EX-1.2 2 d272618dex12.htm EX-1.2 EX-1.2

Exhibit 1.2

Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited

$150,000,000 of American Depositary Shares

Each Representing One Ordinary Share

(Par Value $0.000174 Per Share)

SALES AGREEMENT

April 15, 2022

SVB SECURITIES LLC

1301 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor

New York, New York 10019

CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.

499 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with SVB Securities LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (each an “Agent” and, collectively, the “Agents”), as follows:

1.    Issuance and Sale of ADSs. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may sell through the Agents up to $150,000,000 American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”), each representing one ordinary share, $0.000174 par value per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”), subject to the limitations set forth in Section 5(c) (the “Placement ADSs”). The ADSs will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (the “ADRs”) to be issued pursuant to a deposit agreement dated as of March 18, 2021 (the “Deposit Agreement”), among the Company, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary (the “Depositary”), and the holders from time to time of the ADRs evidencing the ADSs issued thereunder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitation set forth in this Section 1 on the aggregate gross sales price of Placement ADSs that may be issued and sold under this Agreement from time to time shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that the Agents shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The issuance and sale of Placement ADSs through the Agents will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on April 15, 2022 after it is declared effective by the Commission, although nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as requiring the Company to issue any Placement ADSs.

The Company has prepared and will file, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-3, including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), relating to certain securities, including the ADSs, to be issued from time to time by the Company, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder


(collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The Company has prepared a sales agreement prospectus which will be included as part of such registration statement at the time it becomes effective, which sales agreement prospectus specifically relates to the Placement ADSs to be issued from time to time pursuant to this Agreement (the “Sales Agreement Prospectus”), and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Act. The Company will furnish to the Agents, for use by the Agents, copies of the Sales Agreement Prospectus included as part of such registration statement at the time it becomes effective. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement, including all amendments thereto and all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information contained in a Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act or deemed to be a part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B or Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” The Sales Agreement Prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in the Registration Statement in the form in which the Sales Agreement Prospectus have most recently been filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with any “issuer free writing prospectus” (as used herein, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (“Rule 433”)), relating to the Placement ADSs that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company or (ii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i), in each case, in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), is herein called the “Prospectus.”

Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Sales Agreement Prospectus, the Prospectus or any issuer free writing prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents, if any, that are or are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”), including, unless the context otherwise requires, the documents, if any, filed as exhibits to such Incorporated Documents. Any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Sales Agreement Prospectus, the Prospectus or any issuer free writing prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act on or after the most-recent effective date of the Registration Statement, or the date of the Sales Agreement Prospectus, Prospectus or such issuer free writing prospectus, as the case may be, and incorporated therein by reference. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include the most recent copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System or, if applicable, the Interactive Data Electronic Application system when used by the Commission (collectively, “EDGAR”).

2.    Placements. Each time that the Company wishes sell any Placement ADSs through the Agents hereunder (each, a “Placement”), it will notify such Agent (such Agent, the “Designated Agent”) by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the parties) (each such notice, a “Placement Notice”) containing the parameters in accordance with which it desires such Placement ADSs to be sold, which at a minimum shall include the maximum number or amount of Placement ADSs to be sold, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the number or amount of Placement ADSs that may be sold in any one Trading Day (as defined in Section 3) and any minimum price below which sales may not be made, a form of which containing such minimum sales parameters is attached hereto as Schedule 1. The Placement Notice must originate from one of the individuals authorized to act on behalf of the Company and set forth on Schedule 2 (with a copy to each of the other individuals listed on such Schedule 2 though only with regard to the Designated Agent and not the other Agent), and shall be addressed to each of the individuals from the Designated Agent set forth on Schedule 2, as such Schedule 2 may be updated by any party from time to time by sending a written notice containing a revised Schedule 2 to the other parties in the manner provided in Section 12

 

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(including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply). The Placement Notice shall be effective upon receipt by the Designated Agent unless and until (i) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Designated Agent declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion, within two Trading Days of the date the Designated Agent receives the Placement Notice, (ii) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Designated Agent suspends sales under the Placement Notice for any reason in its sole discretion, (iii) the entire amount of the Placement ADSs has been sold pursuant to this Agreement, (iv) in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, the Company suspends sales under or terminates the Placement Notice for any reason in its sole discretion, (v) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice and explicitly indicates that its parameters supersede those contained in the earlier dated Placement Notice or (vi) this Agreement has been terminated pursuant to the provisions of Section 11. The amount of any discount, commission or other compensation to be paid by the Company to the Designated Agent in connection with the sale of the Placement ADSs effected through the Designated Agent shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 3. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor the Designated Agent will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Placement ADSs unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to the Designated Agent and the Designated Agent does not decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control with respect to the matters covered thereby.

3.    Sale of Placement ADSs by the Agents. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, including Section 5(c), upon the Designated Agent’s acceptance of the terms of a Placement Notice as provided in Section 2, and unless the sale of the Placement ADSs described therein has been declined, suspended or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Designated Agent, for the period specified in the Placement Notice, will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Global Select Market or Nasdaq Capital Market, as applicable based on the market on which the Placement ADS are then-listed (such, “Nasdaq”) to sell such Placement ADSs up to the number or amount specified in, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of, such Placement Notice. The Designated Agent will provide written confirmation to the Company and the Depositary (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the Company set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) no later than 11:59 p.m. New York City time on the Trading Day (as defined below) on which it has made sales of Placement ADSs hereunder setting forth the number or amount of Placement ADSs sold on such Trading Day, the volume-weighted average price of the Placement ADSs sold and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company. Unless otherwise specified by the Company in a Placement Notice, the Designated Agent may sell Placement ADSs by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 of the Securities Act, including sales made directly on or through Nasdaq, on or through any other existing trading market for the Ordinary Shares or ADSs or to or through a market maker. If expressly authorized by the Company (including in a Placement Notice), the Designated Agent may also sell Placement ADSs in negotiated transactions. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6(jjj), except as may be otherwise agreed by the Company and the Designated Agent, the Designated Agent shall not purchase Placement ADSs on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement unless the Company and the Designated Agent enter into a separate written agreement setting forth the terms of such sale. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) there can be no assurance that the Designated Agent will be successful in selling

 

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Placement ADSs, (ii) the Designated Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell Placement ADSs for any reason other than a failure by the Designated Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of Nasdaq to sell such Placement ADSs as required under this Agreement and (iii) the Designated Agent shall be under no obligation to purchase Placement ADSs on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement unless the Company and the Designated Agent enter into a separate written agreement setting forth the terms of such sale. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which the ADSs are purchased and sold on Nasdaq.

4.    Suspension of Sales.

(a)    The Company or the Designated Agent may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2), suspend any sale of Placement ADSs; provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Placement ADSs sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other party unless notice is sent by one of the individuals named on Schedule 2 hereto to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply).

(b)    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, during any period in which the Company is, or could be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information, the Company and the Agents agree that (i) no sale of Placement ADSs will take place, (ii) the Company shall not request the sale of any Placement ADSs and shall suspend or cancel any effective Placement Notices instructing the Agents to make any sales and (iii) the Agents shall not be obligated to sell or offer to sell any Placement ADSs.

5.    Settlement and Delivery of the Placement ADSs.

(a)    Settlement of Placement ADSs. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice, settlement for sales of Placement ADSs will occur on the second Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice or as is required for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement ADSs sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be in U.S. Dollars and equal to the aggregate gross sales price received by the Designated Agent at which such Placement ADSs were sold, after deduction of (i) the Designated Agent’s commission, discount or other compensation for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof, (ii) any other amounts due and payable by the Company to the Designated Agent hereunder pursuant to Section 7(g) hereof and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.

(b)    Delivery of Placement ADSs. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause the Depositary through a delivery order to, issue the Placement ADSs being sold on such date and electronically transfer such Placement ADSs by crediting the Designated Agent’s or its designee’s account (provided the Designated Agent shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at

 

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Custodian System (“DWAC”) or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto, which in all cases shall be duly authorized, freely tradeable, transferable, registered ADSs in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, the Designated Agent will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company on or prior to the Settlement Date. The Designated Agent shall be responsible for providing DWAC instructions or other instructions for delivery by other means with regard to the transfer of the Placement ADSs being sold. In addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 9(a) hereto, the Company agrees that if the Company or the Depositary, defaults in its obligation to deliver duly authorized, freely tradeable, transferable, registered Placement ADSs in good deliverable form by 2:30 P.M., New York City time, on a Settlement Date (other than as a result of a failure by the Designated Agent to provide instructions for delivery), the Company will (i) take all necessary action to cause the full amount of any Net Proceeds that were delivered to the Company’s account with respect to such settlement, together with any costs incurred by the Designated Agent and/or its clearing firm in connection with recovering such Net Proceeds, to be returned to the Designated Agent or its clearing firm no later than 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on such Settlement Date, by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account designated by the Designated Agent or its clearing firm, (ii) indemnify and hold the Designated Agent and its clearing firm harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company or the Depositary and (iii) pay to the Designated Agent (without duplication) any commission, discount or other compensation to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.

