UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16

UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of September 2024

 

Commission File Number: 001-41970

 

 

 

Lotus Technology Inc. 

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

No. 800 Century Avenue 

Pudong District, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China 

(Address of principal executive office)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F x           Form 40-F ¨

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K

 

On September 16, 2024, Lotus Technology Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Westwood Capital Group LLC (“Westwood”), pursuant to which Westwood has committed to purchase, subject to certain conditions, up to US$350,000,000 (the “Total Commitment”) of American depositary shares (“ADSs”) of the Company during a commitment period of approximately 36 months. Concurrently with the execution of the Purchase Agreement, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with Westwood pursuant to which the Company agreed to file a registration statement (the “Initial Registration Statement”) and one or more additional registration statements (together with the Initial Registration Statement, “Registration Statements”), with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) to register under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), the resale by Westwood of ADSs that may be issued to it by the Company under the Purchase Agreement.

 

Under the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations of the Purchase Agreement, the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to sell to Westwood, and Westwood is obligated to purchase, ADSs up to the Total Commitment from time-to-time in the Company’s sole discretion. Each issuance by the Company under the Purchase Agreement is subject to a maximum amount equal to 50% of the average daily trading volume in the ADSs on Nasdaq during the five trading days immediately preceding the day Westwood receives a valid purchase notice and subject to a US$100 million cap. The purchase price of ADSs that the Company may direct Westwood to purchase pursuant to a VWAP Purchase under the Purchase Agreement will be equal to 97% of the lowest daily VWAP during the three consecutive trading days beginning on the date that a VWAP Purchase Notice is delivered by the Company to Westwood.

 

As consideration for Westwood’s irrevocable commitment to purchase ADSs upon the terms of and subject to satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, upon the filing of the Initial Registration Statement, the Company will promptly issue a number of Ordinary Shares (ADSs representing such Ordinary Shares, the “Commitment ADSs”) to Westwood equal to US$3,500,000 divided by the lower of (i) the closing sale price of the ADSs on Nasdaq on the date of the Purchase Agreement and (ii) the closing sale price of the ADSs on Nasdaq on the date immediately prior to the date that the Initial Registration Statement is filed with the SEC.

 

Westwood has covenanted not to enter into or effect, in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, any short sales of securities of the Company (including, without limitation, ADSs) or hedging transactions which establish a net short position with respect to the Company’s securities. Westwood has also agreed that the total amount of Commitment ADSs it will sell on any trading day will not exceed 10% of the average daily trading volume in the ADSs on Nasdaq during the five trading days immediately preceding such trading day.

 

ADSs to be issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will be issued and sold by the Company to Westwood in reliance on the exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated thereunder. The Company is relying on this exemption from registration in part on representations made by Westwood in the Purchase Agreement.

 

 

 

 

The Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement contain customary representations and warranties, conditions, covenants, and indemnification obligations of the parties.

 

The net proceeds to the Company from sales, if any, under the Purchase Agreement will depend on the frequency and prices at which the Company sells ADSs to Westwood. The Company currently expects to use any proceeds it receives from such sales to Westwood for product innovation, development of next-generation automobility technologies, expansion of global distribution network and general corporate purposes. There are no financial covenants, restrictions on future financings, rights of first refusal or participation rights in the Purchase Agreement.

 

The Purchase Agreement will automatically terminate upon earliest occurrence of (i) the end of the commitment period, (ii) the date on which Westwood shall have purchased the Total Commitment, (iii) the date on which the Company’s ADSs fail to be listed or quoted on any eligible market, and (iv) in the event of certain bankruptcy proceedings. Subject to certain conditions being met, the Company has the right to terminate the Purchase Agreement, at no cost or penalty, upon one trading day’s prior written notice to Westwood. Westwood may, upon 10 trading days’ prior written notice, terminate the Purchase Agreement upon the occurrence of certain events such as (i) the occurrence of any condition, occurrence, state of factors or event constituting a Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), (ii) the occurrence of a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), (iii) the failure by the Company to file a Registration Statement with the SEC by the applicable deadline, or if such registration statement is not declared effective by the SEC by the applicable effectiveness deadline set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, (iv) the lapse of the effectiveness, or unavailability of, a Registration Statement filed by the Company pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement for a period of 45 consecutive trading days or for more than an aggregate of 120 trading days in any 365-day period, or (v) the suspension of trading of the ADSs for a period of three consecutive trading days.

 

The foregoing descriptions of the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of such agreements, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, respectively, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. The representations, warranties, and covenants contained in such agreements were made only for purposes of such agreements and as of specific dates, and were solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreements and the depositary of the Company’s ADS program.

 

This Report on Form 6-K shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. The ADSs have not been and, except as pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, will not be registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws. Therefore, the ADSs may not be offered, sold, or otherwise transferred within the United States or to or for the account of any U.S. person absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws.

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.   Description
99.1   Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 16, 2024 by and between Lotus Technology Inc. and Westwood Capital Group LLC
99.2   Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of September 16, 2024, by and between Lotus Technology Inc. and Westwood Capital Group LLC

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  Lotus Technology Inc.
       
  By : /s/ Alexious Kuen Long Lee
  Name : Alexious Kuen Long Lee
  Title : Director and Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: September 16, 2024

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Confidential treatment has been requested for redacted portions of this exhibit.

 

This copy omits the information subject to the confidentiality request. Omissions are designated as ******.

 

SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

Dated as of September 16, 2024

 

by and between

 

LOTUS TECHNOLOGY INC.

 

and

 

WESTWOOD CAPITAL GROUP LLC

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

 

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS 1
   
ARTICLE II PURCHASE AND SALE OF ADSs 2

  Section 2.1 Purchase and Sale of ADSs 2
  Section 2.2 Closing; Closing Date 2
  Section 2.3 Initial Public Announcements and Required Filings 2

 

ARTICLE III PURCHASE TERMS 3

  Section 3.1 VWAP Purchases 3
  Section 3.2 Settlement 4
  Section 3.3 Compliance with Rules of Trading Market 5
  Section 3.4 Beneficial Ownership Limitation 5

 

ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE INVESTOR 6

  Section 4.1 Organization and Standing of the Investor 6
  Section 4.2 Authorization and Power 6
  Section 4.3 No Conflicts 6
  Section 4.4 Investment Purpose 7
  Section 4.5 Accredited Investor Status 7
  Section 4.6 Reliance on Exemptions 7
  Section 4.7 Information 7
  Section 4.8 No Governmental Review 8
  Section 4.9 No General Solicitation 8
  Section 4.10 Not an Affiliate 8
  Section 4.11 Certain Trading Activities 8
  Section 4.12 Statutory Underwriter Status 8
  Section 4.13 Resales of Securities 9
  Section 4.14 Sufficiency and Source of Funds 9
  Section 4.15 OFAC 9

 

ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY 9

  Section 5.1 Organization, Good Standing and Power 9
  Section 5.2 Authorization, Enforcement 9
  Section 5.3 Capitalization 10
  Section 5.4 Issuance of Securities 10
  Section 5.5 No Conflicts 11
  Section 5.6 No Violations of Governing Documents 11
  Section 5.7 Commission Documents, Financial Statements; Disclosure Controls and Procedures; Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting; Accountant 12
  Section 5.8 Subsidiaries 14
  Section 5.9 No Material Adverse Effect or Material Adverse Change 14
  Section 5.10 No Undisclosed Liabilities 14
  Section 5.11 No Undisclosed Events or Circumstances 15

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

 

  Section 5.12 Solvency 15
  Section 5.13 Title to Assets 15
  Section 5.14 Absence of Proceedings 15
  Section 5.15 Compliance With Laws 15
  Section 5.16 Certain Fees 16
  Section 5.17 Disclosure 16
  Section 5.18 Operation of Business 16
  Section 5.19 Environmental Compliance 17
  Section 5.20 Material Agreements 17
  Section 5.21 Transactions with Affiliates 18
  Section 5.22 Employees; Labor Laws 18
  Section 5.23 Use of Proceeds 18
  Section 5.24 Investment Company Act Status 19
  Section 5.25 ERISA Compliance 19
  Section 5.26 Taxes 19
  Section 5.27 Insurance 20
  Section 5.28 Exemption from Registration 20
  Section 5.29 No General Solicitation or Advertising 20
  Section 5.30 No Integrated Offering 20
  Section 5.31 Dilutive Effect 21
  Section 5.32 Manipulation of Price 21
  Section 5.33 Securities Act 21
  Section 5.34 Listing and Maintenance Requirements; DTC Eligibility 21
  Section 5.35 Application of Takeover Provisions 22
  Section 5.36 No Unlawful Payments 22
  Section 5.37 Money Laundering Laws 22
  Section 5.38 OFAC 22
  Section 5.39 U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation 23
  Section 5.40 No Disqualification Events 23
  Section 5.41 Stock Option Plans 23
  Section 5.42 Acknowledgement Regarding Investor’s Acquisition of Securities 23
  Section 5.43 Information Technology; Compliance with Data Privacy Laws 24

 

ARTICLE VI ADDITIONAL COVENANTS 25

  Section 6.1 Securities Compliance 25
  Section 6.2 Reservation of Ordinary Shares 25
  Section 6.3 Registration and Listing 25
  Section 6.4 Compliance with Laws 26
  Section 6.5 Keeping of Records and Books of Account; Due Diligence. 26
  Section 6.6 [Reserved] 27
  Section 6.7 Corporate Existence 27
  Section 6.8 Fundamental Transaction 27
  Section 6.10 Effective Registration Statement 27
  Section 6.11 Blue Sky 28
  Section 6.12 Non-Public Information 28
  Section 6.13 Broker/Dealer 28
  Section 6.14 [Reserved] 28

 

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  Section 6.15 Delivery of Bring Down Opinions, Compliance Certificates and a Bring Down Comfort Letter Upon Occurrence of Certain Events 29
ARTICLE VII CONDITIONS TO CLOSING, COMMENCEMENT AND VWAP PURCHASES 30

  Section 7.1 Conditions Precedent to Closing 30
  Section 7.2 Conditions Precedent to Commencement 30
  Section 7.3 Conditions Precedent to VWAP Purchases after Commencement Date 34

 

ARTICLE VIII TERMINATION 38

  Section 8.1 Automatic Termination 38
  Section 8.2 Other Termination 39
  Section 8.3 Effect of Termination 40

 

ARTICLE IX INDEMNIFICATION 41

  Section 9.1 Indemnification of Investor 41
  Section 9.2 Indemnification Procedures 42

 

ARTICLE X MISCELLANEOUS 42

  Section 10.1 Certain Fees and Expenses; Commitment Ordinary Shares; Legends; Depositary Instructions; US Legal Opinion to the Depositary 42
  Section 10.2 Specific Enforcement, Consent to Jurisdiction, Waiver of Jury Trial 45
  Section 10.3 Entire Agreement 46
  Section 10.4 Notices 46
  Section 10.5 Waivers 47
  Section 10.6 Amendments 47
  Section 10.7 Headings 47
  Section 10.8 Construction 48
  Section 10.9 Binding Effect 48
  Section 10.10 No Third Party Beneficiaries 48
  Section 10.11 Governing Law 48
  Section 10.12 Survival 48
  Section 10.13 Counterparts 48
  Section 10.14 Publicity 49
  Section 10.15 Severability 49
  Section 10.16 Further Assurances 49

 

Annex and Exhibits

 

ANNEX I TO THE SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

EXHIBIT A REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

EXHIBIT B FORM OF VWAP PURCHASE NOTICE

EXHIBIT C FORM OF CLOSING CERTIFICATE

 

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SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

This SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT is made and entered into as of September 16, 2024 (this “Agreement”), by and between Westwood Capital Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Investor”), and Lotus Technology Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”).

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS, the parties desire that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth herein, the Company may issue and sell to the Investor, from time to time as provided herein, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, up to $350,000,000 worth of the Company’s American depositary shares (the “ADSs”), each representing one ordinary share, par value $0.00001 per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”);

 

WHEREAS, the ADSs shall be issued pursuant to the Deposit Agreement, dated as of January 29, 2024, by and among the Company, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary (the “Depositary”), and the holders and beneficial owners of the ADSs issued thereunder (the “Deposit Agreement”);

 

WHEREAS, such sales of ADSs along with issuance of the Commitment Ordinary Shares and Commitment ADSs by the Company to the Investor will be made in reliance upon the provisions of Section 4(a)(2) (“Section 4(a)(2)”) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act (“Regulation D”), and upon such other exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act as may be available with respect to the sale of any or all of the ADSs to the Investor to be made hereunder;

 

WHEREAS, the parties hereto are concurrently entering into a Registration Rights Agreement in the form attached as Exhibit A hereto (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company shall register under the Securities Act the resale of the Registrable Securities (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement, and which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall include all the ADSs issued and delivered to the Investor by the Depositary pursuant to this Agreement) by the Investor, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein; and

 

WHEREAS, in consideration for the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will cause its transfer agent or share registrar to issue the Commitment Ordinary Shares to the Investor pursuant to and in accordance with Section 10.1(ii).

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS

 

Capitalized terms used in this Agreement shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in Annex I hereto, and hereby made a part hereof, or as otherwise set forth in this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

ARTICLE II
PURCHASE AND SALE OF ADSs

 

Section 2.1         Purchase and Sale of ADSs. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, during the Investment Period, the Company, in its sole discretion, shall have the right, but not the obligation, to issue and sell to the Investor, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company, up to $350,000,000 (the “Total Commitment”) in aggregate gross purchase price of duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable ADSs, by the delivery to the Investor of VWAP Purchase Notices as provided in Article III. The par value of the Ordinary Shares underlying the VWAP ADSs shall be deemed as fully paid and settled when the Ordinary Shares are allotted and issued in consideration of and by way of the Investor’s execution of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

Section 2.2         Closing; Closing Date. The closing under this Agreement (the “Closing”) shall occur upon (a) the delivery of counterpart signature pages of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement executed by each of the parties hereto and thereto and (b) the delivery of all other documents, instruments and writings required to be delivered at the Closing and the satisfaction of each of the other conditions to Closing, in each case as provided in Section 7.1 (such date, the “Closing Date”).

 

Section 2.3         Initial Public Announcements and Required Filings. The Company shall, within four (4) Trading Days of the date of this Agreement, file with the Commission a current report on Form 6-K describing the material terms of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, the agreement to issue the Commitment Ordinary Shares to the Investor, and attaching as exhibits thereto copies of each of this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and, if applicable, any press release issued by the Company disclosing the execution of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement by the Company (including all exhibits thereto, the “Current Report”). The Company shall provide the Investor a reasonable opportunity to comment on a draft of the Current Report prior to filing the Current Report with the Commission and shall give due consideration to all such comments. From and after the filing of the Current Report with the Commission, the Company shall have publicly disclosed all material, nonpublic information delivered to the Investor (or the Investor’s representatives or agents) by the Company, or any of its officers, directors, employees, agents or representatives (if any) in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Investor covenants that until such time as the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly disclosed by the Company as described in this Section 2.3, the Investor shall maintain the confidentiality of all disclosures made to it in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (including the existence and terms of the transactions), except that the Investor may disclose the terms of such transactions (a) to its financial, accounting, legal and other advisors (provided that the Investor directs such Persons to maintain the confidentiality of such information), (b) as provided in this Agreement, (c) as required pursuant to applicable federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations, and the rules of the Trading Market or any Eligible Market or other stock exchange upon which the ADSs are listed or (d) to the extent such terms become generally available to the public not as a result of any action or inaction of Investor in violation of this Agreement. Not later than fifteen (15) calendar days following the date of this Agreement, the Company shall file a Form D with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities in accordance with Regulation D and shall provide a copy thereof to the Investor promptly after such filing (the availability of which on the Commission’s EDGAR system shall constitute provision of such copy). The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Initial Filing Deadline, file with the Commission the Initial Registration Statement and the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the applicable Filing Deadline, file any New Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor of the Registrable Securities, in each case, in accordance with the Securities Act and the Registration Rights Agreement. At or before 8:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of the Initial Registration Statement and any New Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto), the Company shall file with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act the final Prospectus to be used in connection with resales of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to such Registration Statement (or post-effective amendment thereto).

 

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ARTICLE III
PURCHASE TERMS

 

Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Article VII, the parties agree as follows:

 

Section 3.1         VWAP Purchases. After the Closing Date, upon the initial satisfaction of all of the conditions set forth in Section 7.2 (the “Commencement,” and the date of initial satisfaction of all of such conditions, the “Commencement Date”) and from time to time thereafter, subject to the satisfaction of all of the conditions set forth in Section 7.3 and in this Section 3.1, the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to direct the Investor, by its delivery to the Investor of a VWAP Purchase Notice, substantially in the form attached as Exhibit B hereto, on a VWAP Purchase Exercise Date, to purchase and subscribe for the VWAP Purchase ADS Amount set forth by the Company therein, not to exceed the applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount, at the applicable VWAP Purchase Price therefor (as confirmed in the applicable VWAP Purchase Confirmation) in accordance with this Agreement (each such purchase, a “VWAP Purchase”). At or prior to 7:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third (3rd) Trading Day immediately following the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for each VWAP Purchase hereunder, the Investor shall provide to the Company a written confirmation for such VWAP Purchase setting forth the applicable VWAP Purchase ADS Amount and the applicable VWAP Purchase Price (both on a per VWAP ADS basis and the total aggregate VWAP Purchase Price to be paid by the Investor for such applicable VWAP Purchase ADS Amount) with respect to such VWAP Purchase (each, a “VWAP Purchase Confirmation”). During the Investment Period, the Company may deliver a VWAP Purchase Notice to the Investor on any Trading Day selected by the Company as the VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for a VWAP Purchase, provided, that (i) the Company may not deliver a VWAP Purchase Notice if the Closing Sale Price of the ADSs on the Trading Day prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date is less than the Threshold Price, (ii) the Company may not deliver more than one VWAP Purchase Notice to the Investor on any single Trading Day, (iii) the Company may not deliver, or cause Investor to receive, a VWAP Purchase Notice on an Exempt Day or during the three Trading Days immediately prior to an Exempt Day and (iv) the Company may not deliver a VWAP Purchase Notice to the Investor on any Trading Day during the period commencing on the VWAP Purchase Exercise Date on which a prior VWAP Purchase Notice has previously been delivered by the Company to the Investor hereunder, and ending on the applicable VWAP Purchase Settlement Date (as defined below) (the “Quiet Period”); provided, that, the Investor and the Company may mutually agree to waive the Quiet Period in the event the resale of the Registrable Securities by the Investor is registered pursuant to an effective Registration Statement on Form F-3 on the date of the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice, and (iv) all VWAP ADSs subject to all prior VWAP Purchase Notices for VWAP Purchases that have been properly delivered by the Company to the Investor under this Agreement (as applicable) have theretofore been received by the Investor or its Broker-Dealer as DWAC ADSs, prior to the Company’s delivery of such VWAP Purchase Notice to the Investor on such VWAP Purchase Exercise Date. The Investor is obligated to accept each VWAP Purchase Notice properly delivered by the Company in accordance with the terms of and subject to the satisfaction of the conditions contained in this Agreement. If the Company delivers any VWAP Purchase Notice directing the Investor to purchase a VWAP Purchase ADS Amount in excess of the applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount that the Company is then permitted to include in such VWAP Purchase Notice, such VWAP Purchase Notice shall be void ab initio to the extent of the amount by which the VWAP Purchase ADS Amount set forth in such VWAP Purchase Notice exceeds such applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount, and the Investor shall have no obligation to purchase such excess VWAP ADSs in respect of such VWAP Purchase Notice; provided, however, that the Investor shall remain obligated to purchase the applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount set forth in such VWAP Purchase Notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing the Company shall not deliver any VWAP Purchase Notices to the Investor during the PEA Period.

