore, the M&A Rules, among other things, purport to require that an offshore special purpose vehicle controlled directly or indirectly by PRC domestic companies or individuals and formed for purposes of overseas listing through acquisition of PRC domestic interests obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle's securities on an overseas stock exchange. The CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as this offering are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. Although we are of the position that we are not required to obtain approval from the CSRC under the M&A Rules for listing and trading of our securities after the consummation of the Business Combination, uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted and implemented and the opinion stated above is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules.
- Regulation - Risk 2PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our the ability of our variable interest entities or Hong Kong subsidiary to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose us to liability and penalties under PRC law.
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange ("SAFE") promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to PRC Resident's Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC residents or entities, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions. SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments through Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles. If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, our variable interest entities may 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 variable interest entities. Moreover, failure to comply with SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in us, nor can we compel our shareholders to comply with the requirements of SAFE Circular 37. As a result, we cannot assure you that all of our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE Circular 37. Failure by such shareholders to comply with SAFE Circular 37, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our variable interest entity or Hong Kong subsidiary, if applicable, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our the ability of our variable interest entity or Hong Kong subsidiary to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects. For a detailed description of the potential government regulations facing the Company and the offering associated with our operations in China, please refer to "Government and Industry Regulations – Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange and Dividend Distribution."
- Regulation - Risk 3PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds we receive from offshore financing activities to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our variable interest entity, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand business.
Any transfer of funds by us to our variable interest entity or our PRC and Hong Kong subsidiaries, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, may become subject to approval by or registration or filing with relevant governmental authorities in China. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, capital contributions to PRC entities are subject to the approval of or filing with the Ministry of Commerce in its local branches and registration with a local bank authorized by SAFE. It is unclear if Hong Kong subsidiaries will be deemed a PRC subsidiary. If Hong Kong subsidiaries are deemed to be PRC subsidiaries, (i) any foreign loan procured by our Hong Kong subsidiary will be required to be registered with SAFE or its local branches or filed with SAFE in its information system; and (ii) our Hong Kong subsidiary will not be able to procure loans which exceed the difference between their total investment amount and registered capital or, as an alternative, only procure loans subject to the calculation approach and limitation as provided in the People's Bank of China Notice No. 9 ("PBOC Notice No. 9"). We may not be able to obtain these government approvals or complete such registrations on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future capital contributions or foreign loans by us to our PRC and Hong Kong subsidiaries or our variable interest entity, if required. If we fail to receive such approvals or complete such registration or filing, our ability to use the proceeds we receive from our offshore financing activities and to capitalize our China operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and ability to fund and expand our business. There is, in effect, no statutory limit on the amount of capital contribution that we can make to our Hong Kong subsidiary. This is because there is no statutory limit on the amount of registered capital for our Hong Kong subsidiary, and we are allowed to make capital contributions to our Hong Kong subsidiary by subscribing for their initial registered capital and increased registered capital, provided that the Hong Kong subsidiary complete the relevant filing and registration procedures. The Circular on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective as of June 1, 2015, as amended by Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement under the Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, allows FIEs to settle their foreign exchange capital at their discretion, but continues to prohibit FIEs from using the Renminbi fund converted from their foreign exchange capitals for expenditure beyond their business scopes, and also prohibit FIEs from using such Renminbi fund to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. If Safe Circulars 16 and 19 are interpreted to apply to the Hong Kong Dollar, our ability to use Hong Kong Dollars converted from the net proceeds from our offshore financing activities to fund the establishment of new entities in Hong Kong or China, to invest in or acquire any other Hong Kong or PRC companies may be limited, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
- Regulation - Risk 4Our variable interest entity and our PRC and Hong Kong subsidiaries may be subject to restrictions on paying their net income, making dividend distributions or making other payments to us, which may restrict their ability to satisfy liquidity requirements, conduct business and our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock.