(c)    Limitations on Offering Size. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement ADSs if, after giving effect to the sale of such Placement ADSs, the aggregate number or gross sales proceeds of Placement ADSs sold pursuant to this Agreement would exceed the lesser of: (i) the number or dollar amount of ADSs registered pursuant to, and available for offer and sale under, the Registration Statement pursuant to which the offering of Placement ADSs is being made, (ii) the number of authorized but unissued Ordinary Shares of the Company (less Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise, conversion or exchange of any outstanding securities of the Company or otherwise reserved from the Company’s authorized share capital), (iii) the number or dollar amount of securities permitted to be offered and sold by the Company under Form F-3 (including General Instruction I.B.5. thereof, if such instruction is applicable), (iv) the number or dollar amount of ADSs that the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof has authorized the Company to sell from time to time, and notified to the Designated Agent in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply), or (v) the dollar amount of ADSs for which the Company has filed the Sales Agreement Prospectus. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement ADSs pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof, and notified to the Designated Agent in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individuals of the other party set forth on Schedule 2, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 5(c) on the number or dollar amount of Placement ADSs that may be issued and sold under this Agreement from time to time shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that the Agents shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance.

(d)    Sales Through Agents. With respect to the offering and sale of Placement ADSs pursuant to this Agreement, the Company agrees that any offer to sell Placement ADSs, any solicitation of an offer to buy Placement ADSs, and any sales of Placement ADSs shall only be effected by or through one single

 

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Agent as the Designated Agent at any given time on any given Trading Day (which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not prohibit the Company from suspending or cancelling an existing Placement Notice in accordance with this Agreement with one Designated Agent prior to beginning sales through the other Designated Agent).

6.    Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Agents that as of the date of this Agreement (except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date or time, in which case, as of such date or time), and as of (i) each Representation Date (as defined in Section 7(m)) for which a waiver pursuant to Section 7(m) is not then in effect, (ii) each date on which a Placement Notice is given, (iii) the date and time of each sale of any Placement ADSs pursuant to this Agreement and (iv) each Settlement Date (each such time or date referred to in clauses (i) through (iv), an “Applicable Time”), except as may be disclosed in the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements thereto) on or before an Applicable Time:

(a)    The Company and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement meet the requirements for and comply with the conditions for the use of Form F-3 (including General Instructions I.A and I.B.1.) under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement has been filed with the Commission and will be declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act prior to the issuance of any Placement Notices by the Company. The Registration Statement meets, and the offering and sale of Placement ADSs as contemplated hereby comply with, the requirements of Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act. The Agents are named as the agents engaged by the Company in the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus. The Company has not received, and has no notice from the Commission of, any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(1) under the Securities Act objecting to the use of the shelf registration statement form. No stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of the Sales Agreement Prospectus or the Prospectus, or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission. At the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement, the Company paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the securities covered by the Registration Statement, including the ADSs that may be sold pursuant to this Agreement, in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act. Copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any such amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing and all Incorporated Documents that were filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement have been delivered, or are available through EDGAR, to the Agents and their counsel.

(b)    Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became or becomes effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to each Agent pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the Securities Act and as of each Applicable Time, complied, complies and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and did not, does not and will 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 not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this sentence do not apply to Agent’s Information (as defined below). The Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, when so filed with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, complied, complies and as of each Applicable Time will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act, and each prospectus supplement, Prospectus or issuer free writing prospectus (or any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing) furnished to the Agent for use in connection with the offering of the Placement ADSs was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto, as of its date and as of each Applicable Time, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a

 

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material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this sentence do not apply to Agent’s Information. Each Incorporated Document heretofore filed, when it was filed (or, if any amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), conformed in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and were filed on a timely basis with the Commission, and any further Incorporated Documents so filed and incorporated after the date of this Agreement will be filed on a timely basis and, when so filed, will conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; no such Incorporated Document when it was filed (or, if an amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted 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; and no such Incorporated Document, when it is filed, will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(c)    (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the execution of this Agreement (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), and as of the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or any other offering participant made a bona fide offer of the Placement ADSs within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2), the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer, and without limitation to the foregoing, the Company has at all relevant times met, meets and will at all relevant times meet the requirements of Rule 164 for the use of a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby.

(d)    The Company is, and since the date of the filing of the registration statement has been, an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).

(e)    The Company and the Depositary have prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement relating to the ADSs on Form F-6 (No. 333-254215) (the “Form F-6”) and a related prospectus for registration under the Securities Act of the ADSs, have filed such amendments thereto and such amended prospectuses as may have been required to the date hereof, and will file such additional amendments thereto and such amended prospectuses as may hereinafter be required. The registration statement on Form F-6 for registration of the ADSs, as amended at the time it became effective (including by the filing of any post-effective amendments thereto), and the prospectus included therein, as then amended are hereinafter called the “ADS Registration Statement.” The Form F-6 was declared effective under the Securities Act on March 18, 2021, and (i) no stop order preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the ADS Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission, (ii) the ADS Registration Statement complies and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the ADS Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and (iv) all of the Placement ADSs are registered pursuant to the ADS Registration Statement.

(f)    The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

 

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(g)    Each issuer free writing prospectus (if any), as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any Incorporated Document deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. Each issuer free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433 or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act.

(h)    The Company has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of each Settlement Date and completion of the Designated Agent’s distribution of the Placement ADSs under this Agreement, will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Placement ADSs other than the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below).

(i)    The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

(j)    The Company is subject to and in compliance in all material respects with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. The ADSs are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act and are listed on Nasdaq, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the ADSs under the Exchange Act or delisting the ADSs from the Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. To the Company’s knowledge, it is in compliance with all applicable listing requirements of the Nasdaq.

(k)    Except pursuant to this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(l)    The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as an exempted company in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation and has the corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Sales Agreement Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC,” which, for purposes of this Agreement, excludes the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) and each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change (as defined below).

(m)    Each of the Company’s “subsidiaries” (for purposes of this Agreement, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) has been duly incorporated or organized, as the case may be, and is validly existing as a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization (to the extent the concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction) and has the power and authority (corporate or other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the

 

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Sales Agreement Prospectus and the Prospectus. Each of the Company’s subsidiaries is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required (to the extent the concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction), whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. All of the issued and outstanding share capital or other equity or ownership interests of each of the Company’s subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable (unless such equity interests have not become due and payable under applicable constitutive or organizational documents) and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or adverse claim. None of the outstanding share capital or equity interest in any subsidiary was issued in violation of preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of such subsidiary. The constitutive or organizational documents of each of the subsidiaries comply in all material respects with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and are in full force and effect. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in or included as an exhibit on the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Commission.

(n)    The authorized, issued and outstanding share capital of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (other than for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans, or upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, in each case described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus). The share capital of the Company, including the Ordinary Shares and the Placement ADSs, conforms in all material respects to each description thereof contained in the Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares and all issued and outstanding ADSs have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable, will not be subject to any call for further capital and have been issued in compliance with all federal, state and local securities laws. None of the outstanding Ordinary Shares or ADSs was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. The form of certificates for the Ordinary Shares conform to the corporate law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and to any requirements of the Company’s organizational documents. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any share capital of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than those described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The descriptions of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents, in all material respects, the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights. The ADRs evidencing the Placement ADSs are in due and proper form.

(o)    The Placement ADSs have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and will conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus. The issuance and sale of the Placement ADSs as contemplated hereby shall not be subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Placement ADSs. When issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, the purchasers of the Placement ADSs issued and sold hereunder will acquire good, marketable and valid title to such Placement ADSs, free and clear of all pledges, liens, security interests, charges, claims or encumbrances.

 

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(p)    This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company

(q)    The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally or by general equitable principles. Upon due issuance by the Depositary of the ADRs evidencing the Placement ADSs against the deposit of the Ordinary Shares underlying the Placement ADSs in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement. The issuance and sale of the Placement ADSs by the Company and the deposit of the Ordinary Shares with the Depositary and the issuance of the ADRs evidencing the Ordinary Shares as contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement will neither (i) cause any holder of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs, securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs or options, warrants or other rights to purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs or any other securities of the Company to have any right to acquire any preferred shares of the Company nor (ii) trigger any anti-dilution rights of any such holder with respect to such Ordinary Shares, ADSs, securities, options, warrants or rights, except as have been duly and reliably satisfied or waived as of the date hereof. The Deposit Agreement and the ADRs conform in all material respects to each description thereof in the Prospectus. Each holder of ADRs issued pursuant to the Deposit Agreement shall be entitled, subject to the Deposit Agreement, to seek enforcement of its rights through the Depositary or its nominee registered as a representative of the holders of the ADRs in a direct suit, action or proceeding against the Company.

(r)    The Company is not, and will not be, either after receipt of payment for the Placement ADSs or after the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, required to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company was not a “passive foreign investment company,” as such term is defined in the Code, for 2021 and immediately after the offering and sale of the Placement ADSs and assuming the application of the proceeds as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus under “Use of Proceeds,” less than 50% of the Company’s assets will be classified as assets that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income for the purpose of Section 1297 of the Code and the rules, regulations and administrative pronouncements relating thereto. Neither the Company nor any subsidiary of the Company is, and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Placement ADSs and the application of the proceeds thereof, neither of them will be, a “controlled foreign corporation” as defined by the Code.