 

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Section 3.2         Settlement. The Company shall, not later than 5:00 p.m., Hong Kong time, on the VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase, deposit the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs constituting the applicable VWAP Purchase ADS Amount to be purchased by the Investor in a VWAP Purchase with the custodian for the Depositary (the “ADS Custodian,” being Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong Branch as of the date of this Agreement), pursuant to which the Depositary shall deliver the ADSs to the Investor. The ADSs constituting the applicable VWAP Purchase ADS Amount to be purchased by the Investor in a VWAP Purchase shall be delivered to the Investor as DWAC ADSs not later than 1:00 p.m., New York City time, on the VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase. For each VWAP Purchase, the Investor shall pay to the Company an amount (the “Settlement Amount”) in cash equal to the product of (i) the total VWAP Purchase ADS Amount purchased by the Investor in such VWAP Purchase (as confirmed in the applicable VWAP Purchase Confirmation) and (ii) the VWAP Purchase Price for such ADSs (as confirmed in the applicable VWAP Purchase Confirmation), as full payment for such ADSs, via wire transfer of immediately available funds, not later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third (3rd) Trading Day immediately following the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase (the “VWAP Purchase Settlement Date”), provided the Investor shall have timely received, as DWAC ADSs, all of such ADSs constituting the VWAP Purchase ADS Amount on the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date in accordance with the second sentence of this Section 3.2, it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that if any of such VWAP ADSs are received by the Investor after 1:00 p.m., New York City time, on the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date, then the Company’s receipt of the relevant Settlement Amount in its designated bank account shall occur on the Trading Day next following the VWAP Purchase Settlement Date or, if later, the Trading Day next following the Trading Day on which the Investor shall have received all of such VWAP ADSs as DWAC ADSs. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the applicable VWAP Purchase Settlement Date coincides with an Exempt Day, the applicable VWAP Purchase Settlement Date shall be the next Trading Day that is not an Exempt Day. If the Company or the Depositary shall fail for any reason, other than a failure of the Investor or its Broker-Dealer to set up a DWAC and required instructions, to electronically transfer any ADSs as DWAC ADSs in respect of a VWAP Purchase prior to 10:30 a.m., New York City time, on the first (1st) Trading Day immediately following the VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase, and if on or after such Trading Day the Investor purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) ADSs to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Investor of such ADSs that the Investor anticipated receiving from the Company in respect of such VWAP Purchase, then the Company shall, within one (1) Trading Day after the Investor’s request pay cash to the Investor in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Investor’s total purchase price (including brokerage commissions, if any) for the ADSs so purchased (the “Cover Price”) over the total purchase price that would have been paid by the Investor pursuant to this Agreement for all of such ADSs in such VWAP Purchase; provided, however, that the Investor agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to purchase ADSs in respect of the Cover Price only in normal brokerage transactions at the prevailing price per ADS then available. The Company shall not issue any fraction of an ADS upon any VWAP Purchase. If the issuance would result in the issuance of a fraction of an ADS, the Company shall round such fraction of an ADS up or down to the nearest whole ADS. All payments made under this Agreement shall be made in lawful money of the United States of America by wire transfer of immediately available funds to such account as the Company may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Whenever any amount expressed to be due by the terms of this Agreement is due on any day that is not a Trading Day, the same shall instead be due on the next succeeding day that is a Trading Day that is not an Exempt Day.

 

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Section 3.3         Compliance with Rules of Trading Market. The Company shall not issue or sell any ADSs pursuant to this Agreement if such issuance or sale would reasonably be expected to result in (i) a violation of the Securities Act or (ii) a breach of the rules of the Trading Market. The provisions of this Section 3.3 shall not be implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 3.3 unless necessary to ensure compliance with the Securities Act and the applicable rules of the Trading Market.

 

Section 3.4         Beneficial Ownership Limitation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Company shall not issue or sell, and the Investor shall not purchase or acquire, any ADSs under this Agreement which, when aggregated with all other Ordinary Shares then beneficially owned by the Investor and its Affiliates (as calculated pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 promulgated thereunder), would result in the beneficial ownership by the Investor of more than 4.99% of the outstanding ADSs (the “Beneficial Ownership Limitation”), provided, that, the Investor may, in its sole discretion upon not less than 61 days’ prior notice to the Company, elect to increase the Beneficial Ownership Limitation to permit the Investor to beneficially own up to 9.99% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares. Upon the written or oral request of the Investor, the Company shall promptly (but not later than the next Trading Day on which both the share registrar of the Company and the Depositary are open for business) confirm orally or in writing to the Investor the number of Ordinary Shares then outstanding. The Investor and the Company shall each cooperate in good faith in the determinations required under this Section 3.4 and the application of this Section 3.4. The Investor’s written certification to the Company of the applicability of the Beneficial Ownership Limitation, and the resulting effect thereof hereunder at any time, shall be conclusive with respect to the applicability thereof and such result absent manifest error. The provisions of this Section 3.4 shall not be construed and implemented in a manner otherwise than in strict conformity with the terms of this Section 3.4 unless necessary to properly give effect to the limitations contained in this Section 3.4.

 

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ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE INVESTOR

 

The Investor hereby makes the following representations, warranties and covenants to the Company:

 

Section 4.1         Organization and Standing of the Investor. The Investor is a limited liability company duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.

 

Section 4.2         Authorization and Power. The Investor has the requisite limited liability company power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement and to purchase or acquire the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof. The execution, delivery and performance by the Investor of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary limited liability company action, and no further consent or authorization of the Investor, its Board of Directors or its members is required. Each of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Investor and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Investor enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation, conservatorship, receivership, or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditor’s rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application (including any limitation of equitable remedies).

 

Section 4.3         No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Investor of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, and the consummation by the Investor of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and shall not (i) result in a violation of such Investor’s certificate of formation, limited liability company agreement or other applicable organizational instruments, (ii) conflict with, constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would become a default) under, or give rise to any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any material agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, indenture, note, bond, license, lease agreement, instrument or obligation to which the Investor is a party or by which it or any of its property or assets are bound, (iii) create or impose any lien, charge or encumbrance on any property of the Investor under any agreement or any commitment to which the Investor is party or under which the Investor is bound or under which any of its properties or assets are bound, or (iv) result in a violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, rule, or regulation, or any order, judgment or decree of any court or governmental agency applicable to the Investor or by which any of its properties or assets are bound or affected, except, in the case of clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), for such conflicts, defaults, terminations, amendments, acceleration, cancellations and violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, prohibit or otherwise interfere with, in any material respect, the ability of the Investor to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement. The Investor is not required under any applicable federal, state, local or foreign law, rule or regulation to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement or to purchase or acquire the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof; provided, however, that for purposes of the representation made in this sentence, the Investor is assuming and relying upon the accuracy of the relevant representations and warranties and the compliance with the relevant covenants and agreements of the Company in the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.

 

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Section 4.4         Investment Purpose. The Investor is acquiring the Securities for its own account, for investment purposes and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, the public sale or distribution thereof, except pursuant to sales registered under or exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act; provided, however, that by making the representations herein, the Investor does not agree, or make any representation or warranty, to hold any of the Securities for any minimum or other specific term and reserves the right to dispose of the Securities at any time in accordance with, or pursuant to, a Registration Statement filed pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement or an applicable exemption under the Securities Act. The Investor does not presently have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any Person to sell or distribute any of the Securities.

 

Section 4.5         Accredited Investor Status. The Investor is an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D.

 

Section 4.6         Reliance on Exemptions. The Investor understands that the Securities are being offered and sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of U.S. federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying in part upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Investor’s compliance with, the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgments and understandings of the Investor set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Investor to acquire the Securities.

 

Section 4.7         Information. All materials relating to the business, financial condition, management and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the Investor have been furnished or otherwise made available to the Investor or its advisors, including, without limitation, the Commission Documents filed with or furnished to the Commission as of the applicable date or time this representation is made. The Investor understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk. The Investor is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities, including a total loss thereof, and has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of a proposed investment in the Securities. The Investor and its advisors have been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from representatives of the Company concerning the financial condition and business of the Company and other matters relating to an investment in the Securities. Neither such inquiries nor any other due diligence investigations conducted by the Investor or its advisors, if any, or its representatives shall modify, amend or affect the Investor’s right to rely on the Company’s representations and warranties contained in this Agreement. The Investor has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to its acquisition of the Securities. The Investor understands that it (and not the Company) shall be responsible for its own tax liabilities that may arise as a result of this investment or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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Section 4.8         No Governmental Review. The Investor understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.

 

Section 4.9         No General Solicitation. The Investor is not purchasing or acquiring the Securities as a result of any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities.

 

Section 4.10       Not an Affiliate. The Investor is not an officer, director or an Affiliate of the Company as of the date of this Agreement, and on each VWAP Purchase Exercise Date and each VWAP Purchase Settlement Date and at any time the Investor holds ADSs it will not be a officer, director or an Affiliate of the Company. As of the date of this Agreement, the Investor does not beneficially own any Ordinary Shares or securities exercisable for or convertible into Ordinary Shares, and during the Investment Period, the Investor will not acquire beneficial ownership of the Company’s equity securities (including Ordinary Shares, ADSs or securities exercisable for or convertible into Ordinary Shares) other than pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall prohibit or be deemed to prohibit the Investor from purchasing, in an open market transaction or otherwise, ADSs necessary to make delivery by the Investor in satisfaction of a sale by the Investor of VWAP ADSs that the Investor anticipated receiving from the Company in connection with the settlement of a VWAP Purchase, if the Company or the Depositary shall have failed for any reason (other than a failure of Investor or its Broker-Dealer to set up a DWAC and required instructions) to timely electronically transfer all of the VWAP ADSs subject to such VWAP Purchase to the Investor on the applicable VWAP Exercise Date by crediting the Investor’s or its designated Broker-Dealer’s account at DTC through its DWAC delivery system in compliance with the second sentence of Section 3.2 of this Agreement.

 

Section 4.11       Certain Trading Activities. Other than with respect to the Closing of the transactions contemplated hereunder, during the period commencing at the time that the Investor was first contacted by the Company, or any other Person representing the Company, regarding the transactions contemplated hereby and ending immediately prior to the execution of this Agreement, none of the Investor, any of its Affiliates or any entity managed or controlled by the Investor has, directly or indirectly, executed any purchases or sales, including Short Sales, of any securities of the Company (including, without limitation, the ADSs), or any stock pledge, forward sales contract, option, put, call, swap or similar hedging arrangement (including on a total return basis) with respect to any securities of the Company (including, without limitation, the ADSs).

 

Section 4.12       Statutory Underwriter Status. The Investor acknowledges that it will be disclosed as an “underwriter” and a “selling shareholder” in each Registration Statement and in any Prospectus contained therein to the extent required by applicable law and to the extent the Prospectus is related to the resale of Registrable Securities by the Investor.

 

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Section 4.13       Resales of Securities. The Investor represents, warrants and covenants that it will resell Securities purchased or acquired by the Investor from the Company pursuant to this Agreement only pursuant to an effective Registration Statement in which the resale of such Securities is registered under the Securities Act, in a manner described under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in such Registration Statement, and in a manner in compliance with the Registration Rights Agreement and all applicable U.S. federal and applicable state securities laws, rules and regulations.

 

Section 4.14       Sufficiency and Source of Funds. The Investor represents, warrants and covenants that (i) it will have sufficient cash or other sources of immediately available funds to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreements, including the payment of the Settlement Amount for each VWAP Purchase and the satisfaction of any other of its payment obligations to the extent arising under the Transaction Documents, and (ii) the source of such funds will not be derived from, or related to, any activity that is conducted in violation of the Money Laundering Laws or any applicable terrorist financing laws, regulations and conventions, nor, to the Investor’s knowledge, will such funds be derived from any account or Person located in a jurisdiction that is named on any Sanction List.

 

Section 4.15       OFAC. Neither the Investor nor any of its director or officer, nor, to the Investor’s knowledge, any Person that owns a controlling interest in the Investor, is a Person that is (i) named on any Sanction List, nor (ii) located or organized in or resident of any Sanction Country.

 

ARTICLE V
REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY

 

Except as disclosed in the Commission Documents, the Company hereby makes the following representations, warranties and covenants to the Investor:

 

Section 5.1         Organization, Good Standing and Power. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any of the provisions of its respective organizational documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect and no Action has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.

 

Section 5.2         Authorization, Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and perform its obligations under each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and to issue the Securities in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof. Except for approvals of the Company’s Board of Directors or a committee thereof as may be required in connection with any issuance and sale of VWAP ADSs to the Investor hereunder (which approvals shall be obtained prior to the delivery of any VWAP Purchase Notice), the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and no further consent or authorization of the Company, its Board of Directors or its shareholders is required. Each of the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation, conservatorship, receivership or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditor’s rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application (including any limitation of equitable remedies).

 

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Section 5.3         Capitalization. The authorized share capital of the Company and the shares thereof issued and outstanding were as set forth in the Commission Documents as of the dates reflected therein. All of the outstanding equity securities of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, and are fully paid and non-assessable. Except as set forth in this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, there are no agreements or arrangements under which the Company is obligated to register the sale of any securities under the Securities Act. No equity securities of the Company are entitled to preemptive rights and there are no outstanding debt securities and no contracts, commitments, understandings, or arrangements by which the Company is or may become bound to issue additional equity securities or options, warrants, scrip, rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities or rights convertible into or exchangeable for, any equity securities of the Company other than those issued or granted in the ordinary course of business pursuant to the Company’s equity incentive and/or compensatory plans or arrangements. Except for customary transfer restrictions contained in agreements entered into by the Company to sell restricted securities, the Company is not a party to, and it has no Knowledge of, any agreement restricting the voting or transfer of any equity securities. There are no securities or instruments containing anti-dilution or similar provisions that will be triggered by this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents or the consummation of the transactions described herein or therein. The Company has filed with the Commission true and correct copies of the Organizational Document.

 

Section 5.4         Issuance of Securities. The Commitment Ordinary Shares to be issued and delivered to the Investor pursuant to Section 10.1(ii) hereof will be, and the Ordinary Shares to be represented by the VWAP ADSs to be purchased by the Investor pursuant to a particular VWAP Purchase Notice will be, prior to the delivery to the Investor hereunder of such VWAP Purchase Notice, duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company. The Securities, when issued and sold against payment therefor in accordance with this Agreement, shall be validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable and free from all liens, charges, taxes, security interests, encumbrances, rights of first refusal, preemptive or similar rights and other encumbrances with respect to the issue thereof, and the Investor shall be entitled to all rights accorded to a holder of Ordinary Shares and/or ADSs, as applicable.

 

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Section 5.5         No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of each of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby do not and shall not (i) result in a violation of any provision of the Organizational Document, (ii) result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would become a default) under, or give rise to any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation of, any Material Agreement, mortgage, deed of trust, indenture, note, bond, license, lease agreement, instrument or obligation to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or is bound, (iii) create or impose a lien, charge or encumbrance on any property or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any agreement or any commitment to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or to which any of their respective properties or assets is subject, or (iv) result in a violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, rule, regulation, order, judgment or decree applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or by which any property or asset of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are bound or affected (including federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules and regulations of the Trading Market or applicable Eligible Market), except, in the case of clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), for such conflicts, defaults, terminations, amendments, acceleration, cancellations, liens, charges, encumbrances and violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as specifically contemplated by this Agreement or the Registration Rights Agreement and as required under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws, the Company is not required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, rule or regulation to obtain any consent, authorization or order of, or make any filing or registration with, any court or governmental agency (including, without limitation, the Trading Market) in order for it to execute, deliver or perform any of its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, or to issue the Securities to the Investor in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof (other than (i) such consents, authorizations, orders, filings or registrations as have been, or will be, obtained or made prior to the Closing Date, and (ii) the filing to be made with the China Securities Regulatory Commission); provided, however, that, for purposes of the representation made in this sentence, the Company is assuming and relying upon the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Investor in this Agreement and the compliance by it with its covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

Section 5.6         No Violations of Governing Documents. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation, breach or default under the Organizational Document.

 

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Section 5.7         Commission Documents, Financial Statements; Disclosure Controls and Procedures; Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting; Accountant.

 

(a)         Since February 22, 2024, the Company has timely filed all Commission Documents required to be filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, including those required to be filed with or furnished to the Commission under Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. As of the Closing Date, no Subsidiary of the Company is required to file or furnish any report, schedule, registration, form, statement, information or other document with the Commission. The Company has delivered or made available to the Investor via EDGAR true and complete copies of the Commission Documents filed with or furnished to the Commission prior to the date of this Agreement. As of its filing date, each Commission Document filed with or furnished to the Commission complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable (or, if amended, restated or superseded by a filing prior to the Closing Date, on the date of such amended, restated or superseded filing). Each Registration Statement, on the date it is filed with the Commission, on the date it is declared effective by the Commission and on each VWAP Purchase Exercise Date shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including, without limitation, Rule 415 under the Securities Act) and shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, except that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements in or omissions from such Registration Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Investor furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of the Investor expressly for use therein. The Prospectus and each Prospectus Supplement required to be filed pursuant to this Agreement or the Registration Rights Agreement after the Closing Date, when taken together, on its date and on each VWAP Purchase Exercise Date shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including, without limitation, Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act) and shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Investor furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of the Investor expressly for use therein. Each Commission Document (other than the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, or the Prospectus included therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto) to be filed with or furnished to the Commission after the Closing Date and incorporated by reference in the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, or the Prospectus included therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto required to be filed pursuant to this Agreement or the Registration Rights Agreement (including, without limitation, the Current Report), when such document is filed with or furnished to the Commission and, if applicable, when such document becomes effective, as the case may be, shall comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable. There are no comments provided to the Company by the Commission’s staff relating to any of the Commission Documents filed with or furnished to the Commission as of the applicable date or time this representation is being made under Article VII hereof that remain outstanding or unresolved. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

 

(b)         The financial statements of the Company and SPAC included in the Commission Documents filed with or furnished to the Commission as of the applicable date or time this representation is being made under Article VII hereof, together with the related notes and schedules thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act in effect as of the time of filing and present fairly in all material respects the financial condition of the Company, together with its consolidated Subsidiaries, as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby except for any normal year-end adjustments in the Company’s quarterly financial statements. The pro forma financial statements and any other pro forma data included or incorporated by reference in the Commission Documents comply with the applicable requirements of Regulation S-X of the Securities Act, including, without limitation, Article 11 thereof, and the assumptions used in the preparation of such pro forma financial statements and data are reasonable, the pro forma adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the circumstances referred to therein and the pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements and data. There are no financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Commission Documents that are not included or incorporated by reference as required. All disclosures contained or incorporated by reference in the Commission Documents, if any, regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply in all material respects with Regulation G under the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable. The other financial and statistical data with respect to the Company and the Subsidiaries contained or incorporated by reference in the Commission Documents are accurately and fairly presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company. The Company and its Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations or any “variable interest entities” as that term is used in Accounting Standards Codification Paragraph 810-10-25-20), not described in the Commission Documents which are required to be described in the Commission Documents.

 

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(c)         The Company maintains a system of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined under Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Commission Documents, the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement fairly present the information called for in all material respects and have been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. The Company’s internal controls over financial reporting are effective and the Company is not aware of any material weakness or significant deficiencies in its internal controls over financial reporting. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Commission Documents, there has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting adversely.

 

(d)         The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and the Subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

 

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(e)         To the Company’s Knowledge, KPMG Huazhen LLP (the “Accountant”) is (x) an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and (y) not in violation of the auditor independence requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) with respect to the Company.

 

(f)          There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith.

 

Section 5.8         Subsidiaries. The Commission Documents set forth each Subsidiary of the Company, other than those that may be omitted pursuant to Item 19 of Form 20-F, showing its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization. No Subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s share capital, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such Subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such Subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 5.9         No Material Adverse Effect or Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements of the Company included within the Commission Documents and to the Company’s Knowledge, (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transactions other than in the ordinary course of business, (ii) the Company has not declared or paid any dividends or made any distribution of any kind with respect to its share capital; (iii) there has not been any change in the share capital of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than a change in the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, upon the conversion of outstanding Preferred Shares or other convertible securities or the issuance of restricted share awards or restricted share units under the Company’s existing share awards plan, or any new grants thereof in the ordinary course of business), (iv) there has not been any material change in the Company’s long-term or short-term debt, and (v) there has not been the occurrence of any Material Adverse Effect or any development that would be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 5.10       No Undisclosed Liabilities. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any liabilities, obligations, claims or losses (whether liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, absolute, accrued, contingent or otherwise) that would be required to be disclosed on a balance sheet of the Company or any Subsidiary (including the notes thereto) in conformity with GAAP and are not disclosed in the Commission Documents, other than those incurred in the ordinary course of the Company’s or its Subsidiaries respective businesses since the date of the latest audited financial statements of the Company included within the Commission Documents and which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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Section 5.11         No Undisclosed Events or Circumstances. No event or circumstance has occurred nor information exists, with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or its or their business, properties, liabilities, operations (including results thereof) or conditions (financial or otherwise), which, under applicable law, rule or regulation, requires public disclosure or announcement by the Company but which has not been so publicly announced or disclosed, except for events or circumstances which, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 5.12         Solvency. Since February 22, 2024, the Company has not taken any steps, and does not currently expect to take any steps, to seek protection pursuant to any Bankruptcy Law, nor does the Company have any Knowledge that its creditors intend to initiate involuntary bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or liquidation proceedings or other proceedings for relief under any Bankruptcy Law. The Company is financially solvent and is generally able to pay its debts as they become due.

 

Section 5.13         Title to Assets. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its Subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its Subsidiaries are held by it under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere in any material respect with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its Subsidiaries.

 

Section 5.14         Absence of Proceedings. There are no Actions pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, currently threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective assets or properties (i) other than Actions that, individually or in the aggregate, would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under, or consummate the transactions contemplated by, the Transaction Documents or (ii) that are required to be described in the Commission Documents and are not so described.

 

Section 5.15         Compliance With Laws. The business of the Company and the Subsidiaries has been since February 22, 2024 and is presently being conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign governmental laws, rules, regulations and ordinances, except for such non-compliance which, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any judgment, decree or order or any statute, ordinance, rule or regulation of any Governmental Authority applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will conduct its business in violation of any of the foregoing, except in all cases for any such violations which could not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. There are no statutes, laws, rules, regulations or ordinances of any Governmental Authority, self-regulatory organization or body that are applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or to their respective businesses, assets or properties that are required to be described in any Commission Document that are not described therein as required.