We are a holding company incorporated in Nevada. We rely on dividends from our subsidiary in China for our cash and financing requirements, such as the funds necessary to service any debt we may incur. Current PRC regulations permit PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to foreign parent companies only out of their accumulated after-tax profits upon satisfaction of relevant statutory requirements and procedures, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the VIE and our PRC subsidiary are required to set aside at least 10% of their accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of its registered capital. Furthermore, if our VIE and PRC subsidiary and their subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to make distributions or pay dividends or make other payments to the foreign parent company, which may restrict the ability of the foreign parent company to satisfy its liquidity requirements. In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or the PRC EIT Law, and its implementation rules provide that withholding tax rate of 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. For a detailed description of the potential government regulations facing the Company and our operations in China, please refer to "Government and Industry Regulations – Regulations Relating to Foreign Exchange and Dividend Distribution."
- Regulation - Risk 5Adverse regulatory developments in China may subject us to additional regulatory review, and additional disclosure requirements and regulatory scrutiny to be adopted by the SEC in response to risks related to recent regulatory developments in China may impose additional compliance requirements for companies like us with China-based operations, all of which could increase our compliance costs, subject us to additional disclosure requirements.
The recent regulatory developments in China, in particular with respect to restrictions on China-based companies raising capital offshore, may lead to additional regulatory review in China over our financing and capital raising activities in the United States. In addition, we may be subject to industry-wide regulations that may be adopted by the relevant PRC authorities, which may have the effect of limiting our service offerings, restricting the scope of our operations in China, or causing the suspension or termination of our business operations in China entirely, all of which will materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may have to adjust, modify, or completely change our business operations in response to adverse regulatory changes or policy developments, and we cannot assure you that any remedial action adopted by us can be completed in a timely, cost-efficient, or liability-free manner or at all. On July 30, 2021, in response to the recent regulatory developments in China and actions adopted by the PRC government, the Chairman of the SEC issued a statement asking the SEC staff to seek additional disclosures from offshore issuers associated with China-based operating companies (including Hong Kong) before their registration statements will be declared effective. On August 1, 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission stated in a statement that it had taken note of the new disclosure requirements announced by the SEC regarding the listings of Chinese companies and the recent regulatory development in China, and that both countries should strengthen communications on regulating China-related issuers. Since we operate in China, we cannot guarantee that we will not be subject to tightened regulatory review and we could be exposed to government interference from China.
- Regulation - Risk 6The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business operations or to exert control over any offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, and may intervene with or influence our operations, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless, as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals.
The PRC government may intervene or influence our operations at any time with little to no advanced notice, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our common stock. For example, 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 any industry that could adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of our company. Furthermore, the PRC government has also recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over securities offerings and other capital markets activities that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based companies. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, 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 in extreme cases, become worthless. Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using the variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. We believe we are not subject to cybersecurity review with the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, given that: (i) our products and services are offered not directly to individual users but through our institutional customers; (ii) we do not possess a large amount of personal information in our business operations; and (iii) data processed in our business does not have a bearing on national security and thus may not be classified as core or important data by the authorities. See also "Risk Factors - We may become subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the PRC regarding privacy, data security, cybersecurity, and data protection. We may be liable for improper use or appropriation of personal information provided by our customers." We believe that we are not subject to merger control review by China's anti-monopoly enforcement agency due to the level of our revenues and the fact that we currently do not expect to propose or implement any acquisition of control of, or decisive influence over, any company with revenues within China of more than RMB400 million. Currently, these statements and regulatory actions have had no impact on our daily business operations, the ability to accept foreign investments and list our securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchange. Since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operations, the ability to accept foreign investments and list our securities on a U.S. or other foreign exchange.
- Regulation - Risk 7Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. In the meantime, our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC residents residing in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to limited exceptions, and who have been granted incentive share awards by us, may follow the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, or 2012 SAFE notices, promulgated by the SAFE in 2012. Pursuant to the 2012 SAFE notices, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. Our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options will be subject to these regulations. It is unclear if these regulations will be expanded to include Hong Kong residents or citizens. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines, and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our variable interest entity. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. The SAT has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, employees working in China who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC entities may become obligated to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options. If our employees fail to pay or we fail to withhold their income taxes according to relevant laws and regulations, we may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC governmental authorities.
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