(s)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its articles of association or by laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, or is in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, loan, credit agreement, note, lease, license agreement, contract, franchise or other instrument (including, without limitation, any pledge agreement, security agreement, mortgage or other instrument or agreement evidencing, guaranteeing, securing or relating to indebtedness) to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of their respective properties or assets are subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except for such Defaults as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, by the Deposit Agreement and by the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement and the Prospectus and the issuance and sale of the Placement ADSs (including the use of proceeds from the sale of the Placement ADSs as described in the

 

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Registration Statement and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the articles of association or by laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, of the Company or any subsidiary (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except in the case of clause (ii), as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, by the Deposit Agreement and by the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except (A) such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act and such as may be required under applicable state securities or blue sky laws or FINRA (“FINRA”). As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

(t)    The Company and its subsidiaries have been and are in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, except where failure to be so in compliance would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(u)    There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation brought by or before any legal or governmental entity now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or with the employees of any principal supplier, manufacturer, customer or contractor of the Company, exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or imminent.

(v)    Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in (A) the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, properties, operations, operating results, assets, liabilities or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity or (B) the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or perform its obligations hereunder (any such change being referred to herein as a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or material obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, including without limitation any losses or interference with their business from fire, explosion, flood, earthquakes, accident or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any strike, labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, that are material, individually or in the aggregate, to the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, and have not entered into any transactions not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has not been any material decrease in the share capital or any material increase in any short-term or long-term indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries and there

 

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has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, by any of the Company’s subsidiaries on any class of share capital, or any repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of share capital.

(w)    The Company and its subsidiaries own, or have, to the knowledge of the Company, valid and enforceable rights to use, the inventions, patents, trademarks, trade names, service names, domain names and other source identifiers, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how, technology and all other intellectual property and proprietary rights (including all registrations and applications for registration of, and all goodwill associated with, the foregoing) (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by them or which are used in, held for use in or necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted or as currently proposed to be conducted (collectively, “Company Intellectual Property”). To the knowledge of the Company, the conduct of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ respective businesses has not infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, and does not and will not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate, any Intellectual Property of others in any respect that would reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Change. To the knowledge of the Company, no Company Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company has been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction (excluding ordinary-course patent prosecution actions) to be invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for such adjudication. To the Company’s knowledge, (i) there are no third parties who have rights to any Company Intellectual Property, except for customary reversionary rights of third-party licensors with respect to Intellectual Property that is disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as licensed to the Company or one or more of its subsidiaries, and (ii) there is no infringement by third parties of any Company Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company. There is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, written notices of action, suit, proceeding or claim by others: (A) challenging the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ rights in or to any Company Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company; (B) challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any Company Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim; or (C) asserting that the Company or any of its subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or would, upon the commercialization of any product or service described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus as under development, infringe, misappropriate or violate, any Intellectual Property of others, except, in each case of (A) through (C), for such actions, suits, proceedings or claims as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Change. To the Company’s knowledge, the Company and its subsidiaries have complied in material respects with the terms of each agreement pursuant to which Intellectual Property has been licensed to the Company or any subsidiary, and all such agreements are in full force and effect. To the Company’s knowledge, there are no material defects in any of the issued patents included in the Company Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company. The Company and its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable steps in accordance with industry standards to protect, maintain and safeguard the Company Intellectual Property, including the execution of appropriate nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and invention and other Intellectual Property assignment agreements with their employees and contractors, and, to the Company’s knowledge, no employee or contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is in or has been in violation in any material respect of any term of any employment contract, patent or invention disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement, or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment or engagement with the Company or any of its subsidiaries. To the Company’s knowledge, the duties of candor and good faith as required by the United States Patent and Trademark

 

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Office during the prosecution of the United States patents and patent applications included in the Company Intellectual Property have been complied with; and in all foreign offices having similar requirements, all such requirements have been complied with.

(x)    There are no persons (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act) with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities of the Company registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived in a writing previously furnished to the Agent.

(y)    The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus. The financial data set forth in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” fairly present, in all material respects, the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. To the Company’s knowledge, no person who has been suspended or barred from being associated with a registered public accounting firm, or who has failed to comply with any sanction pursuant to Rule 5300 promulgated by the PCAOB, has participated in or otherwise aided the preparation of, or audited, the financial statements, supporting schedules or other financial data filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(z)    The Company and each of its subsidiaries make and keep accurate books and records and maintain a system of internal accounting controls designed, and which the Company reasonably believes is sufficient, to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS as issued by IASB and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(aa)    The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities, particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports required under the Exchange Act are being prepared; (ii) have been evaluated by management of the Company for effectiveness as of the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter; and (iii) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there have been no significant deficiencies or material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and 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. The Company is not aware of any change in its internal control over financial reporting that has occurred since its most recently completed fiscal quarter for which results are disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

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(bb)    PricewaterhouseCoopers Zhong Tian LLP, which has expressed its opinion with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) filed with the Commission as part of the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, is (i) an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”), (ii) in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and (iii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the PCAOB whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn.

(cc)    The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all necessary domestic and foreign income tax returns or have properly requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid by any of them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them except as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings or where the failure to file such tax returns or to pay such taxes would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company has made adequate charges, accruals and reserves in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 6(y) above in respect of all domestic and foreign income taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has not been finally determined. Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, no stamp duty, stamp duty reserve, registration, transfer or other similar taxes or duties (“Transfer Taxes”) are payable in the Cayman Islands, the PRC or Hong Kong by or on behalf of the Agents in connection with (i) the creation and issuance of the Ordinary Shares by the Company in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (ii) the delivery of the Ordinary Shares by the Company to the Depositary in the manner contemplated by the Deposit Agreement, (iii) the issuance of the Placement ADSs (or the ADRs evidencing the Placement ADSs) by the Depositary, and the delivery of the Placement ADSs (or the ADRs evidencing the Placement ADSs) to or for the account of the Agents, in each case in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (iv) the initial sale and delivery of the Placement ADSs (or the ADRs evidencing the Placement ADSs) to purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated by this Agreement; or (v) the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

(dd)    Each of the Company and its subsidiaries are insured by recognized, financially sound and reputable institutions with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as are generally deemed adequate and customary for their businesses including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and earthquakes and policies covering the Company and its subsidiaries for product liability claims and clinical trial liability claims. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.

(ee)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Placement ADSs or of any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation

 

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M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”)) with respect to the Placement ADSs, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Placement ADSs or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M.

(ff)    Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change: (i) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements; (iii) there are no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and (iv) there are no events or circumstances that might reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

(gg)    The Company and its subsidiaries and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or their “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with ERISA. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”) of which the Company or such subsidiary is a member. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in any material liability or the loss of any material rights or benefits, no “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates. No “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, if such “employee benefit plan” were terminated, would have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under ERISA), except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in any material liability or the loss of any material rights or benefits. Neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. To the knowledge of the Company, each employee benefit plan established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.

(hh)    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 with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

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(ii)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company or any subsidiary, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

(jj)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any director or officer, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company or any of its subsidiaries (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken any act in furtherance of an offer, promise, or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or public international organization, or any political party, party official, or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), the UK Bribery Act 2010, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, authorized, requested, or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

(kk)    The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are, and have been conducted at all times, in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, 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 any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(ll)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors, officers, or employees, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, after due inquiry, any agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”); nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria (the “Sanctioned Countries”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, or any joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of or business with any person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of such financing, is the subject or the target of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of applicable Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not 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 or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.

 

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(mm)    The Company and its subsidiaries possess such valid and current certificates, authorizations, licenses or permits required by state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted and as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (“Permits”), except where the failure to so possess would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, any of the Permits or, during the past five (5) years, has received any written notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such Permit, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(nn)    The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all of the real and personal property and other assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 6(y) above (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, adverse claims and other defects. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company or such subsidiary.

(oo)    The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 19 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each United States federal court and New York state court located in the Borough of Manhattan, in the City of New York, New York, U.S.A. (each, a “New York Court”), and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and authorize, and pursuant to Section 19 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and authorized an agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Placement ADSs in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 19 hereof.

(pp)    Except as provided by laws or statutes generally applicable to transactions of the type described in this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of its respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity under Cayman Islands law, the PRC law, New York or United States law, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any Cayman Islands, PRC, New York or United States federal court, from service of process, attachment upon or prior judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement. To the extent that the Company or any of its respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, the Company waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 19 of this Agreement.

(qq)    Any final judgment for a fixed or readily calculable sum of money rendered by a New York Court having jurisdiction under its own domestic laws and recognized by the Cayman Islands courts as having jurisdiction (according to Cayman Islands conflicts of laws principles and rules of Cayman

 

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Islands private international law at the time when proceedings were initiated) to give such final judgment in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement and any instruments or agreements entered into for the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and therein would be recognized and enforced, without re-examination or review of the merits of the cause of action in respect of which the original judgment was given or re-litigation of the matters adjudicated upon, by the courts of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty, and was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.

(rr)    Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that it was false or misleading.

(ss)    The Company does not have any outstanding extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan, to or for any director or executive officer (or equivalent thereof) of the Company except for such extensions of credit as are expressly permitted by Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.