 

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Section 5.16         Certain Fees. No brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Investor shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section 5.16 incurred by the Company or its Subsidiaries that may be due or payable in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

 

Section 5.17         Disclosure. The Company confirms that neither it nor any Person acting on its behalf has provided the Investor or any of its agents, advisors or counsel with any information that constitutes or could reasonably be expected to constitute material, nonpublic information concerning the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, other than the existence of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Company understands and confirms that the Investor will rely on the foregoing representations in effecting resales of Securities under the Registration Statement. All disclosure provided to Investor regarding the Company and its Subsidiaries, their businesses and the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (including, without limitation, the representations and warranties of the Company contained in the Transaction Documents to which it is a party) furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries for purposes of or in connection with the Transaction Documents (other than forward-looking information and projections and information of a general economic nature and general information about the Company’s industry), taken together, is true and correct in all material respects on the date on which such information is dated or certified, and does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading at such time.

 

Section 5.18         Operation of Business.

 

(a)           The Company and its Subsidiaries possess all material certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities that are necessary to conduct their respective businesses, except where the failure to possess such certificates, authorizations or permits would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. This Section 5.18(a) does not relate to environmental matters, such items being the subject of Section 5.19.

 

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(b)           (i) The Company and its Subsidiaries own or have a valid license to all patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain names and other intellectual property, including any and all registrations, applications for registration, and goodwill associated with any of the foregoing (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) currently employed by them in connection with the business as described in the Commission Documents, except where the failure to own, possess, license, or have the right to use any of the foregoing would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; (ii) the Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the Company’s Knowledge, the Intellectual Property Rights exclusively licensed to the Company and its Subsidiaries, in each case, which are material to the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as described in the Commission Documents are valid, subsisting and enforceable, and there is no pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, scope or enforceability of any such Intellectual Property Rights; (iii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any written notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect; (iv) all Intellectual Property Rights owned or purported to be owned by the Company or its Subsidiaries are owned solely by the Company or its Subsidiaries and is are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, defects and other restrictions except for liens, encumbrances, defects and restrictions as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (v) to the Company’s Knowledge, no third party is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company, except to the extent that the infringement, misappropriation or violation, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (vi) to the Company’s Knowledge, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any Intellectual Property Rights of a third party that would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (vii) all employees or contractors engaged in the development of Intellectual Property Rights on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property Rights to the Company or the applicable Subsidiary, and to the Company’s Knowledge no such agreement has been breached or violated, or Intellectual Property Rights have been assigned to the Company by applicable law; and (viii) the Company and its Subsidiaries use, and have used, commercially reasonable efforts to appropriately maintain all information intended to be maintained as a trade secret.

 

Section 5.19         Environmental Compliance. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received all permits or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit or approval, where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

 

Section 5.20         Material Agreements. Other than the Transaction Documents, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is a party to any contract, agreement or plan, a copy of which would be required to be filed with the Commission as an exhibit to an annual report on Form 20-F (collectively, “Material Agreements”). Each of the Material Agreements described in the Commission Documents conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained or incorporated by reference therein. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have performed in all material respects all the obligations then required to be performed by them under the Material Agreements, have received no notice of default or an event of default by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries thereunder and are not aware of any basis for the assertion thereof, and neither the Company or any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any other contracting party thereto are in default under any Material Agreement now in effect, the result of which would have a Material Adverse Effect. Each of the Material Agreements is in full force and effect, and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation enforceable in accordance with its terms against the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries and, to the Knowledge of the Company, each other contracting party thereto, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation, conservatorship, receivership or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditor’s rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.

 

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Section 5.21         Transactions with Affiliates. There has not been any transaction that is required to be disclosed by the Company as a related party transaction pursuant to Item 7.B of Form 20-F.

 

Section 5.22         Employees; Labor Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is bound by or subject to (and none of their assets or properties is bound by or subject to) any contract with any labor union, and, to the Company’s Knowledge, no labor union has requested or has sought to represent any of the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. There is no strike or other labor dispute involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pending, or to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened, that has had or would have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, is there any labor organization activity involving the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. With respect to all current and former Persons who have performed services for or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has complied in all material respects with all applicable state and federal equal employment opportunity, wage and hour, compensation and other laws related to employment, including but not limited to, overtime requirements, classification of employees and independent contractors under federal and state laws (including for tax purposes and for purposes of determining eligibility to participate in any Employee Plan (as defined below)), hours of work, leaves of absence, equal opportunity, sexual and other harassment, whistleblower protections, immigration, occupational health and safety, workers’ compensation, and the withholding and payment of all applicable Taxes, and there are no material arrears in the payments of wages, unemployment insurance premiums or other similar obligations. There are no material claims, disputes, grievances, or controversies pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened involving any employee or group of employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. There are no material charges, investigations, administrative proceedings or formal complaints of (i) discrimination or retaliation (including discrimination, harassment or retaliation based upon sex, age, marital status, race, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status), (ii) unfair labor practices, (iii) violations of health and safety laws, (iv) workplace injuries or (v) whistleblower retaliation against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, in each case that (y) pertain to any current or former employee and (z) have been threatened in writing by such employee or are pending before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the Workers Compensation Appeals Board, or any other Governmental Authority.

 

Section 5.23         Use of Proceeds. The proceeds from the sale of the VWAP ADSs by the Company to the Investor shall be used by the Company and its Subsidiaries in the manner as will be set forth in the Prospectus included in any Registration Statement (and any post-effective amendment thereto) and any Prospectus Supplement thereto filed pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

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Section 5.24         Investment Company Act Status. The Company is not, and as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents and the application of the proceeds from the sale of the ADSs as will be set forth in the Prospectus included in any Registration Statement (and any post-effective amendment thereto) and any Prospectus Supplement thereto filed pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement the Company will not be an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

Section 5.25         ERISA Compliance. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to an “employee benefit plan,” as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), which: (i) is subject to Title IV of ERISA and (ii) is or was at any time maintained, administered or contributed to by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates (as defined hereafter). Each plan is referred to herein as an “Employee Plan.” An “ERISA Affiliate” of any Person means any other Person which, together with that Person, could be treated as a single employer under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Each Employee Plan has been maintained in material compliance with its terms and the requirements of applicable law. There is no liability in respect of post-retirement health and medical benefits for retired employees of the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates, other than medical benefits required to be continued under applicable law. No “prohibited transaction”(as defined in either Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) has occurred with respect to any Employee Plan; and each Employee Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified, and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which could cause the loss of such qualification, except where such occurrence or failure to qualify would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. With respect to each Employee Plan, no Actions (other than routine claims for benefits in the ordinary course of business) are pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no facts or circumstances exist that would reasonably be expected to give rise to any such Actions. No Employee Plan is currently under investigation or audit by any Governmental Authority and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no such investigation or audit is contemplated or under consideration. Each Employee Plan that is a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” subject to Section 409A of the Code has been maintained and administered in all material respects in accordance with its terms and in operational and documentary compliance with Section 409A of the Code and all regulations and other applicable regulatory guidance (including notices and rulings) thereunder.

 

Section 5.26         Taxes. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has (a) filed all foreign, federal, state and local Tax Returns required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof and (b) paid all Taxes shown as due and payable on such returns that were filed and has paid all material Taxes imposed on or assessed against the Company or such respective Subsidiary, except, in each case, where the failure to file or pay would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect). The provisions for Taxes payable, if any, shown on the financial statements included in the Commission Documents are sufficient for all accrued and unpaid Taxes, whether or not disputed, and for all periods to and including the dates of such consolidated financial statements. To the Company’s Knowledge, no issues have been raised (and are currently pending) by any taxing authority in connection with any of the Tax Returns or Taxes asserted as due from the Company or its Subsidiaries, and no waivers of statutes of limitation with respect to the returns or collection of Taxes have been given by or requested from the Company or its Subsidiaries that would be reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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Section 5.27         Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as, in the Company’s reasonable judgment, are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. The Company has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company.

 

Section 5.28         Exemption from Registration. Subject to, and in reliance on, the representations, warranties and covenants made herein by the Investor, the offer and sale of the Securities from the Company to the Investor in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D; provided, however, that at the request of and with the express agreement of the Investor (including, without limitation, the representations, warranties and covenants of Investor set forth in Article IV), the Securities to be issued from and after Commencement to or for the benefit of the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall be issued to the Investor or its designee only as DWAC ADSs and will not bear legends noting restrictions as to resale of such securities under federal or state securities laws, nor will any such securities be subject to stop transfer instructions, so long as there is an effective Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor of such ADSs (it being understood and agreed by the Investor that notwithstanding the lack of restrictive legends, the Investor may only sell such ADSs in the manner described under the caption “Plan of Distribution” as set forth in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement and in a manner in compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and applicable state securities laws, rules and regulations).

 

Section 5.29         No General Solicitation or Advertising. Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates, nor any Person acting on its or their behalf, has engaged in any form of general solicitation or general advertising (within the meaning of Regulation D) in connection with the offer or sale of the Securities.

 

Section 5.30         No Integrated Offering. None of the Company or any of its Affiliates, nor any Person acting on their behalf has, directly or indirectly, made any offers or sales of any security or solicited any offers to buy any security, under circumstances that would require registration of the offer, issuance and sale by the Company to the Investor of any of the Securities under the Securities Act, whether through integration with prior offerings or otherwise. None of the Company, its Subsidiaries, their Affiliates nor any Person acting on their behalf will take any action or steps referred to in the preceding sentence that would require registration of the offer, issuance and sale by the Company to the Investor of any of the Securities under the Securities Act or cause the offering of any of the Securities to be integrated with any other offering of securities of the Company.

 

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Section 5.31         Dilutive Effect. The Company is aware and acknowledges that issuance of the Securities could cause dilution to existing shareholders and could significantly increase the outstanding number of Ordinary Shares. The Company further acknowledges that its obligation to issue the Commitment Ordinary Shares and to issue the VWAP ADSs pursuant to the terms of a VWAP Purchase pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, in each case, is (subject to the terms and conditions in this Agreement) absolute and unconditional regardless of the dilutive effect that such issuance may have on the ownership interests of other shareholders of the Company.

 

Section 5.32         Manipulation of Price. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or Affiliates has, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no Person acting on their behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed or intended to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, or which caused or resulted in, or which would in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, in each case to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or Affiliates will during the term of this Agreement, and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no Person acting on their behalf will during the term of this Agreement, take any of the actions referred to in the immediately preceding sentence.

 

Section 5.33         Securities Act. The Company has complied and shall comply with all applicable federal and state securities laws in connection with the offer, issuance and sale of the Securities hereunder, including, without limitation, the applicable requirements of the Securities Act. Each Registration Statement, upon filing with the Commission and at the time it is declared effective by the Commission, shall satisfy all of the requirements of the Securities Act to register the resale of the Registrable Securities included therein by the Investor in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 under the Securities Act at then-prevailing market prices, and not fixed prices.

 

Section 5.34         Listing and Maintenance Requirements; DTC Eligibility. The ADSs and the Ordinary Shares are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its Knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the ADSs or the Ordinary Shares under the Exchange Act, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. The Company has not received notice from the Trading Market to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of the Trading Market. The Company is in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements. The ADSs are eligible for participation in the DTC book entry system and have ADSs on deposit at DTC for transfer electronically to third parties via DTC through its Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian (“DWAC”) delivery system. The Company has not received notice from DTC to the effect that a suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the ADSs, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the ADSs is being imposed or is contemplated. The Depositary does not have a policy prohibiting or limiting delivery of the VWAP ADSs as DWAC ADSs.

 

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Section 5.35         Application of Takeover Provisions. There is no control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Organizational Document or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Investor as a result of the Investor and the Company fulfilling their respective obligations or exercising their respective rights under the Transaction Documents (as applicable), including, without limitation, as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Securities and the Investor’s ownership of the Securities.

 

Section 5.36         No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any director or officer, nor, to the Knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, representative or Affiliate of the Company, has taken within the past five years any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment or giving of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any “government official” (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any Person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) to improperly influence official action or secure an improper advantage (to the extent acting on behalf of or providing services to the Company. The Company and its Subsidiaries have, in the past five years, conducted their businesses in compliance with the FCPA, any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, signed December 17, 1997, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 and other applicable anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and anti-bribery laws, and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representation and warranty contained herein.

 

Section 5.37         Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times within the past five years in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, and the Money Laundering Laws, and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

Section 5.38         OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor any director or officer thereof, nor, to the Company’s Knowledge, any employee, agent, Affiliate or representative of the Company, is a Person that is, or is majority owned or controlled by a Person that is (i) named on any Sanction Lists, nor (ii) located or, organized in or resident of any Sanction Country. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries will, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds from the sale of VWAP ADSs under this Agreement, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person (a) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or any Sanctioned Country, or (b) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanction Lists by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries have knowingly engaged in, or are now knowingly engaged in, any dealings or transactions with any Person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanction Lists or a Sanction Country.

 

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Section 5.39         U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is, or has ever been, a United States real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897(c)(2) of the Code.

 

Section 5.40         No Disqualification Events. None of the Company, any of its predecessors, any affiliated issuer, any director, executive officer, other officer of the Company participating in the offering contemplated hereby, any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale (each, an “Issuer Covered Person”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Securities Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3) under the Securities Act. The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Issuer Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event.

 

Section 5.41         Stock Option Plans. Each stock option granted by the Company was granted in accordance with the terms of the applicable stock option plan of the Company. No stock option granted under the Company’s stock option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company to knowingly grant, stock options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of stock options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.

 

Section 5.42         Acknowledgement Regarding Investor’s Acquisition of Securities. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s-length purchaser with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. The Company further acknowledges that the Investor is not acting as a financial advisor or fiduciary of the Company (or in any similar capacity) with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, and any advice given by the Investor or any of its representatives or agents in connection therewith is merely incidental to the Investor’s acquisition of the Securities. The Company further represents to the Investor that the Company’s decision to enter into the Transaction Documents to which it is a party has been based solely on the independent evaluation of the transactions contemplated thereby by the Company and its representatives. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Investor has not made and does not make any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents other than those specifically set forth in Article IV.

 

Section 5.43         Information Technology; Compliance with Data Privacy Laws

 

(a)           Except as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company’s and its Subsidiaries’ information technology (i) assets and equipment, (ii) computers, (iii) systems, (iv) networks, (v) hardware, (vi) software, (vii) websites, (viii) applications, and (ix) databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company as currently conducted, free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants.

 

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(b)           Except as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable physical, technical and administrative controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and data, including all Personal Data (defined below) and all other sensitive, confidential or regulated data controlled by the Company and its Subsidiaries in connection with their businesses (“Confidential Data”). “Personal Data” means, to the extent applicable to the Company’s business, any information which would qualify as (i) “personally identifying information” under the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended; (ii) “personal data” as defined by the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679); (iii) “personal information” as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) or (iv) any other term of similar import as defined under any Privacy Law. “Privacy Laws” means applicable state, federal and PRC data privacy and security laws and regulations, including, to the extent applicable, the CCPA and the GDPR.

 

(c)           Except as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, to the Company’s Knowledge, there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to any Personal Data controlled by the Company and its Subsidiaries, except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any other person, nor any incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. Except as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all Privacy Laws, applicable judgments, orders or rules of any court, arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, external policies and contractual obligations, in each case to the extent relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems, Confidential Data, and Personal Data controlled by the Company and its Subsidiaries in connection with their businesses and to the protection of such IT Systems, Confidential Data, and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification. Except as would not reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries: (i) has received written notice of any actual or potential violation of any of the Privacy Laws, or has any Knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any violation of any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order or decree that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.

 

Section 5.44         Compliance with PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has complied, and has taken all steps to comply with, and to ensure compliance by each of its directors and officers and request compliance by each of its shareholders that, to the knowledge of the Company, is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen with any applicable rules and regulations of the relevant PRC government agencies (including but not limited to the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) relating to the network data security review by the CAC, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) relating to overseas investment by PRC residents and citizens or the repatriation of the proceeds from overseas offering and listing by offshore special purpose vehicles controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies and individuals, such as the Company (collectively, the “PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations”)), including, without limitation, requesting each such Person that, to the knowledge of the Company, is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations (including any applicable rules and regulations of the SAFE)).

 

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ARTICLE VI
ADDITIONAL COVENANTS

 

The Company covenants with the Investor, and the Investor covenants with the Company, as follows, which covenants of one party are for the benefit of the other party, during the Investment Period (and with respect to the Company, for the period following the termination of this Agreement specified in Section 8.3 pursuant to and in accordance with Section 8.3):

 

Section 6.1           Securities Compliance. The Company shall notify the Commission and the Trading Market, if and as applicable, in accordance with their respective rules and regulations, of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, and shall take all necessary action, undertake all proceedings and obtain all registrations, permits, consents and approvals for the legal and valid issuance of the Securities to the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Transaction Documents, as applicable.

 

Section 6.2           Reservation of Ordinary Shares. During the Investment Period, the Company shall reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive and other similar rights of shareholders, the requisite aggregate number of authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares to enable the Company to timely effect (i) the issuance and delivery of the Commitment Ordinary Shares to be issued and delivered to the Investor under Section 10.1(ii) hereof within the time period specified in Section 10.1(ii) hereof, and (ii) the issuance, sale and delivery of all VWAP ADSs to be issued, sold and delivered in respect of each VWAP Purchase effected under this Agreement, in the case of clause (ii) at least prior to the delivery by the Company to the Investor of the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice in connection with such VWAP Purchase. The number of Ordinary Shares so reserved for issuance under this Agreement may be increased from time to time by the Company from and after the Commencement Date, and such number of reserved shares may be reduced from and after the Commencement Date only by the number of VWAP ADSs actually issued, sold and delivered to the Investor pursuant to VWAP Purchases effected by the Company from and after the Commencement Date pursuant to this Agreement.

 

Section 6.3            Registration and Listing. During the Investment Period, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the ADSs and Ordinary Shares to continue to be registered as a class of securities under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and to comply with its reporting and filing obligations under the Exchange Act, and shall not take any action or file any document (whether or not permitted by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act) to terminate or suspend such registration or to terminate or suspend its reporting and filing obligations under the Exchange Act or Securities Act, except as permitted herein. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to continue the listing and trading of its ADSs and the listing of the Securities purchased by the Investor hereunder on the Trading Market and to comply with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the rules and regulations of the Trading Market. The Company shall not take any action which would be reasonably expected to result in the delisting or suspension of the ADSs on the Trading Market. If the Company receives any final and non-appealable notice that the listing or quotation of the ADSs on the Trading Market shall be terminated on a date certain, the Company shall promptly (and in any case within 24 hours) notify the Investor of such fact in writing and shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the ADSs to be listed or quoted on another Eligible Market.

 

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Section 6.4           Compliance with Laws.

 

(i)            During the Investment Period, the Company shall comply with applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including Regulation M thereunder, applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws, and applicable listing rules of the Trading Market or Eligible Market, in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, prohibit or otherwise interfere with the ability of the Company to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement in any material respect or for Investor to conduct resales of VWAP ADSs under the Registration Statement in any material respect. Without limiting the foregoing, neither the Company, nor to the Knowledge of the Company, any of their respective directors, officers, agents, employees or any other Persons acting on their behalf shall, in connection with the operation of the Company’s business, (1) use any corporate funds for unlawful contributions, payments, gifts or entertainment or to make any unlawful expenditures relating to political activity to government officials, candidates or members of political parties or organizations, (2) pay, accept or receive any unlawful contributions, payments, expenditures or gifts, or (3) violate or operate in noncompliance with any export restrictions, anti-boycott regulations, embargo regulations or other applicable domestic or foreign laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the FCPA and the Money Laundering Laws.

 

(ii)           The Investor shall comply with all laws, rules, regulations and orders applicable to the performance by it of its obligations under this Agreement and its investment in the VWAP ADSs, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, prohibit or otherwise interfere with the ability of the Investor to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement in any material respect. Without limiting the foregoing, the Investor shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including Regulation M thereunder, and all applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws, in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

Section 6.5           Keeping of Records and Books of Account; Due Diligence.

 

(i)            During the Investment Period, the Investor and the Company shall each maintain records showing the remaining Total Commitment and the dates and VWAP Purchase ADS Amount for each VWAP Purchase pursuant to this Agreement.

 

(ii)           Subject to the requirements of Section 6.12, from time to time from and after the Closing Date, the Company shall make available for inspection and review by the Investor during normal business hours and after reasonable notice, customary documentation reasonably requested by the Investor and/or its appointed counsel or advisors to conduct due diligence; provided, however, that after the Closing Date, the Investor’s continued due diligence shall not be a condition precedent to the Commencement or to the Investor’s obligation to accept a VWAP Purchase Notice or settlement thereof timely delivered by the Company to the Investor in accordance with this Agreement.

 

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Section 6.6            [Reserved].

 

Section 6.7           Corporate Existence. The Company shall take all steps necessary to preserve and continue the corporate existence of the Company; provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 6.8, nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to prohibit the Company from engaging in any Fundamental Transaction with another Person. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Section 6.7 shall in any way limit the Company’s right to terminate this Agreement in accordance with Section 8.2 (subject in all cases to Section 8.3).

