UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Amendment No. 1)
(Mark One)
| REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| OR | |
| ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| For The Fiscal Year Ended | |
| OR | |
| TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| OR | |
| SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
Date of event requiring this shell company report
Commission file number:
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
N/A
(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
People’s Republic of
(Address of principal executive offices)
People’s Republic of
Tel: (
Fax: (86-10) 8588-9300
Email:
(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | ||
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:
None
(Title of Class)
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the Issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report. common shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, as of December 31, 2023.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
¨
Yes x
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
¨
Yes x
Note - Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ¨ | Accelerated filer ¨ | |
| Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company
that prepares its financial statements in accordance with
The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
Indicate by check mark whether
the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control
over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting
firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
If securities are registered
pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing
reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ¨
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
| International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ¨ | Other ¨ |
If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.
¨ Item 17 ¨ Item 18
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.
¨ Yes ¨ No
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This Amendment No. 1 on Form 20-F/A (the “Amendment No. 1”) amends the Annual Report on Form 20-F of XINYUAN REAL ESTATE CO., LTD. (the “Company” or “we”) for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “2023 Form 20-F”), filed on May 15, 2023, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
This Amendment No. 1 restates the Company’s certain disclosures as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Restatement”) in response to a comment letter to the Company from the staff of the SEC dated September 16, 2024 and is being filed solely to make the following modifications or updates:
| · | Part I, Item 3 Key Information |
At the outset of Item 3, we have added certain disclosures to: (i) prominently disclose our status as a Cayman holding company with operations primarily conducted by our Chinese subsidiaries; (ii) address the legal and operational risks associated with being based in, or having the majority of the Company’s operations in, China; (iii) discuss our auditors and the impact of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and related regulations on the Company; and (iv) discuss the permissions or approvals we are required to obtain from Chinese authorities to operate our business and offer securities to foreign investors.
| · | Part I, Item 3 Key Information — D Risk Factors |
We have made conforming changes to reflect the additional disclosures discussed above.
| · | Part I, Item 4 Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — China — Regulatory Developments On Data Privacy |
We have revised and provided additional disclosure regarding the oversight by the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) over data security, its impact on our business, and our compliance with the regulations or policies issued by the CAC to date.
| · | Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Assentsure PAC |
We have corrected a clerical error in our auditor’s report with respect to the amount of the Company’s real estate properties development completed and under development on December 31, 2023.
| · | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Union Power HK CPA Limited |
A clerical error in the fiscal year-end date included in the Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, filed as Exhibit 15.1 to the 2023 Form 20-F, has been corrected. The correct date was included in the corrected Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm received from Union Power HK CPA Limited and filed as Exhibit 15.1 with this Amendment No.1.
Except as set forth herein, the Company has not modified, or updated any other disclosures and has made no change to the 2023 Form 20-F. Other than as expressly set forth above, this Amendment No. 1 does not, and does not purport to, amend, update or restate the information in any part of the 2023 Form 20-F or reflect any events that have occurred after the 2023 Form 20-F was filed on May 15, 2023. The filing of this Amendment No. 1, and the inclusion of newly executed certifications, should not be understood to mean that any other statements contained in the original filing are true and complete as of any date subsequent to May 15, 2023. Accordingly, this Amendment No. 1 should be read in conjunction with the 2023 Form 20-F and the documents filed with or furnished to the SEC by the Company subsequent to May 15, 2023, including any amendments to such documents.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
PART I
ITEM 3 KEY INFORMATION
Our Holding Company Structure
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. is not a Chinese operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company with operations primarily conducted through our PRC subsidiaries. Under this holding company structure, shareholders of our ADSs hold equity interests in the Cayman Islands holding company and obtaining indirect ownership interests in the Chinese operating companies.
Risks Associated with Being Based in and Having the Majority of Our Operations in China
We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties relating to doing business in China. Our business operations are primarily conducted in China, and we are subject to complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, the PRC government has issued statements and regulatory actions relating to areas such as regulatory approvals on overseas offerings and listings conducted by, and foreign investment in, China-based issuers, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, which may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list on a United States stock exchange. These legal and operational risks and uncertainties relating to doing business in China may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list and conduct offerings on a United States or other foreign exchange. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless. For a detailed description of risks relating to doing business in China, see “Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China.”