(tt)    Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (including of their respective vendors) (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants; and (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable physical, technical and administrative controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards designed to maintain and protect their confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and data, including “Personal Data,” used in connection with their businesses (including all data of their respective employees, vendors, customers, members and any other third-party data maintained by or on behalf of the Company and its subsidiaries). “Personal Data” means (i) a natural person’s name, street address, telephone number, e-mail address, photograph, social security number or tax identification number, driver’s license number, passport number, credit card number, bank information, or customer or account number; (ii) any information which would qualify as “personally identifying information” under the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended; (iii) “personal data” as defined by the GDPR; (iv) any information which would qualify as “protected health information” under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (collectively, “HIPAA”); and (v) any other piece of information that allows the identification of such natural person. To the knowledge of the Company, there have been no breaches outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to the IT Systems or Personal Data (as applicable) involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their suppliers, customers, contractors, manufacturers, distributors or licensors, 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, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, the Company and its subsidiaries are presently, and for the past five (5) years have been, in compliance with all applicable laws and statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any

 

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court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.

(uu)    Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, the Company and its subsidiaries are, and for the past five (5) years have been, in compliance with all applicable state and federal data privacy and security laws and regulations, including, to the extent applicable, HIPAA, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (collectively, the “Privacy Laws”). To ensure compliance with the Privacy Laws, the Company and its subsidiaries have in place, comply with, and take appropriate steps reasonably designed to ensure compliance with their policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, disclosure, handling, and analysis of Personal Data (the “Policies”), except where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, for the past five (5) years, the Company and its subsidiaries have made all disclosures to users or customers required by applicable Privacy Laws, and none of such disclosures made or contained in any Policy have, to the knowledge of the Company, been inaccurate or in violation of any Privacy Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries: (i) has received written notice of any actual or potential material liability under, or material violation of, any of the Privacy Laws; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any material investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement by or with any governmental or regulatory authority that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.

(vv)    The preclinical tests and clinical trials, and other studies (collectively, “studies”) that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with all applicable Health Care Laws (as defined below) and the protocols, procedures and controls established for such studies; each description of the results of such studies is accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly presents the data derived from such studies, and the Company and its subsidiaries have no knowledge of any other studies the results of which are inconsistent with, or otherwise call into question, the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; the Company and its subsidiaries have made all such material filings and obtained all such approvals as may be required by the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any committee thereof, the PRC National Medical Products Administration or any committee thereof or from any other comparable U.S. or foreign government or drug regulatory agency, or health care facility Institutional Review Board (collectively, the “Regulatory Agencies”) for the conduct of the studies sponsored by the Company or its subsidiaries that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notice of, or written correspondence from, any Regulatory Agency requiring the termination, suspension or modification of any clinical trials that are described or referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

(ww)    The Company and its subsidiaries are, and at all times during the past five (5) years have been, in compliance with all Health Care Laws except where the failure to be in compliance would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. For purposes of this Agreement, “Health Care Laws” means: (i) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. Section 301 et seq.), the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Section 201 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (ii) all applicable federal, state, local and foreign health care fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(b)), the Civil False Claims Act (31

 

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U.S.C. Section 3729 et seq.), the criminal false statements law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(a)), 18 U.S.C. Sections 286 and 287, the health care fraud criminal provisions under HIPAA (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.), the civil monetary penalties law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7a), the exclusion law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7), the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1320-7h), and applicable laws governing government funded or sponsored healthcare programs; (iii) HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (42 U.S.C. Section 17921 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and any applicable state or non-U.S. counterpart thereof or other law or regulation the purpose of which is to protect the privacy of patients; (iv) the U.S. Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. Section 801 et seq.); (v) all other local, state, federal, national, supranational and foreign laws, relating to the regulation of the Company or its subsidiaries, and (vi) the directives and regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes and any state or non-U.S. counterpart thereof. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Health Care Laws nor, to the Company’s knowledge, is any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action threatened. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Health Care Laws, and all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and accurate on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission), except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority. Additionally, neither the Company, any of its subsidiaries nor any of their respective employees, officers, directors, or, to the knowledge of the Company, agents, has, during the past five (5) years, been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. federal health care program or human clinical research or, to the knowledge of the Company, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other similar action that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.

(xx)    The issuance and sale of the Placement ADSs as contemplated hereby will not cause any holder of any ADSs or Ordinary Shares, securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares or options, warrants or other rights to purchase ADSs or Ordinary Shares or any other securities of the Company to have any right to acquire any preferred shares of the Company.

(yy)    Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus, or referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement, which threat of termination or non-renewal has not been rescinded as of the date hereof.

(zz)    Subject to applicable laws, no subsidiary of the Company is prohibited or restricted, directly or indirectly, from paying dividends to the Company, or from making any other distribution with respect to such subsidiary’s equity securities or from repaying to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company any amounts that may from time to time become due under any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any property or assets to the Company or to any other subsidiary.

 

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(aaa)    Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, under current laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands, the PRC, Hong Kong and any political subdivision thereof, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Placement ADSs may be paid by the Company to the holder thereof in United States dollars that may be converted into foreign currency and may be freely transferred out of the Cayman Islands, the PRC and Hong Kong and all such payments made to holders thereof or therein who are non-residents of the Cayman Islands, the PRC or Hong Kong will not be subject to income, withholding or other taxes under laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands, the PRC or Hong Kong or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in the Cayman Islands, the PRC and Hong Kong or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein.

(bbb)    The Company is aware of and has been advised as to, the content of the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Tax Administration, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC on August 8, 2006 and amended by the Ministry of Commerce on June 22, 2009 (together with any official clarification, guidance, interpretation or implementation rules related thereto, the “M&A Rules”), in particular the relevant provisions thereof which purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, formed for listing purposes and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on an overseas stock exchange; the Company has received legal advice specifically with respect to the M&A Rules from its PRC counsel and the Company understands such legal advice; and the Company has fully communicated such legal advice from its PRC counsel to each of its directors that signed the Registration Statement and each director has confirmed that he or she understands such legal advice. The issuance and sale of the ADSs and the Ordinary Shares represented thereby, the listing and trading of the ADSs on the Nasdaq and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement are not, and will not be at any Applicable Time, as the case may be, subject to the prior approval of the CSRC nor adversely affected by the M&A Rules.

(ccc)    Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its subsidiaries and controlled affiliates that was incorporated outside of the PRC has complied with, and has taken all reasonable steps to comply with and to request each of its shareholders, option holders, directors, officers and employees that, to the knowledge of the Company, is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen to comply with any applicable rules and regulations of the relevant PRC government agencies (including but not limited to the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange) relating to overseas investment by PRC residents and citizens and the issuance and listing of the ADSs (the “PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations”), including, without limitation, requesting each shareholder, option holder, director, officer and employee 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.

(ddd)    Each of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement is in proper form under the laws of the Cayman Islands for the enforcement thereof against the Company; and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence in Cayman Islands of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, it is not necessary that this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement be filed or recorded with any court or other authority in the Cayman Islands or that any stamp or similar tax in the Cayman Islands be paid on or in respect of this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or any other documents to be furnished hereunder, except for nominal stamp duty if the documents are executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.

 

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(eee)    The choice of law of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands, the PRC and Hong Kong and will be recognized and given effect to in any action brought before a court of competent jurisdiction in the Cayman Islands, the PRC and Hong Kong, subject to the principles and conditions described under the section titled “Enforcement of Civil Liabilities” in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 19 has, to the extent permitted by law, legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the jurisdiction of the Specified Courts (as defined in Section 19), and has the power to designate, appoint and empower, and pursuant to Section 19, has legally, validly and effectively designated, appointed and empowered an agent for service of process in any suit or proceeding based on or arising under this Agreement in any of the Specified Courts.

(fff)    Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any memorandum of understanding, letter of intent, definitive agreement or any similar agreements with respect to a merger or consolidation or a material acquisition or disposition of assets, technologies, business units or businesses.

(ggg)    No holder of any of the Ordinary Shares or the Placement ADSs after the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement is or will be subject to any personal liability in respect of any liability of the Company or its subsidiaries by virtue only of its holding of any such Ordinary Shares or Placement ADSs; and, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no material limitations on the rights of holders of the Ordinary Shares or the Placement ADSs who are not PRC residents to hold, vote or transfer their securities.

(hhh)    The indemnification and contribution provisions set forth in Section 9 and Section 10 hereof do not contravene Cayman Islands or PRC law or public policy.

(iii)    There are (and prior to each Applicable Time, will be) no debt securities, convertible securities or preferred shares issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as that term is used in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act.

(jjj)    The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Agent has informed the Company that the Agent may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, purchase and sell ADSs of the Company for its own account while this Agreement is in effect; provided, that (i) no such purchase or sales shall take place while a Placement Notice is in effect (except to the extent the Agent may engage in sales of Placement ADSs purchased or deemed purchased from the Company as a “riskless principal” or in a similar capacity) and (ii) the Company shall not be deemed to have authorized or consented to any such purchases or sales by the Agent, except as may be otherwise agreed by the Company and the Agent.

(kkk)    The Company is not a party to any agreement with an agent or underwriter for any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction.