 

Section 6.8            Fundamental Transaction. If a VWAP Purchase Notice has been timely and properly delivered to the Investor for a VWAP Purchase under this Agreement, but the payment for, against issuance and delivery as DWAC ADSs to the Investor of, all of the VWAP ADSs constituting the full VWAP Purchase ADS Amount purchased by the Investor in such VWAP Purchase has not been fully settled in accordance with this Agreement, including, without limitation, Section 3.2 of this Agreement, the Company shall not effect any Fundamental Transaction until the expiration of one (1) Trading Day following the later of (i) the VWAP Purchase Settlement Date for the VWAP Purchase to which such VWAP Purchase Notice relates and (ii) such later Trading Day on which the payment for, against issuance and delivery as DWAC ADSs to the Investor of, all of such VWAP ADSs constituting the entire VWAP Purchase ADS Amount purchased by the Investor in such VWAP Purchase shall have been fully settled in accordance with this Agreement, including, without limitation, Section 3.2 of this Agreement.

 

Section 6.9           Selling Restrictions. The Investor covenants and agrees that commencing upon the execution of this Agreement and ending on the date of any termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1 or Section 8.2, neither the Investor nor any of its Affiliates nor any entity managed or controlled by the Investor (collectively, the “Restricted Persons” and each of the foregoing is referred to herein as a “Restricted Person”) shall, directly or indirectly, (i) engage in or effect any Short Sales of ADSs or (ii) execute any stock pledge, forward sales contract, option, put, call, swap or similar hedging arrangement (including on a total return basis), which establishes a net short position with respect to the ADSs. In addition to the foregoing, in connection with any resale of Securities by the Investor, each of the Restricted Persons shall comply in all respects with all applicable laws, rules, regulations and orders, including, without limitation, the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, Regulation SHO, and all orders of any regulatory authority applicable to any Restricted Person.

 

Section 6.10         Effective Registration Statement. During the Investment Period, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the continuous effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement and each New Registration Statement filed with the Commission under the Securities Act for the applicable Registration Period (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) pursuant to and in accordance with the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

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Section 6.11         Blue Sky. The Company shall take such action, if any, as is necessary by the Company in order to obtain an exemption for or to qualify the Securities for sale by the Company to the Investor pursuant to the Transaction Documents, and at the request of the Investor, the subsequent resale of Registrable Securities by the Investor, in each case, under applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws and shall provide evidence of any such action so taken to the Investor from time to time following the Closing Date; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (x) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 6.11, (y) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (z) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction.

 

Section 6.12         Non-Public Information. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents shall disclose any material non-public information about the Company to the Investor, unless a simultaneous public announcement thereof is made by the Company in the manner contemplated by Regulation FD. In the event of a breach of the foregoing covenant by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees and agents (as determined in the reasonable good faith judgment of the Investor), if the Investor is holding any Securities at the time of the disclosure of such material, non-public information, (i) the Investor shall promptly provide written notice of such breach to the Company and (ii) after such notice has been provided to the Company and, provided that the Company shall have failed to (a) publicly disclose such material, non-public information within 24 hours following demand therefor by the Investor or (b) demonstrate to the Investor that such information does not constitute material, non-public information, in addition to any other remedy provided herein or in the other Transaction Documents, the Investor shall have the right to make a public disclosure, in the form of a press release, public advertisement or otherwise, of such material, non-public information without the prior approval by the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees or agents. The Investor shall not have any liability to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders or agents, for any such disclosure.

 

Section 6.13         Broker/Dealer. The Investor shall use one or more broker-dealers to effectuate all sales, if any, of the Securities that it may purchase or otherwise acquire from the Company pursuant to the Transaction Documents, as applicable, which shall be unaffiliated with the Investor and not then currently engaged or used by the Company, and shall be a DTC participant (collectively, the “Broker-Dealer”). The Investor shall, from time to time, provide the Company and the Depositary with all information regarding the Broker-Dealer reasonably requested by the Company. The Investor shall be solely responsible for all fees and commissions of the Broker-Dealer, which shall not exceed customary brokerage fees and commissions and shall be responsible for designating only a DTC participant eligible to receive DWAC ADSs.

 

Section 6.14         [Reserved].

 

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Section 6.15         Delivery of Bring Down Opinions, Compliance Certificates and a Bring Down Comfort Letter Upon Occurrence of Certain Events. Within three (3) Trading Days immediately following (i) the end of each PEA Period, if the Company is required under the Securities Act to file with the Commission (A) a post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Registration Rights Agreement, (B) a New Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(c) of the Registration Rights Agreement, or (C) a post-effective amendment to a New Registration Statement required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(c) of the Registration Rights Agreement, in each case with respect to a fiscal year ending after the Commencement Date, to register the resale of Securities by the Investor under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, and (ii) the date the Company files with the Commission (A) a Prospectus Supplement to the Prospectus contained in the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement under the Securities Act except for any Prospectus Supplement filed for the purpose of incorporating any Form 6-K into any Registration Statement and Prospectus (other than any Form 6-K covered by clause (D) or (E) below), (B) an annual report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act with respect to a fiscal year ending after the Commencement Date, (C) an amendment on Form 20-F/A to an annual report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act with respect to a fiscal year ending after the Commencement Date, which contains amended material financial information (or a restatement of material financial information) or an amendment to other material information contained in a previously filed Form 20-F, (D) a report on Form 6-K that includes financial statements of the Company for any completed fiscal quarter and (E) a Commission Document under the Exchange Act (other than those referred to in clauses (ii)(A) and (ii)(B) of this Section 6.15), which contains amended material financial information (or a restatement of material financial information) or an amendment to other material information contained or incorporated by reference in the Initial Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement, or the Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement contained in the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the filing by the Company with the Commission of a report on Form 6-K that includes only updated financial information as of the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter shall not, in and of itself, constitute an “amendment” or “restatement” for purposes of clause (ii) of this Section 6.15), in each case of this clause (ii) if the Company is not also then required under the Securities Act to file a post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement or a post-effective amendment to any New Registration Statement, in each case with respect to a fiscal year ending after the Commencement Date, to register the resale of Securities by the Investor under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, and in any case of this clause (ii), not more than once per calendar quarter, the Company shall (I) deliver to the Investor a Compliance Certificate, dated such date, (II) cause to be furnished to the Investor opinions from outside U.S. and Cayman Islands counsel to the Company substantially in the form mutually agreed to by the Company and the Investor prior to the date of this Agreement, modified, as necessary, to relate to such Registration Statement or post-effective amendment, or the Prospectus contained therein as then amended or supplemented by such Prospectus Supplement, as applicable (each such opinion, a “Bring Down Opinion”) and (III), in connection with the filing of (a) an annual report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act with respect to a fiscal year ending after the Commencement Date and (b) a report on Form 6-K that includes financial statements of the Company as of and for the first half of a fiscal year ending after the Commencement Date, cause the Accountant to furnish to the Investor a Bring Down Comfort Letter (as defined below).

 

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ARTICLE VII
CONDITIONS TO CLOSING, COMMENCEMENT AND VWAP PURCHASES

 

Section 7.1           Conditions Precedent to Closing. The Closing is subject to the satisfaction of each of the conditions set forth in this Section 7.1 on the Closing Date.

 

(i)            Accuracy of the Investor’s Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Investor contained in this Agreement (a) that are not qualified by “materiality” shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such other date and (b) that are qualified by “materiality” shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such other date.

 

(ii)           Accuracy of the Company’s Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement (a) that are not qualified by “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such other date and (b) that are qualified by “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” shall be true and correct as of the Closing Date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such other date.

 

(iii)           Closing Deliverables. At the Closing, counterpart signature pages of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement executed by each of the parties hereto and thereto, as applicable, shall be delivered as provided in Section 2.2. Simultaneously with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, the Investor’s counsel shall have received (a) the opinions of outside U.S. and Cayman Islands counsel to the Company, dated the Closing Date, in the forms mutually agreed to by the Company and the Investor prior to the date of this Agreement and (b) the closing certificate from the Company, dated the Closing Date, in the form of Exhibit C hereto.

 

(iv)          Listing of Securities. All of the Securities that have been and may be issued pursuant to this Agreement shall have been approved for listing or quotation on the Trading Market (or on an Eligible Market) as of the Closing Date, subject only to notice of issuance.

 

(v)           Payment of Structuring and Diligence Fee. On the Closing Date (unless another time shall be agreed by the Investor and the Company), the Company shall pay the Structuring and Diligence Fee to the Investor pursuant to Section 10.1(i) of this Agreement.

 

Section 7.2            Conditions Precedent to Commencement. The right of the Company to commence delivering VWAP Purchase Notices under this Agreement, and the obligation of the Investor to accept VWAP Purchase Notices delivered to the Investor by the Company under this Agreement, are subject to the initial satisfaction, at Commencement, of each of the conditions set forth in this Section 7.2.

 

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(i)            Accuracy of the Company’s Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement (a) that are not qualified by “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” shall have been true and correct in all material respects when made and shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the Commencement Date with the same force and effect as if made on such date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such other date and (b) that are qualified by “materiality” or “Material Adverse Effect” shall have been true and correct when made and shall be true and correct as of the Commencement Date with the same force and effect as if made on such date, except to the extent such representations and warranties are as of another date, in which case, such representations and warranties shall be true and correct as of such other date.

 

(ii)           Performance of the Company. The Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to the Commencement. The Company shall deliver to the Investor on the Commencement Date the compliance certificate substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit D (the “Compliance Certificate”).

 

(iii)          Initial Registration Statement and ADS Registration Statement Effective. The Initial Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor of the Registrable Securities included therein (which for the avoidance of doubt shall include all the ADSs issued to the Investor by the Depositary) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Registration Rights Agreement shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission, and the Investor shall be permitted to utilize the Prospectus therein to resell (a) all of the Commitment ADSs and (b) all of the ADSs included in such Prospectus. The Company and the Depositary shall have prepared and filed a registration statement on Form F-6 relating to the VWAP ADSs and the Commitment ADSs for registration under the Securities Act (the “ADS Registration Statement”), and the ADS Registration Statement shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission.

 

(iv)          No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (a) receipt of any request by the Commission or any other Governmental Authority for any additional information relating to the Initial Registration Statement, the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto, or for any amendment of or supplement to the Initial Registration Statement, the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto; (b) the issuance by the Commission or any other Governmental Authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or prohibiting or suspending the use of the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto, or of the suspension of qualification or exemption from qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or contemplated initiation of any proceeding for such purpose; or (c) the occurrence of any event or the existence of any condition or state of facts, which makes any statement of a material fact made in the Initial Registration Statement, the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto untrue or which requires the making of any additions to or changes to the statements then made in the Initial Registration Statement, the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto in order to state a material fact required by the Securities Act to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements then made therein (in the case of the Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, or which requires an amendment to the Initial Registration Statement or a supplement to the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto to comply with the Securities Act or any other law. The Company shall have no Knowledge of any event that could reasonably be expected to have the effect of causing the suspension of the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or the prohibition or suspension of the use of the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto in connection with the resale of the Registrable Securities by the Investor.

 

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(v)           Other Commission Filings. The Current Report and the Form D shall have been filed with the Commission as required pursuant to Section 2.3. The final Prospectus included in the Initial Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission prior to Commencement in accordance with Section 2.3 and the Registration Rights Agreement. All reports, schedules, registrations, forms, statements, information and other documents required to have been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, including all material required to have been filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to Commencement shall have been filed with the Commission.

 

(vi)          No Suspension of Trading in or Notice of Delisting of ADSs. Trading in the ADSs shall not have been suspended by the Commission, the Trading Market or FINRA (except for any suspension of trading that is terminated prior to the Commencement Date), the Company shall not have received any final and non-appealable notice that the listing or quotation of the ADSs on the Trading Market shall be terminated on a date certain (unless, prior to such date certain, the ADSs are listed or quoted on any other Eligible Market), nor shall there have been imposed any suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the ADSs, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the ADSs that is continuing, the Company shall not have received any notice from DTC to the effect that a suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the ADSs, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the ADSs is being imposed or is contemplated (unless, prior to such suspension or restriction, DTC shall have notified the Company in writing that DTC has determined not to impose any such suspension or restriction).

 

(vii)         Compliance with Laws. The Company shall have complied with all applicable federal, state and local governmental laws, rules, regulations and ordinances in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including, without limitation, the Company shall have obtained all permits and qualifications required by any applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws for the offer and sale of the Securities by the Company to the Investor and the subsequent resale of the Registrable Securities by the Investor (or shall have the availability of exemptions therefrom).

 

(viii)         No Injunction. No statute, regulation, order, decree, writ, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated, threatened or endorsed by any court or Governmental Authority of competent jurisdiction which prohibits the consummation of or which would materially modify or delay any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

 

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(ix)           No Proceedings or Litigation. No action, suit or proceeding before any arbitrator or any court or Governmental Authority shall have been commenced, and no inquiry or investigation by any Governmental Authority shall have been commenced, against the Company or any Subsidiary, or any of the officers, directors or Affiliates of the Company or any Subsidiary, seeking to restrain, prevent or change the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, or seeking material damages in connection with such transactions.

 

(x)            No Material Adverse Effect. No condition, occurrence, state of facts or event constituting a Material Adverse Effect shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

(xi)           No Bankruptcy Proceedings. No Person shall have commenced a proceeding against the Company pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law. The Company shall not have, pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law, (a) commenced a voluntary case, (b) consented to the entry of an order for relief against it in an involuntary case, (c) consented to the appointment of a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or (d) made a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors. A court of competent jurisdiction shall not have entered an order or decree under any Bankruptcy Law that (I) is for relief against the Company in an involuntary case, (II) appoints a Custodian of the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or (III) orders the liquidation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

(xii)         Issuance of Commitment Ordinary Shares. In consideration for the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company shall have delivered duly executed share certificate(s) in original form, registered in the name of the Investor, together with a certified true copy of the register of members of the Company, evidencing the Commitment Ordinary Shares being issued to the Investor. In addition, the Investor shall have provided all information and documents required by the Depositary for the delivery of the Commitment ADSs as DWAC ADSs and the Depositary shall have credited to the Investor’s or its designee’s account at DTC as DWAC ADSs the Commitment ADSs representing the Commitment Ordinary Shares issued to the Investor pursuant to Section 10.1(ii) hereof, in accordance with Section 10.1(iv) hereof. For the avoidance of doubt, all of the Commitment Ordinary Shares shall be fully earned as of the Closing Date, regardless of whether the Commencement shall occur, or any VWAP Purchases are made or settled hereunder or any subsequent termination.

 

(xiii)         Delivery of the Commencement Depositary Instruction, Commencement Investor Certification and US Legal Opinion to the Depositary. In accordance with Section 10.1(iv), (i) the Company shall have delivered or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary) an instruction executed by the Company directing the Depositary to issue to the Investor or its designee all of the Commitment ADSs included in the Initial Registration Statement as DWAC ADSs (the “Commencement Depositary Instruction”), (ii) the Investor shall have delivered or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary), with a copy to the Company, a certification executed by the Investor (the “Commencement Investor Certification”), and (iii) the Company shall have delivered or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary) a US legal opinion in the form attached as an exhibit to the Registration Rights Agreement (the “US Legal Opinion to the Depositary”) confirming the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement and opining that subject to an effective Registration Statement, the ADSs may be issued to the Investor without restrictive legends provided that the Investor shall furnish to the Company and its counsel such documents and information as they may reasonably require for such purpose.

 

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(xiv)        [Reserved].

 

(xv)         Opinions and Bring-Down Opinions of Company Counsel and Initial Comfort Letter. On the Commencement Date, the Investor and the Depositary shall have received the opinions and bring-down opinions from outside U.S. and Cayman Islands counsel to the Company, dated the Commencement Date, in the forms mutually agreed to by the Company, the Investor and the Depositary prior to the date of this Agreement. In addition, the Company shall have caused the Accountant, or any successor independent registered public accounting firm for the Company (as applicable), to furnish to the Investor a letter (the “Initial Comfort Letter”), dated the Commencement Date, which shall meet the requirements set forth in this Section 7.2(xv). The Initial Comfort Letter from the Accountant, or any successor independent registered public accounting firm for the Company (as applicable), shall be in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor, (i) confirming that it is an independent public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by auditor “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings.

 

Section 7.3            Conditions Precedent to VWAP Purchases after Commencement Date. The right of the Company to deliver a VWAP Purchase Notice under this Agreement after the Commencement Date, and the obligation of the Investor to accept a VWAP Purchase Notice delivered to the Investor by the Company under this Agreement after the Commencement Date, are subject to the satisfaction of each of the conditions set forth in this Section 7.3 at the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time for the VWAP Purchase to be effected by such VWAP Purchase Notice.

 

(i)            Satisfaction of Certain Prior Conditions. Each of the conditions set forth in subsections (i), (ii), and (vii) through (xi) set forth in Section 7.2 shall be satisfied at each VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time after the Commencement Date (with the terms “Commencement” and “Commencement Date” in the conditions set forth in subsections (i) and (ii) of Section 7.2 replaced with “applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time”); provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to deliver the Compliance Certificate after the Commencement Date, except as provided in Section 6.15 and Section 7.3(x).

 

(ii)           Initial Registration Statement and ADS Registration Statement Effective. The Initial Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor of the Registrable Securities included therein filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Registration Rights Agreement, and any post-effective amendment thereto required to be filed by the Company with the Commission after the Commencement Date and prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, in each case shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission and shall remain effective for the applicable Registration Period, and the Investor shall be permitted to utilize the Prospectus therein, and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, to resell (a) all of the Commitment ADSs, (b) all of the ADSs included in the Initial Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, that have been issued and sold to the Investor hereunder pursuant to all VWAP Purchase Notices delivered by the Company to the Investor prior to the delivery of the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice on the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date, and (c) all of the VWAP ADSs included in the Initial Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, that are issuable pursuant to the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice delivered by the Company to the Investor for a VWAP Purchase in accordance with this Agreement. In the event the Initial Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor is no longer effective or a stop order is issued with respect to the Initial Registration Statement, the Company will immediately notify the Depositary and the Investor, and the Investor agrees that it will not resell or transfer any ADSs issued pursuant to this Agreement until the Initial Registration Statement or a New Registration Statement is made effective covering the resale by the Investor of the ADSs. The ADS Registration Statement shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission and shall remain effective for the applicable Registration Period.

 

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(iii)          Any Required New Registration Statement Effective. Any New Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor of the Registrable Securities included therein, and any post-effective amendment thereto, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement after the Commencement Date and prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time, in each case shall have been declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission and shall remain effective for the applicable Registration Period, and the Investor shall be permitted to utilize the Prospectus therein, and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, to resell (a) all of the Commitment ADSs (if any) included in such New Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, (b) all of the ADSs included in such New Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, that have been issued and sold to the Investor hereunder pursuant to all VWAP Purchase Notices delivered by the Company to the Investor prior to the delivery of the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice on the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date, and (c) all of the VWAP ADSs included in such new Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, that are issuable pursuant to the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice delivered by the Company to the Investor for a VWAP Purchase in accordance with this Agreement. In the event any New Registration Statement covering the resale by the Investor is no longer effective or a stop order is issued with respect to any New Registration Statement, the Company will immediately notify the Depositary and the Investor, and the Investor agrees that it will not resell or transfer any ADSs issued pursuant to this Agreement until such New Registration Statement or another New Registration Statement is made effective covering the resale by the Investor of the ADSs.

 

(iv)          Delivery of Subsequent US Legal Opinion to the Depositary. With respect to any post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to any New Registration Statement, in each case declared effective by the Commission after the Commencement Date the Company shall have delivered or caused to be delivered to the Depositary a US Legal Opinion to the Depositary issued by Company’s outside counsel, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary, modified as necessary to refer to such Registration Statement or post-effective amendment and the Registrable Securities included therein, and the related prospectus and, if applicable, the prospectus supplement, which confirms the effectiveness of the relevant Registration Statement, and opines that the ADSs registered for resale under an effective Registration Statement may be issued without restrictive legends.

 

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(v)           Delivery of Subsequent Depositary Instructions and Subsequent Investor Certification for Issuance of ADSs. (i) On each VWAP Purchase Exercise Date, the Company shall have delivered or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary) an instruction directing the Depositary to issue to the Investor or its designee the ADSs included in the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, as applicable, to be purchased by the Investor in connection with the related VWAP Purchase Notice as DWAC ADSs (the “VWAP Purchase Depositary Instruction”), and (ii) at or before 8:30 am (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of any New Registration Statement and, for the avoidance of doubt, prior to the issuance and delivery of ADSs purchased by the Investor in any VWAP Purchase that may be resold subject to any New Registration Statement, the Investor shall have delivered or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary) a certification executed by the Investor (the “Subsequent Investor Certification”), in each case, in accordance with Section 10.1(iv).

 

(vi)          No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (a) receipt of any request by the Commission or any other Governmental Authority for any additional information relating to the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto, or for any amendment of or supplement to the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto; (b) the issuance by the Commission or any other Governmental Authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or prohibiting or suspending the use of the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto, or of the suspension of qualification or exemption from qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or contemplated initiation of any proceeding for such purpose; or (c) the occurrence of any event or the existence of any condition or state of facts, which makes any statement of a material fact made in the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto untrue or which requires the making of any additions to or changes to the statements then made in the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto in order to state a material fact required by the Securities Act to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements then made therein (in the case of the Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, or which requires an amendment to the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto to comply with the Securities Act or any other law (other than the transactions contemplated by the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice delivered by the Company to the Investor with respect to a VWAP Purchase to be effected hereunder). The Company shall have no Knowledge of any event that could reasonably be expected to have the effect of causing the suspension of the effectiveness of the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the prohibition or suspension of the use of the Prospectus contained in any of the foregoing or any Prospectus Supplement thereto in connection with the resale of the Registrable Securities by the Investor.