Risks and uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and quickly evolving rules and regulations in China could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes, and decided legal cases may be cited for reference but have less precedential value. The legal system in China evolves rapidly, and the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules may change from time to time. Certain PRC laws, regulations, and legal requirements are constantly changing and may change with little advance notice. In addition, their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. See “Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system, including uncertainties with respect to the interpretation, application, and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations, and sudden or unexpected changes of PRC laws and regulations with little advance notice, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and the value of our ADSs.”
The PRC government has significant authority in regulating our business and may intervene or influence our operations at any time. It may exert control over our business, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our ADSs. It may also exert more oversight and control over offerings conducted overseas by, and/or foreign investment in, China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our ADSs to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers. Any such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. In addition, implementation of industry-wide regulations directly targeting our operations could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline. Therefore, our company and our business face potential uncertainty from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business. See “Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Related to Doing Business in China — Significant oversight and discretion by the PRC government over our business operations could result in a material change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.”
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act
Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, as amended by Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, or the HFCA Act, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States.
1
Our current auditor, Assentsure PAC (“Assentsure”), and our prior auditor for our 2021 annual report, Union Power HK CPA Limited (“Union Power”), the independent registered public accounting firms that issue the financial reports included elsewhere in this annual report on Form 20-F, are both currently registered with the PCAOB. The PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess their compliance with the applicable professional standards. Assentsure and Union Power are headquartered in Singapore and Hong Kong, respectively. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued its determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions, which determinations were vacated on December 15, 2022, and the PCAOB included in the report of its determination a list of the accounting firms that are headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong. The list includes Union Power, the firm which audited our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Subsequently on August 29, 2022, we were added to the conclusive list of “Commission-Identified Issuer” identified under the HFCA Act on the website of the SEC. Our current auditor, Assentsure PAC is not subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol Agreement (the “SOP”) with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) and China’s Ministry of Finance. The SOP, together with two protocol agreements governing inspections and investigations (together, the “SOP Agreements”), establish a specific, accountable framework to make possible complete inspections and investigations by the PCAOB of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, as required under U.S. law. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB will consider the need to issue a new determination. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, and on December 29, 2022, legislation entitled “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023” (the “Consolidated Appropriations Act”) was signed into law by President Biden, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time period for triggering the delisting of our Company and the prohibition of trading in our securities if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our accounting firm at such future time. If trading in our ADSs is prohibited under the HFCA Act in the future because the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor at such future time, NYSE may determine to delist our ADSs and trading in our ADSs could be prohibited. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China— The enactment of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and the adoption of any rules, legislations or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause uncertainty and our securities listed on the NYSE could be delisted or prohibited from being traded “over-the-counter” if we are unable to meet the PCAOB requirement in time.”
Cash and Asset Flows through Our Organization
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. is a Cayman Islands holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries in China. As a result, the Company’s ability to pay dividends to our shareholders and to service our indebtedness outside of China depends significantly upon dividends that we receive from our subsidiaries in China. To the extent our existing subsidiaries or any newly formed ones incur indebtedness or losses on their own behalf in the future, such indebtedness or losses may impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us.
During the three fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2022, and 2023, subsidiaries of the Company transferred cash in a total amount of US$292.4 million, US$ 6.3 million, US$ 5.0 million, respectively, to the Company for working capital purposes.
During the past three fiscal years, other than the cash transfers described hereto, there have been no other transfers of assets or cash dividends among the Company and its subsidiaries, and the Company has not made any dividend payments or distributions to investors (including U.S. investors).
For further discussion, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors— Risks Related to Our Business — We are a holding company that depends on dividend payments from our subsidiaries for funding”, and “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation.”
2
Restrictions and Limitations on Transfer of Cash and Cash Dividend Distribution
Subject to certain contractual, legal and regulatory restrictions, cash and capital contributions may be transferred among our Cayman Islands holding company and the Chinese operating entities. If needed, our Cayman Islands holding company can transfer cash to the Chinese operating entities through loans and/or capital contributions, and the Chinese operating entities can transfer cash to our Cayman Islands holding company through loans and/or issuing dividends or other distributions. There are limitations on the ability to transfer cash between the Cayman Islands holding company, the Chinese operating entities or investors. Cash transfers from the Cayman Islands holding company to the Chinese operating entities are subject to the applicable PRC laws and regulations on loans and direct investment. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in the PRC—PRC regulations of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our offshore financing to make loans or additional capital contributions to the operating entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and business.”