(lll)    All of the information provided to the Agents or to counsel for the Agents by the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the placement of the Placement ADSs is true, complete, correct and compliant with FINRA’s rules and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct.

 

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(mmm)    All statistical, demographic and market related data included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate. To the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.

(nnn)    As of the close of trading on Nasdaq on April 14, 2022, the aggregate market value of the outstanding voting and non-voting common equity (as defined in Rule 405) of the Company held by persons other than affiliates of the Company (pursuant to Rule 144 of the Securities Act, those that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control, or are controlled by, or are under common control with, the Company) (the “Non-Affiliate Shares”), exceeded $75,000,000 (calculated by multiplying (x) the price at which the common equity of the Company was last sold on Nasdaq on April 14, 2022 by (y) the number of Non-Affiliate Shares outstanding on April 14, 2022). The Company is not a shell company (as defined in Rule 405) and has not been a shell company for at least 12 calendar months previously.

(ooo)    Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Placement ADSs nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.

(ppp)    [Reserved.]

(qqq)    Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has (i) failed to pay any dividend or sinking fund installment on preferred stock or (ii) defaulted on any installment or payment due on indebtedness for borrowed money or on any rental on one or more long-term leases, which defaults, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(rrr)    There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to the Agents or their counsel in connection with the offering of the Placement ADSs shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company (and not by such officer in his or her personal capacity), as to matters covered thereby, to the Agent.

The Company has a reasonable basis for making each of the representations set forth in this Section 6. The Company acknowledges that the Agents and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 7 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Agents, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.

7.    Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with the Agents that:

(a)    Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which the Prospectus relating to any Placement ADSs is required to be delivered by the Agents under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or a similar rule); (i) the Company will notify the Agents promptly of

 

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the time when any subsequent amendment to the Registration Statement, other than Incorporated Documents, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus, other than Incorporated Documents, has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon the Agents’ request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in the Agents’ reasonable opinion, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Placement ADSs by the Agents (provided, however, that the failure of the Agents to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agents’ right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement and provided, further, that the only remedy the Agents shall have with respect to the failure by the Company to make such filing (but without limiting the Agents’ rights under Section 9 hereof) will be to cease making sales under this Agreement until such amendment or supplement is filed); provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to file any such amendment or supplement if there is no pending Placement Notice and the Company believes that it is in its best interests not to file such amendment or supplement); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus, other than Incorporated Documents, relating to the Placement ADSs or a security convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for the Placement ADSs unless a copy thereof has been submitted to the Agents within a reasonable period of time before the filing and the Agents have not reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, that the failure of the Agents to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder, or affect the Agents’ right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in this Agreement and the Company shall have no obligation to provide the Agents any advance copy of such filing or to provide the Agents an opportunity to object to such filing if the filing (i) is not an amendment or supplement to the Prospectus and (ii) does not name the Agent or does not relate to the Placement ADSs or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement; and provided, further, that the only remedy the Agents shall have with respect to the Company’s making such filing notwithstanding the Agents’ objection (but without limiting the Agents’ rights under Section 9 hereof) will be to cease making sales under this Agreement) and the Company will furnish to the Agents at the time of filing thereof a copy of any Incorporated Document, except for those documents available via EDGAR; and (iv) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, other than Incorporated Documents, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act and, in the case of any Incorporated Document, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the Exchange Act, within the time period prescribed.

(b)    Notice of Commission Stop Orders. The Company will advise the Agents, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, of the suspension of the qualification of the Placement ADSs for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose; and it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued. The Company will advise the Agents promptly after it receives any request by the Commission for any amendments to the Registration Statement related to the Placement Shares or any amendment or supplements to the Prospectus or for additional information related to the offering of the Placement ADSs or for additional information related to the Registration Statement with respect to the Placement Shares or the Prospectus.

(c)    Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement ADSs is required to be delivered by the Agents under the Securities Act with respect to the offer and sale of the Placement ADSs (including in circumstances where such requirement

 

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may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or a similar rule), the Company will comply in all material respects with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as from time to time in force, and will file on or before their respective due dates (taking into account any extensions available under the Exchange Act) all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If during such period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify the Agents to suspend the offering of Placement ADSs during such period and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to file any such amendment or supplement if there is no pending Placement Notice and the Company believes that it is in its best interests not to file such amendment or supplement). If the Company has omitted any information from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, it will use its reasonable best efforts to comply with the provisions thereof and make all requisite filings with the Commission pursuant to said Rule 430B and to notify the Agents promptly of all such filings if not available on EDGAR.

(d)    Listing of Placement ADSs. During any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement ADSs is required to be delivered by the Agents under the Securities Act with respect to the offer and sale of the Placement ADSs (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172 under the Securities Act or a similar rule), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement ADSs to be listed on Nasdaq. The Company will timely file with Nasdaq all material documents and notices required by Nasdaq of companies that have or will issue securities that are traded on Nasdaq.

(e)    Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to the Agents and their counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all Incorporated Documents) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during any period in which the Prospectus relating to the Placement ADSs is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including all Incorporated Documents filed with the Commission during such period), in each case as soon as reasonably practicable and in such quantities as the Agents may from time to time reasonably request and, at the Agents’ request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement ADSs may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to the Agents to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.

(f)    Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Agents as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, an earnings statement covering a 12-month period that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of and Rule 158 under the Securities Act; provided that the Company will be deemed to have furnished such statement to its security holders and the Agent to the extent they are filed on EDGAR or any successor system.

(g)    Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 11 hereunder, will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including expenses relating

 

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to (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement thereto, of the Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto and of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Placement ADSs, (ii) the preparation, issuance, sale and delivery of the Placement ADSs and any taxes due or payable in connection therewith, (iii) the qualification of the Placement ADSs under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 7(w) of this Agreement, including filing fees (provided, however, that any fees or disbursements of counsel for the Agent in connection therewith shall be paid by the Agents except as set forth in clauses (vii) and (viii) below), (iv) the printing and delivery to the Agents and its counsel of copies of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, and of this Agreement, (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing or qualification of the Placement ADSs for trading on Nasdaq, (vi) the filing fees and expenses, if any, owed to the Commission or FINRA and the fees and expenses of the Depositary for the ADSs, (vii) the fees and associated expenses of the Agents’ outside legal counsel for filings with the FINRA Corporate Financing Department in an amount not to exceed $20,000 (excluding FINRA filing fees referred to in clause (vi) above and in addition to the fees and disbursements referred to in clause (viii) below), and (viii) the reasonable fees and disbursements of the Agents’ outside legal counsel (A) in an amount not to exceed $125,000 arising out of executing this Agreement and the Company’s delivery of the initial certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) and (B) in an amount not to exceed $20,000 in connection with each Representation Date (as defined below) on which the Company is required to provide a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) (in addition to the fees and associated expenses referred to in clause (vii) above).

(h)    Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”

(i)    Notice of Other Sales. Without the prior written consent of the Agents, the Company will not, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs (other than the Placement ADSs offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares or ADSs during the period beginning on the fifth Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which any Placement Notice is delivered to a Designated Agent hereunder and ending on the second Trading Day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to Placement ADSs sold pursuant to such Placement Notice (or, if the Placement Notice has been terminated or suspended prior to the sale of all Placement ADSs covered by a Placement Notice, the date of such suspension or termination); and will not directly or indirectly in any other “at the market offering” or continuous equity transaction offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs (other than the Placement ADSs offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire, Ordinary Shares or ADSs prior to the later of the termination of this Agreement and the thirtieth day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to Placement ADSs sold pursuant to such Placement Notice; provided, however, that such restrictions will not be required in connection with the Company’s issuance or sale of (i) Ordinary Shares or ADSs, options to purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs, other securities under the Company’s existing equity incentive plans, or Ordinary Shares or ADSs issuable upon the exercise of options or vesting of other securities, pursuant to any employee or director stock option or benefits plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan (but not Ordinary Shares or ADSs subject to a waiver to exceed plan limits in its dividend reinvestment plan) of the Company whether now in effect or hereafter implemented, (ii) Ordinary Shares or ADSs issuable upon conversion of securities or the exercise of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding, and disclosed in filings by the Company available on EDGAR or otherwise agreed to in writing by the Agents and (iii) Ordinary Shares

 

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or ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs as consideration for mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or strategic alliances occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not issued for capital raising purposes.

(j)    Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during a fiscal quarter in which the Company intends to tender a Placement Notice or sell Placement ADSs, advise the Agents promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document provided or required to be provided to the Agents pursuant to this Agreement.

(k)    Due Diligence Cooperation. During the term of this Agreement, the Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agents and their respective affiliates, agents and counsel from time to time in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agents may reasonably request.

(l)    Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement ADSs. The Company agrees that on or prior to such dates as the Securities Act shall require, the Company will (i) file a prospectus supplement with the Commission under the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, which prospectus supplement will set forth, within the relevant period, the number or amount of Placement ADSs sold through the Agents, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to the Agents with respect to such Placement ADSs, and (ii) deliver such number of copies of each such prospectus supplement to each exchange or market on which such sales were effected as may be required by the rules or regulations of such exchange or market; provided, that, unless a prospectus supplement containing such information is required to be filed under the Securities Act, the requirement of this Section 7(l) may be satisfied by Company’s inclusion in the Company’s next-furnished report on Form 6-K containing its results of operations or Form 20-F, as applicable, of the number or amount of Placement ADSs sold through the Agents, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation payable by the Company to the Agents with respect to such Placement ADSs during the relevant period.