 

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(vii)         Other Commission Filings. The final Prospectus included in any post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement, and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2.3 and the Registration Rights Agreement after the Commencement Date and prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Section 2.3 and the Registration Rights Agreement. The final Prospectus included in any New Registration Statement and in any post-effective amendment thereto, and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 2.3 and the Registration Rights Agreement after the Commencement Date and prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Section 2.3 and the Registration Rights Agreement. All reports, schedules, registrations, forms, statements, information and other documents required to have been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, including all material required to have been filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the Commencement Date and prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time shall have been filed with the Commission and, if any Registrable Securities are covered by a Registration Statement on Form F-3, such filings shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing under the Exchange Act.

 

(viii)        No Suspension of Trading in or Notice of Delisting of ADSs. Trading in the ADSs shall not have been suspended by the Commission, the Trading Market or FINRA (except for any suspension of trading that is terminated prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time), the Company shall not have received any final and non-appealable notice that the listing or quotation of the ADSs on the Trading Market shall be terminated on a date certain (unless, prior to such date certain, the ADSs are listed or quoted on any other Eligible Market), nor shall there have been imposed any suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the ADSs, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the ADSs that is continuing, the Company shall not have received any notice from DTC to the effect that a suspension of, or restriction on, accepting additional deposits of the ADSs, electronic trading or book-entry services by DTC with respect to the ADSs is being imposed or is contemplated (unless, prior to such suspension or restriction, DTC shall have notified the Company in writing that DTC has determined not to impose any such suspension or restriction).

 

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(ix)           Certain Limitations. The issuance and sale of the VWAP ADSs issuable pursuant to the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice shall not (a) exceed the applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount, or (b) cause the Beneficial Ownership Limitation to be exceeded.

 

(x)           Shares Authorized and Delivered. All of the VWAP ADSs issuable pursuant to the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice shall have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company. The Company shall have delivered to the Investor (or its designated Broker-Dealer), and the Investor (or its designated Broker-Dealer) shall have received, all VWAP ADSs relating to all prior VWAP Purchase Notices as DWAC ADSs.

 

(xi)           Opinions and Bring Down Opinions of Company Counsel and Bring Down Comfort Letter. The Investor shall have received (a) all Bring Down Opinions from the Company’s outside counsel for which the Company was obligated to instruct its outside counsel to deliver to the Investor prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time and (b) all Compliance Certificates from the Company that the Company was obligated to deliver to the Investor prior to the applicable VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time in accordance with Section 6.15. In addition, the Company shall have caused the Accountant, or any successor independent registered public accounting firm for the Company (as applicable), to furnish to the Investor a letter (each such letter, a “Bring Down Comfort Letter”), dated the date of the applicable Bring Down Opinions, which shall meet the requirements set forth in this Section 7.3(x), in accordance with Section 6.15. Each Bring Down Comfort Letter from the Accountant, or any successor independent registered public accounting firm for the Company (as applicable), shall be in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Investor, (i) confirming that it is an independent public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB and (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by auditor “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.

 

ARTICLE VIII
TERMINATION

 

Section 8.1            Automatic Termination. Unless earlier terminated as provided hereunder, this Agreement shall terminate automatically on the earliest to occur of (i) the first day of the month next following the 36-month anniversary of the Closing Date, (ii) the date on which the Investor shall have purchased the Total Commitment worth of VWAP ADSs pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) the date on which the ADSs shall have failed to be listed or quoted on the Trading Market or any Eligible Market, (iv) the date on which, pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law, the Company commences a voluntary case or any Person commences a proceeding against the Company, in each case that is not discharged or dismissed within thirty (30) days and (v) the date on which, pursuant to or within the meaning of any Bankruptcy Law, a Custodian is appointed for the Company or for all or substantially all of its property, or the Company makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors.

 

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Section 8.2            Other Termination. Subject to Section 8.3, the Company may terminate this Agreement after the Commencement Date effective upon one (1) Trading Day’s prior written notice to the Investor in accordance with Section 10.4; provided, however, that (i)(a)  the Company shall have paid or caused to be paid the Structuring and Diligence Fee required to be paid to the Investor pursuant to Section 10.1(i) of this Agreement and shall have issued all Commitment Ordinary Shares to the Investor pursuant to subsection (ii) of Section 10.1 of this Agreement, in each case prior to such termination, and (b) the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, as applicable, shall remain effective pursuant to subsections (ii) and (iii) set forth in Section 7.3 of this Agreement, as of the date of such termination, and (ii) prior to issuing any press release, or making any public statement or announcement, with respect to such termination, the Company shall consult with the Investor and its counsel on the form and substance of such press release or other disclosure. Subject to Section 8.3, this Agreement may be terminated at any time by the mutual written consent of the parties, effective as of the date of such mutual written consent unless otherwise provided in such written consent. Subject to Section 8.3, the Investor shall have the right to terminate this Agreement effective upon ten 10 Trading Day’s prior written notice to the Company in accordance with Section 10.4, if: (a) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event constituting a Material Adverse Effect has occurred and is continuing; (b) a Fundamental Transaction shall have occurred; (c) the Initial Registration Statement is not filed by the Initial Filing Deadline or any New Registration Statement is not filed by the applicable Filing Deadline therefor or declared effective by the Commission by the applicable Effectiveness Deadline (as defined in the Registration Rights Agreement) therefor, or the Company is otherwise in breach or default in any material respect under any of the other provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement, and, if such failure, breach or default is capable of being cured, such failure, breach or default is not cured within ten (10) Trading Days after notice of such failure, breach or default (describing such failure, breach or default with reasonable particularity) is delivered to the Company pursuant to Section 10.4; (d) while a Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, is required to be maintained effective pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement and the Investor holds any Registrable Securities, the effectiveness of such Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, lapses for any reason (including, without limitation, the issuance of a stop order by the Commission) or such Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, the Prospectus contained therein or any Prospectus Supplement thereto otherwise becomes unavailable to the Investor for the resale of all of the Registrable Securities included therein in accordance with the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, and such lapse or unavailability continues for a period of forty-five (45) consecutive Trading Days or for more than an aggregate of one hundred twenty (120) Trading Days in any 365-day period, other than due to acts of the Investor; (e) trading in the ADSs on the Trading Market (or if the ADSs are then listed on an Eligible Market, trading in the ADSs on such Eligible Market) shall have been suspended and such suspension continues for a period of three (3) consecutive Trading Days; or (f) the Company is in material breach or default of this Agreement, and, if such breach or default is capable of being cured, such breach or default is not cured within ten (10) Trading Days after notice of such breach or default is delivered to the Company pursuant to Section 10.4. Unless notification thereof is required elsewhere in this Agreement (in which case such notification shall be provided in accordance with such other provision), the Company shall promptly (but in no event later than 24 hours) notify the Investor (and, if required under applicable law, including, without limitation, Regulation FD promulgated by the Commission, or under the applicable rules and regulations of the Trading Market, the Company shall publicly disclose such information in accordance with Regulation FD and the applicable rules and regulations of the Trading Market) upon becoming aware of any of the events set forth in the immediately preceding sentence.

 

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Section 8.3            Effect of Termination. In the event of termination by the Company or the Investor (other than by mutual termination) pursuant to Section 8.2, written notice thereof shall forthwith be given to the other party as provided in Section 10.4 and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be terminated without further action by either party. If this Agreement is terminated as provided in Section 8.1 or Section 8.2, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force and effect, except that (i) the provisions of Article V (Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company), Article IX (Indemnification), Article X (Miscellaneous) and this Article VIII (Termination) shall remain in full force and effect indefinitely notwithstanding such termination, and (ii) so long as the Investor owns any Securities, the covenants and agreements of the Company contained in Article VI (Additional Covenants) shall remain in full force and notwithstanding such termination for a period of six (6) months following such termination. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no termination of this Agreement by any party shall (w) become effective prior to the first (1st) Trading Day immediately following the applicable VWAP Purchase Settlement Date related to any pending VWAP Purchase Notice that has not been fully settled in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that no termination of this Agreement shall limit, alter, modify, change or otherwise affect any of the Company’s or the Investor’s rights or obligations under the Transaction Documents with respect to any pending VWAP Purchase, and that the parties shall fully perform their respective obligations with respect to any such pending VWAP Purchase under the Transaction Documents), (x) limit, alter, modify, change or otherwise affect the Company’s or the Investor’s rights or obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, all of which shall survive any such termination, (y) affect the Structuring and Diligence Fee payable to the Investor, which shall be non-refundable when paid on or prior to the Closing Date pursuant to Section 10.1(i), regardless of whether the Commencement shall occur or whether any VWAP Purchases are made or settled hereunder or any subsequent termination of this Agreement, or (z) affect any Commitment Ordinary Shares or Commitment ADSs issuable or previously issued or delivered, or any rights of any holder thereof, it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that all of the Commitment Ordinary Shares and Commitment ADSs, as applicable, shall be fully earned as of the Closing Date, regardless of whether the Commencement shall occur or whether any VWAP Purchases are made or settled hereunder or any subsequent termination of this Agreement. Nothing in this Section 8.3 shall be deemed to release the Company or the Investor from any liability for any breach or default under this Agreement or any of the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party, or to impair the rights of the Company and the Investor to compel specific performance by the other party of its obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party.

 

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ARTICLE IX
INDEMNIFICATION

 

Section 9.1            Indemnification of Investor. In consideration of the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement and acquiring the Securities hereunder and in addition to all of the Company’s other obligations under the Transaction Documents to which it is a party, subject to the provisions of this Section 9.1, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless the Investor, each of its directors, officers, stockholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, agents and advisors (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title), each Person, if any, who controls the Investor (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act), and the respective directors, officers, stockholders, members, partners, employees, representatives, agents and advisors (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling Persons (each, an “Investor Party”), from and against all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses (including all judgments, amounts paid in settlement, court costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of defense and investigation) (collectively, “Damages”) that any Investor Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to (a) any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement or in the other Transaction Documents to which it is a party or (b) any action, suit, claim or proceeding (including for these purposes a derivative action brought on behalf of the Company) instituted against such Investor Party arising out of or resulting from the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of the Transaction Documents, other than claims for indemnification within the scope of Section 6 of the Registration Rights Agreement; provided, however, that (x) the foregoing indemnity shall not apply to any Damages to the extent, but only to the extent, that such Damages resulted directly and primarily from a breach of any of the Investor’s representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in this Agreement or the Registration Rights Agreement, and (y) the Company shall not be liable under subsection (b) of this Section 9.1 to the extent, but only to the extent, that a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined by a final judgment (from which no further appeals are available) that such Damages resulted directly and primarily from any acts or failures to act, undertaken or omitted to be taken by such Investor Party through its fraud, bad faith, gross negligence, or willful or reckless misconduct.

 

The Company shall reimburse any Investor Party promptly upon demand (with accompanying presentation of documentary evidence) for all legal and other costs and expenses reasonably incurred by such Investor Party in connection with (i) any action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether at law or in equity, to enforce compliance by the Company with any provision of the Transaction Documents or (ii) any other any action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether at law or in equity, with respect to which it is entitled to indemnification under this Section 9.1; provided, that the Investor shall promptly reimburse the Company for all such legal and other costs and expenses to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction determines that any Investor Party was not entitled to such reimbursement.

 

An Investor Party’s right to indemnification or other remedies based upon the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of the Company set forth in the Transaction Documents shall not in any way be affected by any investigation or knowledge of such Investor Party. Such representations, warranties, covenants and agreements shall not be affected or deemed waived by reason of the fact that an Investor Party knew or should have known that any representation or warranty might be inaccurate or that the Company failed to comply with any agreement or covenant. Any investigation by such Investor Party shall be for its own protection only and shall not affect or impair any right or remedy hereunder.

 

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To the extent that the foregoing undertakings by the Company set forth in this Section 9.1 may be unenforceable for any reason, the Company shall make the maximum contribution to the payment and satisfaction of each of the Damages which is permissible under applicable law.

 

Section 9.2            Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after an Investor Party receives notice of a claim or the commencement of an action for which the Investor Party intends to seek indemnification under Section 9.1, the Investor Party will notify the Company (such party, the “Indemnifying Party”) in writing of the claim or commencement of the action, suit or proceeding; provided, however, that failure to notify the Indemnifying Party will not relieve such party from liability under Section 9.1, except to the extent it has been materially prejudiced by the failure to give notice. The Indemnifying Party may (but will not be required to) assume the defense against the claim, action, suit or proceeding with counsel satisfactory to it. After the Indemnifying Party notifies the Investor Party that the Indemnifying Party wishes to assume the defense of a claim, action, suit or proceeding, the Indemnifying Party will not be liable for any further legal or other expenses incurred by the Investor Party in connection with the defense against the claim, action, suit or proceeding except that if, in the opinion of counsel to the Investor Party, it would be inappropriate under the applicable rules of professional responsibility for the same counsel to represent both the Indemnifying Party and such Investor Party. In such event, the Indemnifying Party will pay the reasonable fees and expenses of no more than one separate counsel for all such Investor Parties promptly as such fees and expenses are incurred. Each Investor Party, as a condition to receiving indemnification as provided in Section 9.1, will cooperate in all reasonable respects with the Indemnifying Party in the defense of any action or claim as to which indemnification is sought. The Indemnifying Party will not be liable for any settlement of any action effected without its prior written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. The Indemnifying Party will not, without the prior written consent of the Investor Party, effect any settlement of a pending or threatened action with respect to which an Investor Party is, or is informed that it may be, made a party and for which it would be entitled to indemnification, unless the settlement includes an unconditional release of the Investor Party from all liability and claims which are the subject matter of the pending or threatened action.

 

The remedies provided for in this Article IX are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Investor Party at law or in equity.

 

ARTICLE X
MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 10.1         Certain Fees and Expenses; Commitment Ordinary Shares; Legends; Depositary Instructions; US Legal Opinion to the Depositary.

 

(i)            Certain Fees and Expenses. Each party shall bear its own fees and expenses related to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall pay, on or prior to the Closing Date, by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Investor on or prior to the Closing Date, the Structuring and Diligence Fee, it being acknowledged that the Company has, prior to the date of this Agreement, paid the Investor $100,000 of such Structuring and Diligence Fee. For the avoidance of doubt, the Structuring and Diligence Fee shall be non-refundable when paid in accordance with this Section 10.1(i), regardless of whether the Commencement shall occur or whether any VWAP Purchases are made or settled hereunder or any subsequent termination of this Agreement. The Company shall pay all U.S. federal, state and local stamp and other similar transfer and other Taxes and duties levied in connection with issuance of the Securities pursuant hereto.

 

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(ii)           Commitment Ordinary Shares.  In consideration for the Investor’s execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company shall, not later than 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date that the Initial Registration Statement is filed with the Commission, deliver duly executed share certificate(s) in original form, registered in the name of the Investor, together with a certified true copy of the register of members of the Company, evidencing the Commitment Ordinary Shares being issued to the Investor. For the avoidance of doubt, all of the Commitment Ordinary Shares shall be fully earned as of the Closing Date regardless of whether any VWAP Purchases are issued by the Company or settled hereunder or any termination of this Agreement. Upon issuance, the Commitment Ordinary Shares shall constitute “restricted securities” as such term is defined in Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act and, subject to the provisions of subsection (iv) of this Section 10.1, the certificate representing such Commitment Ordinary Shares shall bear the restrictive legend set forth below in subsection (iii) of this Section 10.1. The Commitment ADSs, including the underlying Commitment Ordinary Shares, shall constitute Registrable Securities and the Commitment ADSs shall be included in the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, and the Prospectus included therein and, if necessary to register the resale thereof by the Investor under the Securities Act, in any New Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, in each case in accordance with this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement. The Investor agrees that the total amount of Commitment ADSs transferred, sold or otherwise disposed of by the Investor on any Trading Day shall not exceed 10% of the average daily trading volume in the ADSs on the Trading Market (or Eligible Market, as applicable) during the five (5) Trading Days immediately preceding such Trading Day.

 

(iii)           Legends. The certificate representing the Commitment Ordinary Shares issued prior to the Effective Date of the Initial Registration Statement, except as set forth below, shall bear a restrictive legend in substantially the following form (and stop transfer instructions may be placed against transfer of such Commitment Ordinary Shares):

 

THE OFFER AND SALE OF THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. THE SECURITIES HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FOR THE SECURITIES UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS, UNLESS SOLD PURSUANT TO: (1) RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR (2) AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, IN A CUSTOMARY FORM, THAT REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER SAID ACT OR APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing and for the avoidance of doubt, all ADSs to be issued in respect of any VWAP Purchase Notice delivered to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall be issued to the Investor in accordance with Section 3.2 by crediting the Investor’s or its designees’ account at DTC as DWAC ADSs, and, subject to applicable law, the Company shall not take any action or give instructions to any transfer agent, share registrar or depositary of the Company otherwise. All ADSs issued to the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall, subject to applicable law, be freely tradeable and transferable as provided in the plan of distribution section of the Registration Statement and without restriction on resale, shall not bear any restrictive legend and shall be issued without any stop transfer instructions maintained against the transfer thereof so long as a registration statement is effective with respect to the resale of such ADSs.

 

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(iv)          Depositary Instructions; US Legal Opinion to the Depositary. In the event that (a) all conditions of Rule 144 are met and (b) the Commencement Date has not occurred, the Company shall, upon the written request of the Investor, provide all assistance reasonably required by the Company’s share registrar and the Depositary, and any successor depositary of the Company for the conversion of the Commitment Ordinary Shares into Commitment ADSs in accordance with Rule 144, including, without limitation, delivering all such legal opinions, consents, certificates, resolutions and instructions to the Company’s share registrar and the Depositary, and any successor depositary of the Company provided that the Investor shall furnish to the Company and its counsel and the Depositary such documents and information as they may reasonably require for such purpose. At or before 8:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of the Initial Registration Statement and prior to Commencement, (i) the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary) the Commencement Depositary Instruction and the US Legal Opinion to the Depositary, relating to the Initial Registration Statement, provided that the Investor shall furnish to the Company and its counsel such documents and information as they may reasonably require for such purpose, and (ii) the Investor shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary), with a copy to the Company, the Commencement Investor Certification. With respect to any post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to any New Registration Statement, in each case declared effective by the Commission after the Commencement Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary) a US Legal Opinion to the Depositary issued by Company’s outside counsel, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Depositary, modified as necessary to refer to such Registration Statement or post-effective amendment and the Registrable Securities included therein, and the related prospectus and, if applicable, the prospectus supplement, which confirms the effectiveness of the relevant Registration Statement and opines that the ADSs registered for resale under an effective Registration Statement may be issued without restrictive legends. At or before 8:30 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of any New Registration Statement, and, for the avoidance of doubt, prior to the issuance and delivery of ADSs purchased by the Investor in any VWAP Purchase that may be resold subject to any New Registration Statement, the Investor shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary of the Company), with a copy to the Company, the Subsequent Investor Certification. On each VWAP Purchase Exercise Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Depositary (and thereafter, shall deliver or cause to be delivered to any subsequent depositary of the Company) a VWAP Purchase Depositary Instruction no later than 5:00 p.m., Hong Kong time, on the VWAP Purchase Exercise Date. For the avoidance of doubt and subject to the provisions of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, all Securities to be issued from and after Commencement to or for the benefit of the Investor pursuant to this Agreement shall be issued to the Investor or its designee only as DWAC ADSs. The Company represents and warrants to the Investor that, subject to applicable law, the Securities covered by the Initial Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereof, or any New Registration Statement or post-effective amendment thereof, as applicable, shall be freely transferable on the books and records of the Company and no stop transfer instructions shall be maintained against the transfer thereof so long as a registration statement is effective with respect to the resale of such Securities. The Company agrees that if the Company fails to fully comply with the provisions of this Section 10.1(iv), and provided that the Investor has fully complied with the provisions of this Section 10.1(iv), the Company shall, at the Investor’s written instruction, promptly purchase from the Investor all Ordinary Shares and/or ADSs purchased or acquired by the Investor pursuant to this Agreement that contain the restrictive legend referred to in Section 10.1(iii) hereof (or any similar restrictive legend) at the greater of (i) the purchase price paid for such Ordinary Shares or ADSs (as applicable) and (ii) the Closing Sale Price of the ADSs on the date of the Investor’s written instruction.

 

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Section 10.2         Specific Enforcement, Consent to Jurisdiction, Waiver of Jury Trial.

 

(i)            The Company and the Investor acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that either party shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent or cure breaches of the provisions of this Agreement by the other party and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof (without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required), this being in addition to any other remedy to which either party may be entitled by law or equity.

 

(ii)           Each of the Company and the Investor (a) hereby irrevocably submits to the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court and other courts of the United States sitting in the State of New York for the purposes of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, and (b) hereby waives, and agrees not to assert in any such suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of such court, that the suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of the suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each of the Company and the Investor consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing in this Section 10.2 shall affect or limit any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

 

(iii)          EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE INVESTOR HEREBY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT TO ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR DISPUTES RELATING HERETO. EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE INVESTOR (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE ENTERED INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION 10.2.

 

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Section 10.3         Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents set forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations and understandings between the parties, both oral and written, with respect to such matters. There are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by either party relative to subject matter hereof not expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents. All exhibits to this Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference in, and made a part of, this Agreement as if set forth in full herein.

 

Section 10.4         Notices. Any notice, demand, request, waiver or other communication required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be effective (a) upon hand delivery or electronic mail delivery at the address or number designated below (if delivered on a Trading Day during normal business hours where such notice is to be received), or the first Trading Day following such delivery (if delivered other than on a Trading Day during normal business hours where such notice is to be received) or (b) on the second (2nd) Trading Day following the date of mailing by express courier service, fully prepaid, addressed to such address, or upon actual receipt of such mailing, whichever shall first occur. The address for such communications shall be:

 

If to the Company:  
   
  Lotus Technology Inc.
  No. 800 Century Avenue
  Pudong District
  Shanghai 200120, People’s Republic of China
  Attention: ******
  Email: ******
   
With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
 
  Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
  42/F, Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark, 15
  Queen's Road Central, Central
  Attention: ******
  Email: ******
   
  and
   
  Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP 633
  West 5th Street, Suite 4000
  Los Angeles, CA 90071
  Attention: ******
  Email: ******

 

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If to the Investor:  
 
  Westwood Capital Group LLC
  961 Broadway
  Woodmere, NY 11598
  Attention: ******
  Email: ******
   

With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
 
  Morrison & Foerster LLP
  2100 L Street NW, Suite 900
  Washington, DC 20037
  Attention: ******
    ******
  Email:  ******
    ******

 

Either party hereto may from time to time change its address for notices by giving at least five (5) days’ advance written notice of such changed address to the other party hereto.

 

Section 10.5         Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived by the parties from and after the date that is one (1) Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Initial Registration Statement is initially filed with the Commission. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, no provision of this Agreement may be waived other than in a written instrument signed by the party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought. No failure or delay in the exercise of any power, right or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such power, right or privilege preclude other or further exercises thereof or of any other right, power or privilege.

 

Section 10.6         Amendments. No provision of this Agreement may be amended by the parties from and after the date that is one (1) Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Initial Registration Statement is initially filed with the Commission. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, no provision of this Agreement may be amended other than by a written instrument signed by both parties hereto.

 

Section 10.7         Headings. The article, section and subsection headings in this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not constitute a part of this Agreement for any other purpose and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each pronoun herein shall be deemed to include the masculine, feminine, neuter, singular and plural forms thereof. The terms “including,” “includes,” “include” and words of like import shall be construed broadly as if followed by the words “without limitation.” The terms “herein,” “hereunder,” “hereof” and words of like import refer to this entire Agreement instead of just the provision in which they are found.

 

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Section 10.8         Construction. The parties agree that each of them and their respective counsel has reviewed and had an opportunity to revise the Transaction Documents and, therefore, the normal rule of construction to the effect that any ambiguities are to be resolved against the drafting party shall not be employed in the interpretation of the Transaction Documents. In addition, each and every reference to share prices and number of ADSs in any Transaction Document shall, in all cases, be subject to adjustment for any share splits, share combinations, share dividends, recapitalizations, reorganizations and other similar transactions that occur on or after the date of this Agreement unless otherwise indicated therein. Any reference in this Agreement to “Dollars” or “$” shall mean the lawful currency of the United States of America. Any references to “Section” or “Article” in this Agreement shall, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, refer to the applicable Section or Article of this Agreement.

 

Section 10.9         Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors. Neither the Company nor the Investor may assign this Agreement or any of their respective rights or obligations hereunder to any Person.

 

Section 10.10       No Third Party Beneficiaries. Except as expressly provided in the immediately preceding sentence and in Article IX, this Agreement is intended only for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors, and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, provided that the Company and the Investor acknowledge and agree that the Depositary may rely on the representations, warranties and covenants of each of the Company and the Investor contained herein in connection with the issuance and delivery of ADSs pursuant to this Agreement.

 

Section 10.11       Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal procedural and substantive laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the choice of law provisions of such state that would cause the application of the laws of any other jurisdiction.

 

Section 10.12       Survival. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements of the Company and the Investor contained in this Agreement shall survive the execution and delivery hereof until the termination of this Agreement; provided, however, that (i) the provisions of Article V (Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Company), Article VIII (Termination), Article IX (Indemnification) and this Article X (Miscellaneous) shall remain in full force and effect indefinitely notwithstanding such termination, and, (ii) so long as the Investor owns any Securities, the covenants and agreements of the Company and the Investor contained in Article VI (Additional Covenants), shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination for a period of six (6) months following such termination.

 

Section 10.13       Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party; provided that a facsimile signature or signature delivered by e-mail in a “.pdf” format data file, including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com, www.echosign.adobe.com, etc., shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original signature.

 

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Section 10.14       Publicity. The Company shall afford the Investor and its counsel with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment upon, shall consult with the Investor and its counsel on the form and substance of, and shall give due consideration to all such comments from the Investor or its counsel on, any press release, Commission filing or any other public disclosure made by or on behalf of the Company relating to the Investor, its purchases hereunder or any aspect of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby, prior to the issuance, filing or public disclosure thereof. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company shall not be required to submit for review any such disclosure (i) contained in periodic reports filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act if it shall have previously provided the same disclosure to the Investor or its counsel for review in connection with a previous filing or (ii) any Prospectus Supplement if it contains disclosure that does not reference the Investor, its purchases hereunder or any aspect of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby. The Company agrees and acknowledges that its failure to comply with this provision in all material respects constitutes a Material Adverse Effect for purposes of Section 7.2(xi). Except as may be required by applicable law, permitted pursuant to Section 6.12 of this Agreement, or a “tombstone” advertisement on the Investor’s website, the Investor shall not make any public announcement or disclosure regarding this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby without the prior written consent of the Company.

 

Section 10.15       Severability. The provisions of this Agreement are severable and, in the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that any one or more of the provisions or part of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall, for any reason, be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect any other provision or part of a provision of this Agreement, and this Agreement shall be reformed and construed as if such invalid or illegal or unenforceable provision, or part of such provision, had never been contained herein, so that such provisions would be valid, legal and enforceable to the maximum extent possible.

 

Section 10.16       Further Assurances. From and after the Closing Date, upon the request of the Investor or the Company, each of the Company and the Investor shall execute and deliver such instrument, documents and other writings as may be reasonably necessary or desirable to confirm and carry out and to effectuate fully the intent and purposes of this Agreement.

 

[Signature Pages Follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized officer as of the date first above written.

 

  LOTUS TECHNOLOGY INC.
   
  By:  /s/ Qingfeng Feng
  Name:  Qingfeng Feng
  Title: Chief Executive Officer 
   
  WESTWOOD CAPITAL GROUP LLC:
   
  By:  /s/ Ari Zinberg
  Name: Ari Zinberg
  Title: Managing Member

 

 

 

 

ANNEX I TO THE
SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

DEFINITIONS

 

“Accountant” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.7(e).

 

“Action” means any action, lawsuit, complaint, claim, petition, suit, audit, examination, assessment, arbitration, mediation or inquiry, or any proceeding or investigation, by or before any Governmental Authority.

 

“ADSs” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of this Agreement.

 

“ADS Custodian” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2.

 

“ADS Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(iii).“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 144.

 

“Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

“Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11, U.S. Code, Part V of the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, the Companies Winding-Up Rules (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, the Insolvency Practitioner’s Regulations (as amended) of the Cayman Islands and the Foreign Bankruptcy Proceedings (International Cooperation) Rules (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, or any similar federal or state or other applicable bankruptcy law for the relief of debtors.

 

“Beneficial Ownership Limitation” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.4.

 

“Bloomberg” means Bloomberg, L.P. (or other reputable market data source chosen by the Investor prior to Commencement).

 

“Bring Down Comfort Letter” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.3(x).

 

“Bring Down Opinion” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.15.

 

“Broker-Dealer” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.13.

 

“CAC” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.44.

 

“CCPA” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.43(b).

 

“Closing” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.2.

 

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“Closing Date” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.2.

 

“Closing Sale Price” means, for the ADSs as of any date, the last closing trade price for the ADSs on the Trading Market (or if the ADSs are then traded on an Eligible Market, on such Eligible Market), as reported by Bloomberg, or, if the Trading Market (or such Eligible Market, as applicable) begins to operate on an extended hours basis and does not designate the closing trade price for the ADSs, then the last trade price for the ADSs prior to 4:00 p.m., New York City time, as reported by Bloomberg, or, if the foregoing do not apply, the last trade price for the ADSs in the over-the-counter market on the electronic bulletin board for the ADSs as reported by Bloomberg, or, if no last trade price is reported for the ADSs by Bloomberg, the average of the bid prices, or the ask prices, respectively, of any market makers for such security as reported by OTC Markets Group Inc. All such determinations shall be appropriately adjusted for any share splits, share dividends, share combinations, recapitalizations or other similar transactions during such period.

 

“Code” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.25.

 

“Commencement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1.

 

“Commencement Date” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1.

 

“Commencement Depositary Instruction” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(xiii).

 

“Commencement Investor Certification” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(xiii).

 

“Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor entity.

 

“Commission Documents” shall mean (i) all reports, schedules, registrations, forms, statements, information and other documents filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to the Securities Act or Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since March 6, 2023 and which hereafter shall be filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company, including, without limitation, the Current Report, (ii) each Registration Statement, as the same may be amended from time to time, the Prospectus contained therein and each Prospectus Supplement thereto and (iii) all information contained in such filings and all documents and disclosures that have been and heretofore shall be incorporated by reference therein.

 

“Commitment ADSs” means a number of duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable ADSs equal to the number of Commitment Ordinary Shares.

 

“Commitment Ordinary Shares” means a number of duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Shares equal to (i) $3,500,000, divided by (ii) the lower of (A) the Closing Sale Price of the ADSs on the Trading Market on the date hereof, and (B) the Closing Sale Price of the ADSs on the Trading Market on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date that the Initial Registration Statement is filed with the Commission.

 

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“Company” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

“Compliance Certificate” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(ii).

 

“Confidential Data” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.43(b).

 

“Cover Price” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2.

 

“Current Report” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.3.

 

“Custodian” shall mean any receiver, trustee, assignee, liquidator or similar official under any Bankruptcy Law.

 

“Damages” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.1.

 

“Depositary” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.1.

 

“Deposit Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.1.

 

“Disqualification Event” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.40.

 

“DTC” means The Depository Trust Company, a Subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or any successor thereto.

 

“DWAC” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.34.

 

“DWAC ADSs” means ADSs issued pursuant to this Agreement that are (i) issued in electronic form, (ii) freely tradable and transferable and without restriction on resale and without stop transfer instructions maintained against the transfer thereof so long as a registration statement is effective with respect to the resale of such ADSs, and (iii) timely credited by the Company to the Investor’s or its designee’s specified Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian (DWAC) account with DTC under its Fast Automated Securities Transfer (FAST) Program, or any similar program hereafter adopted by DTC performing substantially the same function.

 

“EDGAR” means the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System.

 

“Effective Date” means, with respect to the Initial Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Registration Rights Agreement (or any post-effective amendment thereto) or any New Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 2(c) of the Registration Rights Agreement (or any post-effective amendment thereto), as applicable, the date on which the Initial Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto) or any New Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto) is declared effective by the Commission.

 

“Eligible Market” means the New York Stock Exchange, The Nasdaq Global Select Market, The Nasdaq Global Market, The Nasdaq Capital Market, the NYSE American, or the NYSE Arca (or any nationally recognized successor to any of the foregoing).

 

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“Employee Plan” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.25.

 

“Environmental Laws” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.19.

 

“ERISA” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.25.

 

“ERISA Affiliate” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.25.

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

“Exempt Day” means any of the following religious holidays and the eves of such religious holidays: Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Tisha B’Av, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot or Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

 

“FCPA” means the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

 

“Filing Deadline” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

 

“Fundamental Transaction” means that (i) the Company shall, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions, (1) consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not the Company is the surviving corporation) another Person, with the result that the holders of the Company’s share capital immediately prior to such consolidation or merger together beneficially own less than 50% of the outstanding voting power of the surviving or resulting corporation, or (2) sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company to another Person, or (3) take action to facilitate a purchase, tender or exchange offer by another Person that is accepted by the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (excluding any Ordinary Shares held by the Person or Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the Persons making or party to, such purchase, tender or exchange offer), or (4) consummate a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) with another Person whereby such other Person acquires more than 50% of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (not including any Ordinary Shares held by the other Person or other Persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other Persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination), or (5) reorganize, recapitalize or reclassify its Ordinary Shares, or (ii) any “person” or “group” (as these terms are used for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) shall become the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of 50% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares.

 

“GAAP” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.7(b).

 

“GDPR” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.43(b).

 

I-4 

 

 

“Governmental Authority” means any federal, state, provincial, municipal, local, international, supranational or foreign government, governmental authority, regulatory or administrative agency (which for the purposes of this Agreement shall include the Commission), governmental commission, department, board, bureau, agency, court, arbitral tribunal, securities exchange or similar body or instrumentality thereof.

 

“Indemnifying Party” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.2.

 

“Initial Comfort Letter” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(xvi).

 

“Initial Filing Deadline” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“Initial Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.18(b).

 

“Investment Period” means the period commencing on the Commencement Date and expiring on the date this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Article VIII.

 

“Investor” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

“Investor Party” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.1.

 

“Issuer Covered Person” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.40.

 

“IT Systems” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.43(a).

 

“Knowledge” means the actual knowledge of any of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer or its Chief Financial Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting officer, in each case after reasonable inquiry.

 

“Material Adverse Effect” means (i) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event having, or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely have, any material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby, (ii) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event having, or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely have, any effect on the business, operations, properties or financial condition of the Company that is material and adverse to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and/or (iii) any condition, occurrence, state of facts or event that would, or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely, prohibit or otherwise materially interfere with or delay the ability of the Company to perform any of its obligations under any of the Transaction Documents to which it is a party; provided, however, that with respect to clause (ii) no condition, occurrence, state of facts or event exclusively and directly resulting from, relating to or arising out of the following, individually or in the aggregate, shall be taken into account in determining whether a Material Adverse Effect has occurred or insofar as reasonably can be foreseen would likely occur: (a) changes in conditions in the U.S. or global capital, credit or financial markets generally, including changes in the availability of capital or currency exchange rates, provided such changes shall not have affected the Company in a materially disproportionate manner as compared to other similarly situated companies; (b) changes generally affecting the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate, provided such changes shall not have affected the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in a materially disproportionate manner as compared to other similarly situated companies; (c) any effect of the announcement of, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by, this Agreement and the other Transaction Documents on the Company’s relationships, contractual or otherwise, with customers, suppliers, vendors, bank lenders, strategic venture partners or employees; (d) changes arising in connection with earthquakes, pandemics, hostilities, acts of war, sabotage or terrorism or military actions or any escalation or material worsening of any such pandemic, hostilities, acts of war, sabotage or terrorism or military actions existing as of the date hereof; (e) any action taken by the Investor with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and (f) the effect of any changes in applicable laws or accounting rules, provided such changes shall not have affected the Company in a materially disproportionate manner as compared to other similarly situated companies.

 

I-5 

 

 

“Material Agreements” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.20.

 

“Money Laundering Laws” means applicable anti-money laundering statutes, including but not limited to, applicable federal, state, international, foreign or other laws, regulations or government guidance regarding anti-money laundering, including, without limitation, Title 18 U.S. Code Section 1956 and 1957, the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, and international anti-money laundering principles or procedures by an intergovernmental group or organization, such as the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, of which the United States is a member and with which designation the United States representative to the group or organization continues to concur, all as amended, and any Executive order, directive, or regulation pursuant to the authority of any of the foregoing, or any orders or licenses issued thereunder, of jurisdictions where the relevant Person conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency.

 

“New Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“Notice of Effectiveness” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 10.1(iv).

 

“OFAC” means the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

 

“Ordinary Shares” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of this Agreement.

 

“Ordinary Share Equivalents” means any securities of the Company or its Subsidiaries which entitle the holder thereof to acquire at any time Ordinary Shares, including, without limitation, any debt, Preferred Shares, rights, options, warrants or other instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to receive, Ordinary Shares.

 

I-6 

 

 

“Organizational Document” means the Company’s Sixth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.

 

“PCAOB” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(xvi).

 

“PEA Period” means the period commencing at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the fifth (5th) Trading Day immediately prior to the filing of any post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement or any New Registration Statement, and ending at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the Trading Day immediately following, the Effective Date of such post-effective amendment.

 

“Person” means any person or entity, whether a natural person, trustee, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, business association, firm, joint venture, governmental agency or authority.

 

“Personal Data” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.43(b).

 

“PRC” means the People’s Republic of China.

 

“PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.44.

 

“Preferred Shares” means (x) the Company’s preferred shares, par value $0.00001 per share, the terms of which may be designated by the Board of Directors of the Company in a certificate of designation and (y) any share capital into which such preferred shares shall have been changed or any share capital resulting from a reclassification of such preferred shares (other than a conversion of such preferred shares into Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of such certificate of designation).

 

“Privacy Laws” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.43(b).

 

“Prospectus” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“Prospectus Supplement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“Quiet Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1.

 

“Registrable Securities” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

“Registration Rights Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of this Agreement.

 

“Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

I-7 

 

 

“Regulation D” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of this Agreement.

 

“Restricted Person” and “Restricted Persons” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.9.

 

“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same effect.

 

“SAFE” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.44.

 

“Sarbanes-Oxley Act” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 5.7(e).

 

“Sanction Country” means Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria, or any other country or territory embargoed or subject to substantial trade restrictions by the United States, the European Union or any individual European Union member state, including the United Kingdom.

 

“Sanction Lists” means the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List, the Sectoral Sanctions Identification List, or any other similar list of sanctioned persons administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or any similar list of sanctioned persons administered by the European Union or any individual European Union member state, including the United Kingdom.

 

“Section 4(a)(2)” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals of this Agreement.

 

“Securities” means collectively, the VWAP ADSs , the Commitment Ordinary Shares (or, when issued in accordance with Section 10.1(iv), the Commitment ADSs) and, in the case of the VWAP ADSs and the Commitment ADSs, also the underlying Ordinary Shares represented thereby.

 

“Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

“Settlement Amount” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2.

 

“Short Sales” shall mean “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act.

 

“Subsidiary” shall mean any corporation or other entity of which at least a majority of the securities or other ownership interest having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or other persons performing similar functions are at the time owned directly or indirectly by the Company and/or any of its other Subsidiaries.

 

“SPAC” means L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp, an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

I-8 

 

 

“Structuring and Diligence Fee” means an amount in cash equal to $150,000.

 

“Subsequent Investor Certification” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.3(v).

 

“Tax Return” means any return, declaration, report, statement, information statement or other document filed or required to be filed with any Governmental Authority with respect to Taxes, including any claims for refunds of Taxes, any information returns and any amendments or supplements of any of the foregoing.

 

“Taxes” means all federal, state, local, foreign or other taxes imposed by any Governmental Authority, including all income, gross receipts, license, payroll, employment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, premium, windfall profits, environmental, customs duties, share capital, ad valorem, value added, inventory, franchise, profits, withholding, social security (or similar), unemployment, disability, real property, personal property, sales, use, transfer, registration, alternative or add-on minimum, or estimated taxes, and including any interest, penalty, or addition thereto.

 

“Threshold Price” means $2.00, which shall be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, share split or other similar transaction and, effective upon the consummation of any such reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, share split or other similar transaction, the “Threshold Price” shall mean the higher of (i) such adjusted price and (ii) $2.00 (which shall not be subjected to adjustment pursuant to Section 10.8).

 

“Total Commitment” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.1.

 

“Trading Day” shall mean a full trading day (beginning at 9:30:01 a.m., New York City time, and ending at 4:00 p.m., New York City time) on the Trading Market or, if the ADSs are then listed on an Eligible Market, on such Eligible Market.

 

“Trading Market” means The Nasdaq Global Select Market (or any nationally recognized successor thereto). If the ADSs become listed on an Eligible Market and cease to be listed on the Trading Market, the Eligible Market upon which the ADSs become listed shall be the Trading Market.

 

“Transaction Documents” means, collectively, this Agreement and the exhibits hereto, the Registration Rights Agreement and each of the other agreements, documents, certificates and instruments entered into or furnished by the parties hereto in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby.

 

“US Legal Opinion to the Depositary” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.2(xiii).

 

“VWAP” means, for the ADSs as of any Trading Day, the dollar volume-weighted average price for the ADSs on the Trading Market (or, if the ADSs are then listed on an Eligible Market, on such Eligible Market) during the period beginning at the official open (or commencement) of trading on the Trading Market (or on such Eligible Market, as applicable) on such Trading Day, and ending at the official close of trading on the Trading Market (or on such Eligible Market, as applicable) on such Trading Day, as reported by Bloomberg through its “AQR” function. All such determinations shall be appropriately adjusted by the Company for any shar dividend, share split, share combination, recapitalization or other similar transaction during such period.

 

I-9 

 

 

“VWAP ADSs” shall mean the ADSs representing Ordinary Shares that are and/or may be purchased by the Investor under this Agreement pursuant to one or more VWAP Purchase Notices, but not including the Commitment Ordinary Shares or the Commitment ADSs.