(m)    Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the date on which the Company first delivers a Placement Notice pursuant to this agreement (the “First Placement Notice Date”) and each time the Company:

(i)    amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (other than a prospectus supplement filed in accordance with Section 7(l) of this Agreement and other than a prospectus supplement relating solely to an offering of securities other than the Placement ADSs) by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker or supplement but not by means of incorporation of document(s) by reference into the Registration Statement or the Prospectus;

(ii)    files an annual report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act (including any Form 20-F/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously filed Form 20-F);

(iii)    furnishes a report on Form 6-K under the Exchange Act containing its results of operations that is incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and Prospectus; or

(iv)    furnishes a report on Form 6-K containing amended financial information that is incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and Prospectus under the Exchange Act (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) shall be a “Representation Date”),

 

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the Company shall furnish the Agents (but in the case of clause (iv) above only if (1) a Placement Notice is pending or in effect and (2) the Agents requests such certificate within three Business Days after the furnishing of such Form 6-K with the Commission) with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m) (modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented), within two Trading Days of any Representation Date. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 7(m) shall be waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice is pending or in effect, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of (1) the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date) and (2) the next occurring Representation Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Placement ADSs following a Representation Date on which the Company relied on the waiver referred to in the previous sentence and did not provide the Agents with a certificate under this Section 7(m), then before the Company delivers a Placement Notice or a Designated Agent sells any Placement ADSs pursuant thereto, the Company shall provide the Agents with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 7(m), dated the date of such Placement Notice. Within two Trading Days of each Representation Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Agents such further information, certificates and documents as the Agents may reasonably request.

(n)    Legal Opinions. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date and on any date which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agents the written opinion and negative assurance letter of (i) Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S., U.S. counsel to the Company (“Company US Counsel”) and the written opinions of (ii) Latham & Watkins LLP, special Hong Kong counsel for the Company (“Company HK Counsel”), (iii) Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP , Cayman Islands counsel for the Company (“Company Cayman Counsel”) and (iv) Han Kun Law Offices, PRC counsel for the Company (“Company PRC Counsel”), or, in each case, such other counsel satisfactory to the Agent (collectively, the “Company Counsels”), in form and substance satisfactory to the Agents and their counsel, dated the date that such opinions and negative assurance letter are required to be delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided further, however, that in lieu of such opinion and negative assurance letter for subsequent Representation Dates, Company Counsels may furnish the Agents with a letter to the effect that the Agents may rely on a prior opinion or negative assurance letter delivered by such counsel under this Section 7(n) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion or negative assurance letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).

(o)    Intellectual Property Opinion. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date and on any date which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause to be furnished to the Agent the written opinion of Goodwin Proctor LLP and Leading Intellectual Property Firm, counsel for the Company with respect to intellectual property matters, or such other intellectual property counsel satisfactory to the Agents (“Intellectual Property Counsel”), in form and substance satisfactory to the Agents and their counsel, dated the date that the opinion letter is required to be delivered, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; provided further, however, that in lieu of such written opinion for subsequent Representation Dates, Intellectual Property Counsel may furnish the Agent with a letter to the effect that the Agent may rely on a prior opinion letter delivered by such counsel under this Section 7(o) to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such opinion letter (except that statements in such prior opinion letter shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented at such Representation Date).

 

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(p)    Comfort Letter. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date and on any date which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m) for which no waiver is applicable, the Company shall cause its independent registered public accounting firm (and any other independent accountants whose report is included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus) to furnish the Agents letters (the “Comfort Letters”), dated the date the Comfort Letter is delivered, which shall meet the requirements set forth in this Section 7(p);; provided, that if requested by the Agents, the Company shall cause a Comfort Letter to be furnished to the Agents within ten (10 )Trading Days of the occurrence of any material transaction or event that necessitates the filing of additional, pro forma, amended or revised financial statements (including any restatement of previously issued financial statements). Each Comfort Letter shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Agents and each Comfort Letter from the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm shall (i) confirm that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act and the PCAOB, (ii) state, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) update 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.

(q)    Market Activities. The Company will not, directly or indirectly, and will cause its officers, directors and Subsidiaries not to (i) take any action designed to cause or result in, or that constitutes or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs in violation of Regulation M, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of the Placement ADSs other than the Agent; provided, however, that the Company may bid for and purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act.

(r)     [Reserved.]

(s)     [Reserved.]

(t)    Investment Company Act. The Company will conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries will be required to register, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, as an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act.

(u)    Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the sales of, or dealings in, the Placement ADSs as contemplated by the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.

(v)    No Offer to Sell. Other than a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance by the Company and the Agents, neither the Agents nor the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Agents in its capacity as agent) will make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act), required to be filed with the Commission, that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy Placement ADSs hereunder.

 

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(w)    Blue Sky and Other Qualifications. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts, in cooperation with the Agents, to qualify the Placement ADSs for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Placement ADSs to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Agents may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement ADSs (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Placement ADSs have been so qualified or exempt, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification or exemption, as the case may be, in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement ADSs (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement).

(x)    Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company will maintain and keep accurate books and records reflecting its assets and maintain internal accounting controls in a manner designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with IFRS and including those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company, (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of the Company’s financial statements in accordance with IFRS, (iii) that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with management’s and the Company’s directors’ authorization, and (iv) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements. The Company will maintain such controls and other procedures, including, without limitation, those required by Sections 302 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the applicable regulations thereunder that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to it by others within the Company, particularly during the period in which such periodic reports are being prepared..

(y)    Emerging Growth Company. The Company will promptly notify the Agent if the company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the completion of the Agent’s distribution of the Placement ADSs pursuant to this Agreement.

(z)     [Reserved.].

(aa)    General Instruction I.B.5. of Form F-3. If, from and after the date of this Agreement, the Company is no longer eligible to use Form F-3 (including pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5.) at the time that the Registration Statement becomes effective or at the time the Company files with the Commission an annual report on Form 20-F or any post-effective amendment to the Registration

 

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Statement, then it shall promptly notify the Agents and, within two Business Days after the date of filing of such annual report on Form 20-F or amendment to the Registration Statement, the Company shall file a new prospectus supplement with the Commission reflecting the number of ADSs available to be offered and sold by the Company under this Agreement pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6. of Form F-3; provided, however, that the Company may delay the filing of any such prospectus supplement, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, it is in the best interest of the Company to do so, provided that no Placement Notice is in effect or pending during such time. Until such time as the Company shall have corrected such misstatement or omission or effected such compliance, the Company shall not notify the Agents to resume the offering of Placement ADSs.

(bb)    Tax Indemnity. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Agents against any documentary, stamp or similar issue tax, including any interest and penalties, on the issue and sale of the Placement ADSs.

(cc)    Depositary. The Company has engaged and will maintain, at its sole expense, a depositary for the ADSs.

8.    Conditions to the Agent’s Obligations. The obligations of any Designated Agent hereunder with respect to a Placement will be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made by the Company herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, to the completion by the Agents of a due diligence review satisfactory to the Agents in their reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by the Agents in their sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:

(a)    Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement shall be effective and shall be available for all offers and sales of Placement ADSs (i) that have been issued pursuant to all prior Placement Notices and (ii) that will be issued pursuant to any Placement Notice.

(b)     [Reserved.].

(c)    No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal, state or non-U.S. governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal, state or non-U.S. governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement ADSs for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any material Incorporated Document untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or Incorporated Documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, in the case of the Prospectus, so that it will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any 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.

 

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(d)    No Misstatement or Material Omission. The Agents shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in the Agents’ opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in the Agents’ opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

(e)    Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change, on a consolidated basis, in the authorized share capital of the Company or any Material Adverse Change or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, or any downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), if any, by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities (other than asset backed securities), if any, the effect of which, in the judgment of the Agents (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Placement ADSs on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus.

(f)    Company Counsel Legal Opinions. The Agents shall have received the opinions and negative assurance letters, as applicable, of Company Counsel and Intellectual Property Counsel required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o), as applicable, on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinions and negative assurance letters are required pursuant to Section 7(n) and Section 7(o), as applicable.

(g)    Agent’s Counsel Legal Opinion. The Agents shall have received from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Agents, such opinion or opinions, on or before the date on which the delivery of the Company Counsel legal opinion is required pursuant to Section 7(n), with respect to such matters as the Agents may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they may request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(h)    Depositary’s Counsel Legal Opinion. The Agents shall have received from White & Case LLP, counsel for the Depositary, an opinion, on or prior to the First Placement Notice Date, satisfactory in form and substance to the Agents and counsel for the Agents.

(h)    Comfort Letter. The Agents shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(p) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required pursuant to Section 7(p).

(i)    Representation Certificate. The Agents shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 7(m) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 7(m).