 

“VWAP Purchase” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1.

 

“VWAP Purchase Condition Satisfaction Time” means, with respect to any VWAP Purchase, 7:30 a.m., New York City time, on the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase.

 

“VWAP Purchase Confirmation” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.1.

 

“VWAP Purchase Exercise Date” means, with respect to any VWAP Purchase, the Trading Day on which the Investor receives a valid VWAP Purchase Notice for such VWAP Purchase in accordance with this Agreement; provided, that, if such VWAP Purchase Notice is received after 7:30 a.m., New York City time, on any Trading Day, it shall be deemed to have been received at 7:30 a.m., New York City time, on the immediately following Trading Day.

 

“VWAP Purchase Depositary Instruction” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.3(v).

 

“VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount” means, with respect to any VWAP Purchase, a number of ADSs equal to the lesser of: (i) the product obtained by multiplying (A) the average daily trading volume in the ADSs on the Trading Market (or Eligible Market, as applicable) during the five (5) Trading Days immediately preceding the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase and (B) 0.500; and (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) $100,000,000 by (B) the VWAP of the ADSs on the Trading Market (or Eligible Market, as applicable) on the Trading Day immediately preceding the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase; provided, that the Investor and the Company may mutually agree to waive the VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount with respect to any VWAP Purchase in the event the resale of the Registrable Securities by the Investor is registered pursuant to an effective Registration Statement on Form F-3 on the date of the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice.

 

“VWAP Purchase Notice” means, with respect to a VWAP Purchase made pursuant to Section 3.1, an irrevocable written notice delivered by the Company to the Investor on a VWAP Purchase Exercise Date directing the Investor to purchase a VWAP Purchase ADS Amount (such specified VWAP Purchase ADS Amount subject to adjustment as set forth in Section 3.1 as necessary to give effect to the applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount), at the VWAP Purchase Price therefor in accordance with this Agreement.

 

I-10 

 

 

“VWAP Purchase Price” means, with respect to any VWAP Purchase, the purchase price per ADS to be purchased by the Investor in such VWAP Purchase, which shall equal the product of (A) the lowest daily VWAP during the three (3) consecutive Trading Days beginning on the applicable VWAP Purchase Exercise Date for such VWAP Purchase, multiplied by (B) 0.970; provided, that the Company will not undertake any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, share split, reverse share split or other similar transaction during the period between a VWAP Purchase Exercise Date and a VWAP Purchase Settlement Date.

 

“VWAP Purchase Settlement Date” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.2.

 

“VWAP Purchase ADS Amount” means, with respect to any VWAP Purchase, the number of VWAP ADSs specified by the Company in the applicable VWAP Purchase Notice, which number of VWAP ADSs shall not exceed the applicable VWAP Purchase Maximum Amount.

 

I-11 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Registration Rights Agreement

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

Form of VWAP Purchase Notice

 

VWAP PURCHASE NOTICE

 

[Insert Date]

 

Reference is made to the Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Agreement”), dated as of [●], 2024, by and between Lotus Technology Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and Westwood Capital Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Investor”). In accordance with and pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company hereby directs the Investor to purchase the VWAP Purchase ADS Amount set forth below. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the meanings set forth in the Agreement.

 

·VWAP Purchase ADS Amount: [Insert number of VWAP ADSs]

 

This notice constitutes a VWAP Purchase Notice for purposes of the Agreement.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

 

LOTUS TECHNOLOGY INC.  
   
By:                 
Name:    
Title:    
   

Acknowledged and agreed by:

 

WESTWOOD CAPITAL GROUP LLC  
   
By:                 
Name:    
Title:    
   

Please use the following information for the transfer of ADSs:

 

·      Broker Name:

 

·      Broker DTC Participant Code:

 

·      Account Number:

 

·      Account Name:

 

[Signature Page to VWAP Purchase Notice]

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT C

 

Form of Closing Certificate

 

****** 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT D

 

Form of Compliance Certificate

 

******  

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.2

 

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of September 16, 2024 is by and between Westwood Capital Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Investor”), and Lotus Technology Inc., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”).

 

RECITALS

 

A.            The Company and the Investor have entered into that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which (i) the Company has agreed to issue to the Investor the Commitment Ordinary Shares and (ii) the Company may issue, from time to time, to the Investor up to $350,000,000 in aggregate gross purchase price of newly issued ADSs, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement; and

 

B.            In consideration for the Investor entering into the Purchase Agreement, and to induce the Investor to execute and deliver the Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to provide the Investor with certain registration rights with respect to the Registrable Securities (as defined herein) as set forth herein.

 

AGREEMENT

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements contained herein and in the Purchase Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, intending to be legally bound hereby, the Company and the Investor hereby agree as follows:

 

1.            Definitions.

 

Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Purchase Agreement. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

(a)            “Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

(b)            “Allowable Grace Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3(p).

 

(c)            “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which commercial banks in any of the PRC, New York, New York or the Cayman Islands are authorized or required by law to remain closed.

 

(d)            “Claims” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(a).

 

(e)            “Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor entity.

 

 

 

 

(f)            “Company” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

(g)            “Company Party” or “Company Parties” shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in Section 6(b).

 

(h)            “Effective Date” means the date that the applicable Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission.

 

(i)            “Effectiveness Deadline” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(a).

 

(j)            “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(k)            “Filing Deadline” means, with respect to any New Registration Statements that may be required to be filed by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, the twentieth (20th) Business Day following the sale of substantially all of the Registrable Securities included in the Initial Registration Statement or the most recent prior New Registration Statement, as applicable, or such other date as permitted by the Commission.

 

(l)            “Indemnified Damages” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(a).

 

(m)            “Initial Filing Deadline” means, with respect to the Initial Registration Statement required to be filed pursuant to Section 2(a), the fortieth (40th) Business Day after the date of this Agreement.

 

(n)            “Initial Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(a).

 

(o)            “Investor” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

(p)            “Investor Information” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3(a).

 

(q)            “Investor Party” and “Investor Parties” shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in Section 6(a).

 

(r)            “Legal Counsel” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(b).

 

(s)            “New Registration Statement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(c).

 

(t)            “Person” means any person or entity, whether a natural person, trustee, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, business association, firm, joint venture, governmental agency or authority.

 

2 

 

 

(u)            “Prospectus” or “Prospectuses” means the prospectus(es) in the form included in a Registration Statement, as supplemented from time to time by any Prospectus Supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference therein.

 

(v)            “Prospectus Supplement” means any prospectus supplement to a Prospectus filed with the Commission from time to time pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including the documents incorporated by reference therein.

 

(w)            “Purchase Agreement” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to this Agreement.

 

(x)            “register,” “registered,” and “registration” refer to a registration effected by preparing and filing one or more Registration Statements in compliance with the Securities Act and pursuant to Rule 415 and the declaration of effectiveness of such Registration Statement(s) by the Commission.

 

(y)            “Registrable Securities” means all of (i) the VWAP ADSs (including the underlying Ordinary Shares), (ii) the Commitment ADSs (including the underlying Commitment Ordinary Shares), and (iii) any equity securities of the Company issued or issuable with respect to such Shares, Commitment ADSs or Commitment Ordinary Shares, including, without limitation, (1) as a result of any share split, share dividend, recapitalization, exchange or similar event and (2) equity securities of the Company into which the VWAP ADSs, the Commitment Ordinary Shares or the Commitment ADSs, as applicable, are converted or exchanged and equity securities of a successor entity into which the VWAP ADSs, the Commitment Ordinary Shares or the Commitment ADSs, as applicable, are converted or exchanged.

 

(z)            “Registration Period” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3(a).

 

(aa)      “Registration Statement” means a registration statement or registration statements of the Company filed under the Securities Act covering the resale by the Investor of Registrable Securities, as such registration statement or registration statements may be amended and supplemented from time to time, including all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein.

 

(bb)      “Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission that may at any time permit the Investor to sell securities of the Company to the public without registration.

 

(cc)      “Rule 415” means Rule 415 promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any other similar or successor rule or regulation of the Commission providing for offering securities on a delayed or continuous basis.

 

(dd)      “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(ee)      “Staff” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2(c).

 

(ff)      “Violations” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6(a).

 

3 

 

 

2.            Registration.

 

(a)            Mandatory Registration. The Company shall prepare and, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than the Initial Filing Deadline, file with the Commission an initial Registration Statement on Form F-1 (or any successor form) covering the resale by the Investor of (i) all of the Commitment ADSs and (ii) the maximum number of additional Registrable Securities as shall be permitted to be included thereon in accordance with applicable Commission rules, regulations and interpretations so as to permit the resale of such Registrable Securities by the Investor under Rule 415 under the Securities Act at then prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) (the “Initial Registration Statement”). The Initial Registration Statement shall contain the “Selling Shareholder” and “Plan of Distribution” sections in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit B or in such other form as may be agreed between the Company and the Investor. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to have the Initial Registration Statement declared effective by the Commission as soon as reasonably practicable following the filing thereof with the Commission, but in no event later than the earlier of (i) the fifth (5th) Business Day after the Commission informs the Company that no review of such Initial Registration Statement will be made or that the Commission has no further comments on such Initial Registration Statement or (ii) the ninetieth (90th) calendar day immediately following the filing of the Initial Registration Statement (or if such day is not a Business Day, the next following Business Day) if the Commission reviews such Initial Registration Statement (the “Effectiveness Deadline”). Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the Company may, at its opinion, convert a then current Registration Statement on Form F-1 to a Registration Statement on Form F-3.

 

(b)            Legal Counsel. Subject to Section 5 hereof, the Investor shall have the right to select one legal counsel to review, solely on the Investor’s behalf, each Registration Statement filed with the Commission pursuant to this Section 2, which shall be Morrison & Foerster LLP, or such other counsel as thereafter designated by the Investor (“Legal Counsel”).

 

(c)            Sufficient Number of Shares Registered. If at any time all Registrable Securities are not covered by the Initial Registration Statement filed pursuant to Section 2(a) as a result of Section 2(e) or otherwise, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission one or more additional Registration Statements so as to cover all of the Registrable Securities not covered by such Initial Registration Statement, in each case, as soon as practicable (taking into account any position of the staff of the Commission (“Staff”) with respect to the date on which the Staff will permit such additional Registration Statement(s) to be filed with the Commission and the rules and regulations of the Commission) (each such additional Registration Statement, a “New Registration Statement”), but in no event later than the applicable Filing Deadline for such New Registration Statement(s). The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause each such New Registration Statement to become effective as soon as reasonably practicable following the filing thereof with the Commission.

 

(d)            No Inclusion of Other Securities. In no event shall the Company include any securities other than Registrable Securities on any Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) or Section 2(c) without consulting the Investor and Legal Counsel prior to filing such Registration Statement with the Commission.

 

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(e)            Replacement Registration Statement. If the Staff or the Commission seeks to characterize any offering pursuant to a Registration Statement filed pursuant to this Agreement as constituting an offering of securities that does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used for resales by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices), or if after the filing of any Registration Statement pursuant to Section 2(a) or Section 2(c), the Company is otherwise required by the Staff or the Commission to reduce the number of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, then the Company shall reduce the number of Registrable Securities to be included in such Registration Statement (after consultation with the Investor and Legal Counsel as to the specific Registrable Securities to be removed therefrom) until such time as the Staff and the Commission shall so permit such Registration Statement to become effective and be used as aforesaid. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if after giving effect to the actions referred to in the immediately preceding sentence, the Staff or the Commission does not permit such Registration Statement to become effective and to be used for resales by the Investor on a delayed or continuous basis under Rule 415 at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices), the Company shall not request acceleration of the Effective Date of such Registration Statement, and the Company shall promptly (but in no event later than the second Business Day following final notification by the Staff) request the withdrawal of such Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 477 under the Securities Act. In the event of any reduction in Registrable Securities pursuant to this paragraph, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file one or more New Registration Statements with the Commission in accordance with Section 2(c) until such time as all Registrable Securities have been included in Registration Statements that have been declared effective and the Prospectuses contained therein are available for use by the Investor. Notwithstanding any provision herein or in the Purchase Agreement to the contrary, the Company’s obligations to register Registrable Securities (and any related conditions to the Investor’s obligations) shall be qualified as necessary to comport with any requirement of the Staff or the Commission as addressed in this Section 2(d).

 

(f)            Statutory Underwriter Status. The Investor acknowledges that it will be disclosed as an “underwriter” and a “selling shareholder” in each Registration Statement and in any Prospectus contained therein to the extent required by applicable law and to the extent the Prospectus is related to the resale of Registrable Securities by the Investor.

 

3.            Related Obligations.

 

The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect the registration of the Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method of disposition thereof, and, pursuant thereto, the Company shall have the following obligations:

 

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(a)            Subject to Allowable Grace Periods, the Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to keep each Registration Statement effective (and the Prospectus contained therein available for use) pursuant to Rule 415 for resales by the Investor on a continuous basis at then-prevailing market prices (and not fixed prices) at all times until the earliest of (i) the date on which the Investor shall have sold all of the Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement, (ii) the date that is one-hundred and eighty (180) days after the effective date of the termination of the Purchase Agreement in accordance with Article VIII of the Purchase Agreement, if as of such effective date the Investor holds any Registrable Securities, and (iii) the effective date of the termination of the Purchase Agreement in accordance with Article VIII of the Purchase Agreement, if as of such effective date the Investor holds no Registrable Securities (the “Registration Period”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement (but subject to the provisions of Section 3(p) hereof), the Company shall ensure that, when filed and at all times while effective, each Registration Statement (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) and the Prospectus (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) used in connection with such Registration Statement shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of Prospectuses, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made) not misleading except that this clause shall not apply to statements in or omissions from such Registration Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by the Investor expressly for use in connection with the preparation of each Registration Statement (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) and the Prospectus (including, without limitation, all amendments and supplements thereto) used in connection with such Registration Statement (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that the written information set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto, as amended from time to time, is the only written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Investor expressly for such use)(such information, the “Investor Information”).

 

(b)            Subject to Section 3(p) of this Agreement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to prepare and file with the Commission such amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) and supplements to each Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection with each such Registration Statement, which Prospectus is to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 promulgated under the Securities Act, as may be necessary to keep each such Registration Statement effective (and the Prospectus contained therein current and available for use) at all times during the Registration Period for such Registration Statement, and, during such period, comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all Registrable Securities of the Company covered by such Registration Statement until such time as all of such Registrable Securities shall have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the Investor as set forth in such Registration Statement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company covenants and agrees that (i) at or before 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on the second Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of the Initial Registration Statement and any New Registration Statement (or any post-effective amendment thereto), the Company shall file with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act the final Prospectus to be used in connection with sales pursuant to such Registration Statement (or post-effective amendment thereto), and (ii) if the transactions contemplated by any VWAP Purchase are material to the Company (individually or collectively with all other prior VWAP Purchases, the consummation of which have not previously been reported in any Prospectus Supplement filed with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or in any report, statement or other document filed by the Company with the Commission under the Exchange Act), or if otherwise required under the Securities Act (or the interpretations of the Commission thereof), in each case as reasonably determined by the Company, then, at or before 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the applicable VWAP Purchase Settlement Date for such VWAP Purchase, the Company shall file with the Commission a Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act with respect to the applicable VWAP Purchase(s), disclosing the total number of Shares that are to be (and, if applicable, have been) issued and sold to the Investor pursuant to such VWAP Purchase(s), the total purchase price for the Shares subject to such VWAP Purchase(s), the applicable purchases price(s) for such Shares and the net proceeds that are to be (and, if applicable, have been) received by the Company from the sale of such Shares. To the extent not previously disclosed in the Prospectus or a Prospectus Supplement, the Company shall disclose in its Annual Reports on Form 20-F the information described in the immediately preceding sentence relating to all VWAP Purchase(s) consummated during the relevant fiscal quarter and shall file such Annual Reports with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such report under the Exchange Act. In the case of amendments and supplements to any Registration Statement on Form F-1 or Prospectus related thereto which are required to be filed pursuant to this Agreement (including, without limitation, pursuant to this Section 3(b)) by reason of the Company filing a report on Form 6-K, Form 20-F or any analogous report under the Exchange Act, the Company shall have incorporated such report by reference into such Registration Statement and Prospectus, if applicable, or shall file such amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus with the Commission on the same day on which the Exchange Act report is filed which created the requirement for the Company to amend or supplement such Registration Statement or Prospectus, for the purpose of including or incorporating such report into such Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company consents to the use of the Prospectus (including, without limitation, any supplement thereto) included in each Registration Statement in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act and with the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of the jurisdictions in which the Registrable Securities may be sold by the Investor, in connection with the resale of the Registrable Securities and for such period of time thereafter as such Prospectus (including, without limitation, any supplement thereto) (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required by the Securities Act to be delivered in connection with resales of Registrable Securities.

 

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(c)            The Company shall (A) permit Investor and Legal Counsel an opportunity to review and comment upon each Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements (except for supplements filed for the purpose of incorporating any Form 6-K into any Registration Statement and Prospectus) thereto at least two (2) Business Days prior to its filing with the Commission and (B) shall reasonably consider any reasonable comments of the Investor and Legal Counsel on any such Registration Statement or amendment or supplement thereto or to any Prospectus contained therein. Investor shall use its reasonable best efforts to comment, and cause Legal Counsel to comment, upon any such Registration Statement or amendment or supplement thereto provided by the Company within one (1) Business Day of receipt. The Company shall promptly furnish to Legal Counsel, without charge, electronic copies of any correspondence from the Commission or the Staff to the Company or its representatives relating to each Registration Statement (which correspondence shall be redacted to exclude any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries).

 

(d)            Without limiting any obligation of the Company under the Purchase Agreement, the Company shall promptly furnish to the Investor, without charge, (i) after the same is prepared and filed with the Commission, at least one (1) electronic copy of each Registration Statement and any amendment(s) and supplement(s) thereto, including, without limitation, financial statements and schedules, all documents incorporated therein by reference, if requested by the Investor, all exhibits thereto, (ii) upon the effectiveness of each Registration Statement, one (1) electronic copy of the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement and all amendments and supplements thereto and (iii) such other documents, including, without limitation, copies of any final Prospectus and any Prospectus Supplement thereto, as the Investor may reasonably request from time to time in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by the Investor; provided, however, the Company shall not be required to furnish any document to the Investor to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.

 

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(e)            The Company shall take such action as is reasonably necessary to (i) register and qualify, unless an exemption from registration and qualification applies, the resale by the Investor of the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement under such other securities or “Blue Sky” laws of all applicable jurisdictions in the United States, (ii) prepare and file in those jurisdictions, such amendments (including, without limitation, post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registrations and qualifications as may be necessary to maintain the effectiveness thereof during the Registration Period, (iii) take such other actions as may be reasonably necessary to maintain such registrations and qualifications in effect at all times during the Registration Period, and (iv) take all other actions reasonably necessary or advisable to qualify the Registrable Securities for sale in such jurisdictions; provided, however, the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to (x) qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this Section 3(e), (y) subject itself to general taxation in any such jurisdiction, or (z) file a general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction. The Company shall promptly notify Legal Counsel, the Investor and the Depositary of the receipt by the Company of any written notification with respect to the suspension of the registration or qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of any jurisdiction in the United States or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose.

 

(f)            The Company shall notify Legal Counsel, the Investor and the Depositary in writing of the happening of any event, as promptly as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of such event, as a result of which the Prospectus included in a Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (provided that in no event shall such notice contain any material, non-public information regarding the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), and, subject to Section 3(p), promptly prepare a supplement or amendment to such Registration Statement and such Prospectus contained therein to correct such untrue statement or omission and deliver one (1) electronic copy of such supplement or amendment to Legal Counsel and the Investor (or such other number of copies as Legal Counsel or the Investor may reasonably request). The Company shall also promptly notify Legal Counsel, the Investor and the Depositary in writing (i) when a Prospectus or any Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment has been filed, when a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment has become effective (notification of such effectiveness shall be delivered to Legal Counsel and the Investor by facsimile or e-mail on the same day of such effectiveness), (ii) of any request by the Commission for amendments or supplements to a Registration Statement or related Prospectus or related information, and (iii) of the Company’s reasonable determination that a post-effective amendment to a Registration Statement would be appropriate. The Company shall respond as promptly as reasonably practicable to any comments received from the Commission with respect to a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto.

 

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(g)            The Company shall (i) use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or other suspension of effectiveness of a Registration Statement or the use of any Prospectus contained therein, or the suspension of the qualification, or the loss of an exemption from qualification, of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction and, if such an order or suspension is issued, to obtain the withdrawal of such order or suspension at the earliest possible time and (ii) notify Legal Counsel, the Investor and the Depositary of the issuance of such order and the resolution thereof or its receipt of actual notice of the initiation or threat of any proceeding.

 

(h)            The Company shall hold in confidence and not make any disclosure of information concerning the Investor provided to the Company unless (i) disclosure of such information is necessary to comply with federal or state securities laws, (ii) the disclosure of such information is necessary to avoid or correct a misstatement or omission in any Registration Statement or is otherwise required to be disclosed in such Registration Statement pursuant to the Securities Act, (iii) the release of such information is ordered pursuant to a subpoena or other final, non-appealable order from a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction, or (iv) such information has been made generally available to the public other than by disclosure by the Company in violation of this Agreement or any other Transaction Document. The Company agrees that it shall, upon learning that disclosure of such information concerning the Investor is sought in or by a court or governmental body of competent jurisdiction or through other means, give prompt written notice to the Investor and allow the Investor, at the Investor’s expense, to undertake appropriate action to prevent disclosure of, or to obtain a protective order for, such information.