(j)    Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the First Placement Notice Date, the Agents shall have received a certificate, signed on behalf of the Company by the Secretary of the Company and attested to by an executive officer of the Company, dated as of such date and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agents and their counsel, certifying as to (i) the applicable organizational documents of the Company, including its memorandum and articles of association, (ii) the resolutions of the board of directors of the Company or duly authorized committee thereof authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and sale of the Placement ADSs and the issuance of the Ordinary Shares represented by such ADSs and (iii) the incumbency of the officers of the Company duly authorized to execute this Agreement and the other documents contemplated by this Agreement (including each of the officers set forth on Schedule 2).

 

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(k)     [Reserved.]

(l)    Deposit Agreement. The Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect and the Company and the Depositary shall have taken all action necessary to permit the deposit of Ordinary Shares underlying the Placement ADSs and the issuance of the Placement ADSs in accordance with the Deposit Agreement.

(k)    No Suspension. The ADSs shall be duly listed, and admitted and authorized for trading, subject to official notice of issuance, on Nasdaq. Trading in the ADSs shall not have been suspended on, and the ADSs shall not have been delisted from, Nasdaq.

(l)    Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 7(m), the Company shall have furnished to the Agents such appropriate further information, opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as the Agents may have reasonably requested. All such information, opinions, certificates, letters and other documents shall have been in compliance with the provisions hereof. The Company shall have furnished the Agents with conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as the Agents may have reasonably requested.

(m)    Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) of the Securities Act) or Rule 433, as applicable.

(n)     [Reserved.]

(o)    FINRA. FINRA shall have raised no objection to the terms of the offering contemplated hereby and the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Agents as described in the Prospectus.

(p)    No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit either Agent to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 11(a).

9.    Indemnification and Contribution.

(a)    Company Indemnification. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Agents, their affiliates and their respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the applicable Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the applicable Agent, in each case from and against any and all losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any and all investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any and all amounts paid in settlement (in accordance with this Section 9), any action, suit, investigation or proceeding between any of the indemnified parties and any indemnifying parties or between any indemnified party and any third party (including any governmental or self-regulatory authority, or otherwise, or any claim asserted or threatened), as and when incurred, to which the applicable Agent, or any such other person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such

 

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losses, claims, liabilities, expenses or damages arise out of or are based, directly or indirectly, on (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus) or in any free writing prospectus or in any application or other document executed by or on behalf of the Company or based on written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Ordinary Shares or ADSs under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, (y) the omission or alleged omission to state in any such document a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (solely with respect to the Prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or (z) any breach by any of the indemnifying parties of any of their respective representations, warranties or agreements contained in this Agreement; provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to the extent that such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage arises from the sale of the Placement ADSs pursuant to this Agreement and is caused, directly or indirectly, by an untrue statement or omission, or alleged untrue statement or omission, made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agents’ Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have.

(b)    Agent Indemnification. Each Agent, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company that signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in Section 9(a), as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendments thereto) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Agents’ Information.

(c)    Procedure. Any party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 9 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 9, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 9 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any other legal expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel

 

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to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm (plus local counsel) admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly after the indemnifying party receives a written invoice relating to such fees, disbursements and other charges in reasonable detail. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 9 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (1) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, from all liability arising out of such claim, action or proceeding and (2) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d)    Settlement Without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for which it is entitled to be reimbursed under this Section 9, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 9(a) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

(e)    Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 9 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable or insufficient from the Company or an Agent, the Company and such Agent will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit, investigation or proceeding or any claim asserted, but after deducting any contribution received by the Company from persons other than such Agent, such as persons who control the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, officers of the Company who signed the Registration Statement and directors of the Company, who also may be liable for contribution) to which the Company and such Agent may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and such Agent on the other hand. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and such Agent on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total Net Proceeds from the sale of the Placement ADSs (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by such Agent from the sale of Placement ADSs on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and such Agent, on the other hand, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim,

 

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liability, expense or damage, or action, suit, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or such Agent, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Agents agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 9(e) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action, suit, investigation or proceeding in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 9(e) shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 9(e), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action, suit, investigation, proceeding or claim to the extent consistent with this Section 9. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 9(e), neither Agent shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9(e), any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, any affiliates of either Agent, any partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents of either Agent and each person that is controlled by or under common control with either Agent will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 9(e), will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 9(e) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 9(c) hereof or pursuant to Section 9(d) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof. The Agents’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this section are several in proportion to the respective number of Placement ADSs they have sold hereunder, and not joint.

10.    Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 9 of this Agreement and all representations and warranties of the Company herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of the Agents, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers, directors, employees or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement ADSs and payment therefor or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.

11.    Termination.

(a)    Each Agent, individually, shall have the right, by giving notice as hereinafter specified, at any time to terminate this Agreement with respect to itself if (i) any Material Adverse Change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, has occurred that, in the judgment of such Agent, may materially impair the ability of the Agents to sell the Placement ADSs hereunder, (ii) the Company shall have failed, refused or been unable to perform any agreement on its part to be performed hereunder; provided, however, in the case of any failure of the Company to

 

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deliver (or cause another person to deliver) any certification, opinion or letter required under Section 7(m), Section 7(n), Section 7(o) or Section 7(p), the Agents’ right to terminate shall not arise unless such failure to deliver (or cause to be delivered) continues for more than 15 calendar days from the date such delivery was required, (iii) any other condition of the Agents’ obligations hereunder is not fulfilled, (iv) any suspension or limitation of trading in the Placement ADSs or in securities generally on Nasdaq shall have occurred, (v) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of United States federal or New York authorities, or (vi) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States or international political, financial or economic conditions that, in the judgment of such Agent, may materially impair the ability of such Agent to sell the Placement ADSs hereunder or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 16 and Section 19 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination. If either Agent elects to terminate this Agreement as provided in this Section 11(a), such Agent shall provide the required notice as specified in Section 12.

(b)    The Company shall have the right, by giving five (5) Business Days’ prior notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 19 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(c)    Each Agent, individually, shall have the right, by giving 10 days’ prior notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate this Agreement with respect to itself in such Agent’s sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 19 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(d)    Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 11, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Placement ADSs through the Agents on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein; provided that the provisions of Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 19 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.

(e)    This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 11(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 7(g), Section 9, Section 10, Section 11(f), Section 16 and Section 19 shall remain in full force and effect.

(f)    Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section 11(a), 11(b), or 11(c) above shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Agents or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Placement ADSs, such Placement ADSs shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Upon termination of this Agreement, the Company shall not be required to pay to the Agents any discount or commission with respect to any Placement ADSs not otherwise sold by the Agents under this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company shall remain obligated to reimburse the Agents’ expenses pursuant to Section 7(g).

 

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(g)    Upon any termination by a single Agent pursuant to Section 11(a), 11(b), or 11(c), the Company shall furnish a Report on Form 6-K announcing the termination of this Agreement as to such Agent, which Report on Form 6-K shall state that such Report on Form 6-K is incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement.

12.    Notices. All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified in this Agreement, and if sent to the Agents, shall be delivered to:

SVB Securities LLC

1301 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor

New York, New York 10019

Attention: Peter M. Fry

E-mail: peter.fry@svbleerink.com

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Attention: Capital Markets

Facsimile: (212) 307-3730

with copies (which shall not constitute notice) to:

SVB Securities LLC

1301 Avenue of the Americas, 12th Floor

New York, New York 10019 Attention: Stuart R. Nayman, Esq.

E-mail: stuart.nayman@svbleerink.com

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10022

Attention: General Counsel

Facsimile: (212) 829-4708

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

1600 El Camino

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Attention: Alan F. Denenberg; Emily Roberts; Donald K. Lang

E-mail: alan.denenberg@davispolk.com; emily.roberts@davispolk.com;

donald.lang@davispolk.com

and if to the Company, shall be delivered to:

Connect Biopharm LLC

12265 El Camino Real, Suite 350

San Diego, CA 92130

 

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with copies (which shall not constitute notice) to:

Latham & Watkins LLP

12670 High Bluff Drive

San Diego, California 92130

Facsimile: (858) 523-5450

Attention: Cathy Yeung; Michael E. Sullivan

Each party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally on or before 4:30 P.M., New York City time, on a Business Day, or, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) by Electronic Notice as set forth in the next paragraph, (iii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight courier or (iv) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid). For purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Nasdaq and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.

An electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section 12 if sent to the electronic mail address specified by the receiving party in Section 12. Electronic Notice shall be deemed received at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives actual acknowledgment of receipt from the person whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply. Any party receiving Electronic Notice may request and shall be entitled to receive the notice on paper, in a nonelectronic form (“Nonelectronic Notice”), which shall be sent to the requesting party within 10 days of receipt of the written request for Nonelectronic Notice.

13.    Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company and the Agents and their respective successors and the affiliates, controlling persons, officers, directors and other persons referred to in Section 9 hereof. References to any of the parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of each such party. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any party other than the parties hereto, the persons referred to in the preceding sentence and their respective successors and permitted assigns any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement. Neither party may assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that either Agent may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to an affiliate of such Agent without obtaining the Company’s consent, so long as such affiliate is a registered broker-dealer.

14.    Adjustments for Share Splits. The parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any share split, share dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Ordinary Shares and any change in exchange ratio or similar event effected with respect to the ADSs.

15.    Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability; Waiver. This Agreement (including all schedules (as amended pursuant to this Agreement) and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof may be amended except pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and the Agents; provided, however, that Schedule 2 of this Agreement may be amended by either party from time to time by sending a notice containing a revised Schedule 2 to the other party in the manner provided in Section 12 and, upon such

 

39


amendment, all references herein to Schedule 2 shall automatically be deemed to refer to such amended Schedule 2. In the event that any one or more of the provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the parties as reflected in this Agreement. No implied waiver by a party shall arise in the absence of a waiver in writing signed by such party. No failure or delay in exercising any right, power, or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any right, power, or privilege hereunder.

16.    GOVERNING LAW AND TIME; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

17.    Waiver of Immunity. With respect to any action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to or based upon this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, the Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it would otherwise be entitled, and with respect to any such action, suit or proceeding, waives any such immunity in any court of competent jurisdiction, and agrees not to raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such action, suit or proceeding, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.

18.    Judgment Currency; Payments. The obligation of the Company in respect of any sum due to the Agents under this Agreement shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than U.S. dollars (the “Judgment Currency”), not be discharged until the first Business Day following receipt by the Agents of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency on which (and only to the extent that) the Agents may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase U.S. dollars with the Judgment Currency; if the U.S. dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to the Agents hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Agents against such loss in respect of any sum due to the Agents from the Company. If the U.S. dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to the Agents hereunder, the Agents agree to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the U.S. dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to the Agents hereunder. All payments made or deemed to be made by the Company under this Agreement, if any, to the Agents, their respective affiliates, and their affiliates’ respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents or to any person controlling either Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or that is controlled by or is under common control with either Agent, will be made without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature (other than taxes on net income or similar taxes) imposed or levied by or on behalf of the State of Israel or any political subdivision or any taxing authority thereof or therein unless the Company is or becomes required by law

 

40


to withhold or deduct such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges. In such event, the Company will pay such additional amounts as will result, after such withholding or deduction, in the receipt by the Agents, their respective affiliates, and their affiliates’ respective partners, members, directors, officers, employees and agents or to any person controlling either Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or that is controlled by or is under common control with either Agent, as the case may be, of the amounts that would otherwise have been receivable in respect thereof.

19.    Consent to Jurisdiction. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection with any of the transactions contemplated hereby, 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 (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested) to such party at the address in effect for notices under Section 12 of this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient notice 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.

20.    Construction.

(a)    The section and exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

(b)    Words defined in the singular shall have a comparable meaning when used in the plural, and vice versa.

(c)    The words “hereof,” “hereto,” “herein” and “hereunder” and words of similar import, when used in this Agreement, shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Agreement.

(d)    Wherever the word “include,” “includes” or “including” is used in this Agreement, it shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.”

(e)    References herein to any gender shall include each other gender.

(f)    References herein to any law, statute, ordinance, code, regulation, rule or other requirement of any governmental authority shall be deemed to refer to such law, statute, ordinance, code, regulation, rule or other requirement of any governmental authority as amended, reenacted, supplemented or superseded in whole or in part and in effect from time to time and also to all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

21.    Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses. Each of the Company and the Agents represents, warrants and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior written consent of the other party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Placement ADSs that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, or that would otherwise constitute a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405), required to be filed with the Commission. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Agents or by the Company, as the case may be, is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company represents and warrants that it has treated and agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing

 

41


Prospectus as an issuer free writing prospectus, and that it has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.

22.    Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that:

(a)    the Agents have been retained to act as sales agent in connection with the sale of the Placement ADSs, the Agents have acted at arms’ length and no fiduciary or advisory relationship between the Company or any of its respective affiliates, shareholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees or any other party, on the one hand, and the Agents, on the other hand, has been or will be created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, irrespective of whether the Agents have advised or are advising the Company on other matters and the Agents have no duties or obligations to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement except the obligations expressly set forth herein;

(b)    the Company is capable of evaluating, and understanding and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;

(c)    neither the Agents nor their respective affiliates have provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate;

(d)    the Company has been advised and is aware that the Agents and their respective affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and that the Agents and their respective affiliates have no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship or otherwise; and

(e)    the Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims it may have against the Agents or their respective affiliates for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and agrees that the Agents and their respective affiliates shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect) to the Company in respect of such a fiduciary claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company, including shareholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees of the Company.

23.    Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. In the event that the Agent is a Covered Entity and becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from the Agent of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

In the event that the Agent is a Covered Entity and the Agent or a BHC Act Affiliate of the Agent becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against the Agent are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

 

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For purposes of this Agreement, (A) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

24.    Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

25.    Use of Information. The Agents may not provide any information gained in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including due diligence, to any third party other than their legal counsel advising it on this Agreement and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement unless expressly approved by the Company in writing.

26.    Agents’ Information. As used in this Agreement, “Agents’ Information” means solely the following information in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus: the last sentence of the seventh paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Sales Agreement Prospectus.

All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information that is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be.

All references in this Agreement to “supplements” to the Prospectus shall include any supplements, “wrappers” or similar materials prepared in connection with any offering, sale or private placement of any Placement ADSs by the Agents outside of the United States.

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]

 

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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company and the Agents, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company and the Agents.

 

Very truly yours,
CONNECT BIOPHARMA HOLDINGS LIMITED
By:  

/s/ Zheng Wei, Ph.D.

  Name: Zheng Wei, Ph.D.
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
ACCEPTED as of the date
first-above written:
SVB SECURITIES LLC
By:  

/s/ Peter M. Fry

  Name: Peter M. Fry
  Title: Head of Alt. Equities
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.
By:  

/s/ Sage Kelly

  Name: Sage Kelly
  Title: Authorized Signatory


SCHEDULE 1

FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE

 

From:    [                    ]
   [TITLE]
   CONNECT BIOPHARMA HOLDINGS LIMITED
Cc:    [                    ]
To:    [Designated Agent]
Subject:    [Designated Agent]—At the Market Offering—Placement Notice

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Sales Agreement, dated April 15, 2022 (the “Agreement”), by and between Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), and SVB Securities LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., I hereby request on behalf of the Company that [Designated Agent] sell up to [                 ] American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share, $0.000174 par value per share, of the Company (the “ADSs”), at a minimum market price of $             per share[; provided that no more than [                 ] ADSs shall be sold in any one Trading Day (as such term is defined in Section 3 of the Agreement)]. Sales should begin [on the date of this Placement Notice] and end on [DATE] [until all ADSs that are the subject of this Placement Notice are sold].


SCHEDULE 2

The Company

schan@connectpharm.com

jbian@connectpharm.com

SVB Securities

Dan.Dubin@svbsecurities.com

Murphy.Gallagher@svbleerink.com

Joseph.Winningham@svbsecurities.com

Stuart.Nayman@svbleerink.com

atm@svbleerink.com

Cantor Fitzgerald

rdentice@cantor.com

oliver.baverstam@cantor.com

raymond.betesh@cantor.com

svasudev@cantor.com

matthew.crawford@cantor.com


SCHEDULE 3

Compensation

The Company shall pay the Designated Agent compensation in cash of up to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from the sales of Placement ADSs pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement of which this Schedule 3 forms a part.


Exhibit 7(m)

OFFICERS’ CERTIFICATE

Each of Zheng Wei, the duly qualified and elected Chief Executive Officer of Connect Biopharma Holdings Limited, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), and Steven Chan, the duly qualified and elected Chief Financial Officer of the Company, does hereby certify in his respective capacity and on behalf of the Company, pursuant to Section 7(m) of the Sales Agreement, dated April 15, 2022 (the “Sales Agreement”), by and among the Company and SVB Securities LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., that, after due inquiry, to the best of the knowledge of the undersigned:

(i)    The representations and warranties of the Company in Section 6 of the Sales Agreement (A) to the extent such representations and warranties are subject to qualifications and exceptions contained therein relating to materiality or Material Adverse Change, are true and correct on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which are true and correct as of such date, and (B) to the extent such representations and warranties are not subject to any qualifications or exceptions relating to materiality or Material Adverse Change, are true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof as if made on and as of the date hereof with the same force and effect as if expressly made on and as of the date hereof except for those representations and warranties that speak solely as of a specific date and which are true and correct as of such date,.

(ii)    The Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied pursuant to the Sales Agreement at or prior to the date hereof.

(iii)    As of the date hereof, (A) the Registration Statement complies in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and does 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, (B) the Prospectus complies in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and does 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 light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (C) no event has occurred as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein not untrue or misleading or for clauses (A) and (B) above, to be true and correct.

(iv)    There has been no material adverse change, or any development that could reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, results of operations, business, properties, operations, assets, liabilities or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, since the date as of which information is given in the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented to the date hereof.

(v)    The Company does not possess any material non-public information.

(vi)    The maximum amount of Placement ADSs that may be sold pursuant to the Sales Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof pursuant to a resolution or unanimous written consent in accordance with the Company’s organizational documents, including its memorandum and articles of association, and applicable law.


Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Sales Agreement.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the undersigned, in such individual’s respective capacity as Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, has executed this Officers’ Certificate on behalf of the Company.

 

By:  

 

  Name: Zheng Wei
  Title:   Chief Executive Officer
  Date:

 

By:  

 

  Name: Steven Chan
  Title:   Chief Financial Officer
  Date:

[Company Signature Page to Officers’ Certificate]