 

(i)            Without limiting any obligation of the Company under the Purchase Agreement, the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts either to (i) cause all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement to be listed on the Trading Market or (ii) secure designation and quotation of all of the Registrable Securities covered by each Registration Statement on another Eligible Market. The Company shall pay all fees and expenses in connection with satisfying its obligation under the preceding sentence. In addition, the Company shall reasonably cooperate with the Investor and any Broker-Dealer through which the Investor proposes to sell its Registrable Securities in effecting a filing with FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 as requested by the Investor.

 

(j)            The Company shall cooperate with the Investor and the Depositary, to the extent applicable, facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of Registrable Securities, as DWAC ADSs, to be offered pursuant to a Registration Statement and enable such DWAC ADSs to be in such denominations or amounts (as the case may be) as the Investor may reasonably request from time to time and registered in such names as the Investor may request. Investor hereby agrees that it shall cooperate with the Company, its counsel and its Depositary, transfer agent or share registrar in connection with any issuances of the DWAC ADSs, and hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Company and the Depositary that that it will resell such VWAP ADSs, Commitment Ordinary Shares or the Commitment ADSs, as applicable, only pursuant to an effective Registration Statement in which such DWAC ADSs are included, in a manner described under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in such effective Registration Statement, and in a manner in compliance with all applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, any applicable prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. DWAC ADSs shall be free from all restrictive legends (except as otherwise required by this Agreement, the Purchase Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or applicable federal or state securities laws) and may be transmitted by the Depositary to the Investor by crediting an account at DTC as directed in writing by the Investor.

 

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(k)            Upon the written request of the Investor, the Company shall as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of notice from the Investor and subject to Section 3(p) hereof, (i) incorporate in a Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment such information as the Investor reasonably requests to be included therein relating to the sale and distribution of Registrable Securities, including, without limitation, information with respect to the number of Registrable Securities being offered or sold, the purchase price being paid therefor and any other terms of the offering of the Registrable Securities to be sold in such offering; (ii) make all required filings of such Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment after being notified of the matters to be incorporated in such Prospectus Supplement or post-effective amendment; and (iii) supplement or make amendments to any Registration Statement or Prospectus contained therein if reasonably requested by the Investor.

 

(l)            The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Registrable Securities covered by a Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental agencies or authorities in the United States as may be necessary to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities.

 

(m)            The Company shall make generally available to its security holders (which may be satisfied by making such information available on EDGAR) as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of any Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule then in effect).

 

(n)            The Company shall otherwise use its commercially reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission in connection with any registration hereunder.

 

(o)            Within one (1) Business Day after each Registration Statement which covers Registrable Securities is declared effective by the Commission, and with respect to any post-effective amendment to the Initial Registration Statement, any New Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to any New Registration Statement, in each case declared effective by the Commission after the Commencement Date (as defined in the Purchase Agreement), the Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered, to the Depositary, transfer agent or share registrar, as applicable, for such Registrable Securities (with copies to the Investor) a US Legal Opinion to the Depositary issued by Company’s outside counsel, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A, which confirms the effectiveness of the relevant Registration Statement and opines that the ADSs registered for resale under an effective Registration Statement may be issued without restrictive legends.

 

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(p)            Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in the Purchase Agreement (but subject to the last sentence of this Section 3(p)), at any time after the Effective Date of a particular Registration Statement, the Company may, upon written notice to the Investor, suspend the Investor’s use of any Prospectus that is a part of any Registration Statement (in which event the Investor shall discontinue sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement contemplated by this Agreement, but shall settle any previously made sales of Registrable Securities) if the Company (x) is pursuing an acquisition, merger, tender offer, reorganization, disposition or other similar transaction and the Company determines in good faith that (A) the Company’s ability to pursue or consummate such a transaction would be materially adversely affected by any required disclosure of such transaction in such Registration Statement or other Registration Statement or (B) such transaction renders the Company unable to comply with Commission requirements, in each case under circumstances that would make it impractical or inadvisable to cause any Registration Statement (or such filings) to be used by Investor or to promptly amend or supplement any Registration Statement contemplated by this Agreement on a post effective basis, as applicable, (y) in accordance with applicable Commission rules, regulations and interpretations, is required to file a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement and such post-effective amendment is subject to the review of the Commission or (z) has experienced some other material non-public event the disclosure of which at such time, in the good faith judgment of the Company, would materially adversely affect the Company (each, an “Allowable Grace Period”); provided, however, that in no event shall the Investor be suspended from selling Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement for a period that exceeds forty-five (45) consecutive Trading Days or an aggregate of ninety (90) Trading Days in any 365-day period without the Investor’s consent; and provided, further, the Company shall not effect any such suspension during (I) the first ten (10) consecutive Trading Days after the Effective Date of the particular Registration Statement or (II) the ten (10) consecutive Trading Day period commencing on the Trading Day immediately preceding each VWAP Purchase Exercise Date. Upon disclosure of such information or the termination of the condition described above, the Company shall provide prompt notice, but in any event within one (1) Business Day of such disclosure or termination, to the Investor and shall promptly terminate any suspension of sales it has put into effect and shall take such other reasonable actions to permit registered sales of Registrable Securities as contemplated in this Agreement (including as set forth in the first sentence of Section 3(f) with respect to the information giving rise thereto unless such material, non-public information is no longer applicable). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 3(p), the Company shall cause the Depositary to deliver DWAC Shares, free from all restrictive legends (except as otherwise required by this Agreement, the Purchase Agreement or applicable federal or state securities laws), to the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which (i) the Company has made a sale to Investor and (ii) the Investor has entered into a contract for sale, and delivered a copy of the Prospectus included as part of the particular Registration Statement to the extent applicable, in each case prior to the Investor’s receipt of the notice of an Allowable Grace Period and for which the Investor has not yet settled.

 

4.            Obligations of the Investor.

 

(a)            At least five (5) Business Days prior to the first anticipated filing date of each Registration Statement (or such shorter period to which the parties agree), the Company shall notify the Investor in writing of the information the Company requires from the Investor with respect to such Registration Statement, and the Investor shall (i) promptly furnish to the Company such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held by it and the intended method of disposition of such Registrable Securities, as shall be reasonably required to effect and maintain the effectiveness of the registration of such Registrable Securities and (ii) promptly execute such documents in connection with such registration as the Company may reasonably request.

 

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(b)            The Investor agrees to cooperate with the Company as reasonably requested by the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of each Registration Statement hereunder.

 

(c)            The Investor agrees that, upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(p) or the first sentence of 3(f), the Investor shall immediately discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to any Registration Statement(s) covering such Registrable Securities until the Investor’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus contemplated by Section 3(p) or the first sentence of Section 3(f) or receipt of notice that no supplement or amendment is required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4(c), the Company shall cause the Depositary to deliver DWAC Shares, free from all restrictive legends (except as otherwise required by this Agreement, the Purchase Agreement or applicable federal or state securities laws), to the Investor in accordance with the terms of the Purchase Agreement in connection with any sale of Registrable Securities with respect to which the Investor has entered into a contract for sale prior to the Investor’s receipt of a notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3(p) and for which the Investor has not yet settled, in which case the Investor grants full and final discharge for the obligation of the Company to deliver the relevant DWAC Shares to the Investor.

 

(d)            The Investor covenants and agrees that it shall comply with the prospectus delivery and other requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement.

 

5.            Expenses of Registration.

 

All expenses of the Company incurred in connection with registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to Sections 2 and 3 of this Agreement, including, without limitation, all registration, listing and qualification fees, printers and accounting fees, and fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, shall be paid by the Company. Except as provided in Section 10.1(i) of the Purchase Agreement, the Company shall have no obligation to reimburse the Investor for any expenses of the Investor incurred in connection with such registrations, filings or qualifications pursuant to this Agreement, including sales and brokerage commissions incurred by the Investor in connection with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Registration Statement.

 

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6.            Indemnification.

 

(a)            In the event any Registrable Securities are included in any Registration Statement under this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company will, and hereby does, indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Investor, each of its directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees, agents, advisors, representatives (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title) and each Person, if any, who controls the Investor within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each of the directors, officers, shareholders, members, partners, employees, agents, advisors, representatives (and any other Persons with a functionally equivalent role of a Person holding such titles notwithstanding the lack of such title or any other title) of such controlling Persons (each, an “Investor Party” and collectively, the “Investor Parties”), against any losses, obligations, claims, damages, liabilities, contingencies, judgments, fines, penalties, charges, costs (including, without limitation, court costs, reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs of defense and investigation), amounts paid in settlement or expenses, joint or several, (collectively, “Claims”) reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending any action, claim, suit, inquiry, proceeding, investigation or appeal taken from the foregoing by or before any court or governmental, administrative or other regulatory agency, body or the Commission, whether pending or threatened, whether or not an Investor Party is or may be a party thereto (“Indemnified Damages”), to which any of them may become subject insofar as such Claims (or actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact in a Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or in any filing made in connection with the qualification of the offering under the securities or other “Blue Sky” laws of any jurisdiction in which Registrable Securities are offered, or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) or in any Prospectus Supplement or the omission or alleged omission to state therein any material fact necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which the statements therein were made, not misleading (the matters in the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii) being, collectively, “Violations”). Subject to Section 6(c), the Company shall reimburse the Investor Parties, promptly as such expenses are incurred and are due and payable, for any legal fees or other reasonable expenses incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the indemnification agreement contained in this Section 6(a): (i) shall not apply to a Claim by an Investor Party arising out of or based upon a Violation which occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with the Investor Information; (ii) shall not be available to the Investor to the extent such Claim is based on a failure of the Investor to deliver or to cause to be delivered the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) made available by the Company (to the extent applicable), including, without limitation, a corrected Prospectus, if such Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) or corrected Prospectus was timely made available by the Company pursuant to Section 3(d) and then only if, and to the extent that, following the receipt of the corrected Prospectus no grounds for such Claim would have existed; and (iii) shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Investor Party and shall survive the transfer of any of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to Section 9.

 

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(b)            In connection with any Registration Statement in which the Investor is participating, the Investor agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend, to the same extent and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 6(a), the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement and each Person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (each, a “Company Party” and, collectively, the “Company Parties”), against any Claim or Indemnified Damages to which any of them may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such Claim or Indemnified Damages arise out of or are based upon any Violation, in each case, to the extent, and only to the extent, that such Violation occurs in reliance upon and in conformity with the Investor Information; and, subject to Section 6(c) and the below provisos in this Section 6(b), the Investor shall reimburse a Company Party any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Company Party in connection with investigating or defending any such Claim; provided, however, the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6(b) and the agreement with respect to contribution contained in Section 7 shall not apply to amounts paid in settlement of any Claim if such settlement is effected without the prior written consent of the Investor, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed; and provided, further that the Investor shall be liable under this Section 6(b) for only that amount of a Claim or Indemnified Damages as does not exceed the net proceeds to the Investor as a result of the applicable sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement, Prospectus or Prospectus Supplement. Such indemnity shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of such Company Party and shall survive the transfer of any of the Registrable Securities by the Investor pursuant to Section 9.

 

(c)            Promptly after receipt by an Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) under this Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action or proceeding (including, without limitation, any governmental action or proceeding) involving a Claim, such Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) shall, if a Claim in respect thereof is to be made against any indemnifying party under this Section 6, deliver to the indemnifying party a written notice of the commencement thereof, and the indemnifying party shall have the right to participate in, and, to the extent the indemnifying party so desires, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly noticed, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel mutually satisfactory to the indemnifying party and the Investor Party or the Company Party (as the case may be); provided, however, an Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) shall have the right to retain its own counsel with the fees and expenses of such counsel to be paid by the indemnifying party if: (i) the indemnifying party has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses; (ii) the indemnifying party shall have failed promptly to assume the defense of such Claim and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) in any such Claim; or (iii) the named parties to any such Claim (including, without limitation, any impleaded parties) include both such Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) and the indemnifying party, and such Investor Party or such Company Party (as the case may be) shall have been advised by counsel that a conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent such Investor Party or such Company Party and the indemnifying party in which case, if such Investor Party or such Company Party (as the case may be) notifies the indemnifying party in writing that it elects to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party, then the indemnifying party shall not have the right to assume the defense thereof on behalf of the indemnified party and such counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party, provided further that in the case of clause (iii) above the indemnifying party shall not be responsible for the reasonable fees and expenses of more than one (1) separate legal counsel for all Investor Parties or Company Parties (as the case may be). The Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) shall reasonably cooperate with the indemnifying party in connection with any negotiation or defense of any such action or Claim by the indemnifying party and shall furnish to the indemnifying party all information reasonably available to the Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) which relates to such action or Claim. The indemnifying party shall keep the Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) reasonably apprised at all times as to the status of the defense or any settlement negotiations with respect thereto. No indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any action, claim or proceeding effected without its prior written consent; provided, however, the indemnifying party shall not unreasonably withhold, delay or condition its consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be), consent to entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement or other compromise which does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) of a release from all liability in respect to such Claim or litigation, and such settlement shall not include any admission as to fault on the part of the Company Party. For the avoidance of doubt, the immediately preceding sentence shall apply to Sections 6(a) and 6(b) hereof. Following indemnification as provided for hereunder, the indemnifying party shall be subrogated to all rights of the Company Party or Investor Party (as the case may be) with respect to all third parties, firms or corporations relating to the matter for which indemnification has been made. The failure to deliver written notice to the indemnifying party within a reasonable time of the commencement of any such action shall not relieve such indemnifying party of any liability to the Investor Party or Company Party (as the case may be) under this Section 6, except to the extent that the indemnifying party is materially and adversely prejudiced in its ability to defend such action.

 

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(d)            No Person involved in the sale of Registrable Securities who is guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) in connection with such sale shall be entitled to indemnification from any Person involved in such sale of Registrable Securities who is not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation.

 

(e)            The indemnification required by this Section 6 shall be made by periodic payments of the amount thereof during the course of the investigation or defense, as and when bills are received or Indemnified Damages are incurred; provided that any Person receiving any payment pursuant to this Section 6 shall promptly reimburse the Person making such payment for the amount of such payment to the extent a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such Person receiving such payment was not entitled to such payment.

 

(f)            The indemnity and contribution agreements contained herein shall be in addition to (i) any cause of action or similar right of the Company Party or Investor Party against the indemnifying party or others, and (ii) any liabilities the indemnifying party may be subject to pursuant to the law.

 

7.            Contribution.

 

To the extent any indemnification by an indemnifying party is prohibited or limited by law, the indemnifying party agrees to make the maximum contribution with respect to any amounts for which it would otherwise be liable under Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by law; provided, however: (i) no contribution shall be made under circumstances where the maker would not have been liable for indemnification under the fault standards set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement, (ii) no Person involved in the sale of Registrable Securities which Person is guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) in connection with such sale shall be entitled to contribution from any Person involved in such sale of Registrable Securities who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation; and (iii) contribution by any seller of Registrable Securities shall be limited in amount to the amount of net proceeds received by such seller from the applicable sale of such Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, the Investor shall not be required to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in excess of the amount by which the net proceeds actually received by the Investor from the applicable sale of the Registrable Securities subject to the Claim exceeds the amount of any damages that the Investor has otherwise been required to pay, or would otherwise be required to pay under Section 6(b), by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

 

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8.            Reports Under the Exchange Act.

 

With a view to making available to the Investor the benefits of Rule 144, the Company agrees to, for so long as the Investor owns Registrable Securities:

 

(a)            use its commercially reasonable efforts to make and keep public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144;

 

(b)            use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so long as the Company remains subject to such requirements (it being understood that nothing herein shall limit any of the Company’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement) and the filing of such reports and other documents is required for the applicable provisions of Rule 144;

 

(c)            furnish to the Investor, promptly upon request, (i) a written statement by the Company, if true, that it has complied with the reporting, submission and posting requirements of Rule 144 and the Exchange Act, (ii) a copy of the most recent annual report of the Company and such other reports and documents so filed by the Company with the Commission if such reports are not publicly available via EDGAR, and (iii) such other information as may be reasonably requested to permit the Investor to sell such securities pursuant to Rule 144 without registration; and

 

(d)            take such additional action as is reasonably requested by the Investor to enable the Investor to sell the Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144, including, without limitation, delivering all such legal opinions, consents, certificates, resolutions and instructions to the Depositary as may be reasonably requested from time to time by the Investor and the Depositary, and otherwise fully cooperate with Investor and Investor’s broker to effect such sale of securities pursuant to Rule 144.

 

9.            Assignment of Registration Rights.

 

Neither the Company nor the Investor shall assign this Agreement or any of their respective rights or obligations hereunder; provided, that any transaction, whether by merger, reorganization, restructuring, consolidation, financing or otherwise, whereby the Company remains the surviving entity immediately after such transaction shall not be deemed an assignment.

 

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10.            Amendment or Waiver.

 

No provision of this Agreement may be amended or waived by the parties from and after the date that is one (1) Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Initial Registration Statement is initially filed with the Commission. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, no provision of this Agreement may be (i) amended other than by a written instrument signed by both parties hereto or (ii) waived other than in a written instrument signed by the party against whom enforcement of such waiver is sought. Failure of any party to exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement or otherwise, or delay by a party in exercising such right or remedy, shall not operate as a waiver thereof.

 

11.            Miscellaneous.

 

(a)            Solely for purposes of this Agreement, a Person is deemed to be a holder of Registrable Securities whenever such Person owns or is deemed to own of record such Registrable Securities. If the Company receives conflicting instructions, notices or elections from two or more Persons with respect to the same Registrable Securities, the Company shall act upon the basis of instructions, notice or election received from such record owner of such Registrable Securities.

 

(b)            Any notices, consents, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be given under the terms of this Agreement shall be given in accordance with Section 10.4 of the Purchase Agreement.

 

(c)            The Company and the Investor acknowledge and agree that irreparable damage would occur in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. It is accordingly agreed that either party shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent or cure breaches of the provisions of this Agreement by the other party and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof (without the necessity of showing economic loss and without any bond or other security being required), this being in addition to any other remedy to which either party may be entitled by law or equity.

 

(d)            All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdictions) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdictions other than the State of New York. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or that the venue of such suit, action or proceeding is improper. Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to such party at the address for such notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. If any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in that jurisdiction or the validity or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO, AND AGREES NOT TO REQUEST, A JURY TRIAL FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

 

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(e)            The Transaction Documents set forth the entire agreement and understanding of the parties solely with respect to the subject matter thereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, negotiations and understandings between the parties, both oral and written, solely with respect to such matters. There are no promises, undertakings, representations or warranties by either party relative to the subject matter hereof not expressly set forth in the Transaction Documents. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary and without implication that the contrary would otherwise be true, nothing contained in this Agreement shall limit, modify or affect in any manner whatsoever (i) the conditions precedent to a VWAP Purchase contained in Article VII of the Purchase Agreement or (ii) any of the Company’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement (as it may be amended thereunder).

 

(f)            This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors. This Agreement is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any Person, other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and the Persons referred to in Sections 6 and 7 hereof (and in such case, solely for the purposes set forth therein); provided that the Company and the Investor acknowledge and agree that the Depositary may rely on the representations, warranties and covenants of each of the Company and the Investor contained herein in connection with the issuance and delivery of ADSs pursuant to this Agreement and the Purchase Agreement.

 

(g)            The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, each pronoun herein shall be deemed to include the masculine, feminine, neuter, singular and plural forms thereof. The terms “including,” “includes,” “include” and words of like import shall be construed broadly as if followed by the words “without limitation.” The terms “herein,” “hereunder,” “hereof” and words of like import refer to this entire Agreement instead of just the provision in which they are found.

 

(h)            This Agreement may be executed in two or more identical counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party; provided that a facsimile signature or signature delivered by e-mail in a “.pdf” format data file, including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com, www.echosign.adobe.com, etc., shall be considered due execution and shall be binding upon the signatory thereto with the same force and effect as if the signature were an original signature.

 

(i)            Each party shall do and perform, or cause to be done and performed, all such further acts and things, and shall execute and deliver all such other agreements, certificates, instruments and documents as any other party may reasonably request in order to carry out the intent and accomplish the purposes of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

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(j)            The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party.

 

12.            Termination.

 

This Agreement shall terminate in its entirety upon the earlier of (i) the date on which the Investor shall have sold all the Registrable Securities and (ii) one-hundred and eighty (180) days following the date of termination of the Purchase Agreement; provided, that the provisions of Sections 4, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 shall remain in full force and effect.

 

[Signature Pages Follow]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Investor and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

 

  COMPANY:
   
  LOTUS TECHNOLOGY INC.
   
  By:  /s/ Qingfeng Feng
    Name: Qingfeng Feng
    Title:  Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Investor and the Company have caused their respective signature page to this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

 

  INVESTOR:
   
  WESTWOOD CAPITAL GROUP LLC
   
  By: /s/ Ari Zinberg
    Name: Ari Zinberg
    Title: Managing Member

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Form of US Legal Opinion to the Depositary

 

******

 

A-1

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

Initial Registration Statement Sections

 

******

 

B-1

 

 

EXHIBIT C

 

Written Information

  

******

 

C-1

 

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