Cash transfers from the Chinese operating entities to the Cayman Islands holding company are also subject to the current PRC regulations, which permit the Chinese operating entities to pay dividends to their shareholders only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. To the extent cash or assets in the business is in China or a Chinese operating entity, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of China due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on the ability of our Company or the operating entities by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets. If we are considered a PRC tax resident enterprise for tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders may be regarded as China-sourced income and as a result may be subject to PRC withholding tax. Relevant PRC laws and regulations permit the PRC companies to pay dividends only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Additionally, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries can only distribute dividends upon approval of the shareholders after they have met the PRC requirements for appropriation to the statutory reserves. Under PRC laws, rules and regulations, each of our subsidiaries incorporated in mainland China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up for previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserves, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We are a holding company that depends on dividend payments from our subsidiaries for funding. To the extent funds or assets in the business are in the PRC or a PRC entity, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on the ability of our company or the operating entities by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets” and “—Risks Related to Our Business—We face risks related to our back-to-back loans.”
Cash transfers from the Cayman Islands holding company to the investors are subject to the restrictions on the remittance of Renminbi into and out of China and governmental control of currency conversion. Our cash dividends, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. The majority of our income is received in Renminbi and shortages in foreign currencies may restrict our ability to pay dividends or other payments, or otherwise satisfy our foreign currency denominated obligations, if any. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China, or SAFE, as long as certain procedural requirements are met. Approval from appropriate government authorities is required if Renminbi is converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may, at its discretion, impose restrictions on access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future, and in such event, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in the PRC—We are subject to PRC restrictions on currency exchange.”
As a result of these and other restrictions under the PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries are restricted to transfer a portion of their cash or assets to the Company. Even though the Company currently does not require any such dividends, loans or advances from the PRC subsidiaries for working capital and other funding purposes, the Company may in the future require additional cash resources from its PRC subsidiaries due to changes in business conditions, to fund future acquisitions and developments, or merely declare and pay dividends to or distributions to the Company’s shareholders.
3
Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations and Overseas Securities Offering
We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. As of the date hereof, each of our PRC subsidiaries is required to have, and does have, a business license issued by the PRC State Administration for Market Regulation or its local counterparts. Our business model involves certain subsidiaries managing separate real estate projects in different regions. Under the PRC laws and regulations, there are governmental licenses and permits that need to be obtained for each real estate project from local authorities. As of the date hereof, except for the specific projects discussed below, all of our PRC subsidiaries have obtained, and have not been denied, all requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are required for their primary business operations in China. These include, among others, real estate property registration certificates, land use rights certificates, construction site planning permits, construction work planning permits, construction permits, pre-sale permits and completion acceptance certificates. However, given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practice by relevant government authorities, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for the functions and services in the future.
There are a few projects where certain subsidiaries have not yet obtained specific governmental permits and/or certificates, as detailed below. These subsidiaries are actively in the process of applying for these permits and/or certificates or taking other remedial measures. The absence of these permits or certificates does not have a material adverse impact on our business operations and financial results.
| Project Name | Unobtained Licenses and Permits |
| International New Plaza | · The real estate property registration certificate for Xinyuan No. 5 · Construction work permit for project B05 |
Xingyang Mingjia Project
|
· The pre-sale permit and the completion acceptance certificate for the sales department · The completion acceptance certificate for the basement of Phase 2 project · The pre-sale permit and the completion acceptance certificate for Phase 2 of the Commercial Section · The pre-sale permit for No. 54 and 55 of the Commercial buildings of Phase 5 · The completion acceptance certificate for Phase 5 · The real estate property registration certificate for the Commercial shops of Building No.4 in Phase 4 · The pre-sale permit and the completion acceptance certificate for Commercial Building No.3 in Phase 2 · The land use rights certificate, construction site planning permit, construction work planning permit, construction permit, pre-sale permit, and completion acceptance certificates for Building No. 5 of Phase 2 · The land use rights certificate, construction site planning permit, construction work planning permit, construction permit, pre-sale permits, and completion acceptance certificate for Commercial Section No. 45 of Phase 4 |
| Xinyuanfu Project | · The completion acceptance certificate |
Daxuefu Project
|
· The land use rights certificate, construction site planning permit, construction work planning permit, construction permit, pre-sale permit, and completion acceptance certificate for the acquired project |
| Yuefu Project | · The pre-sale permit for Buildings No. 3 and No.7 |
As of the date hereof, we have not received any notice of warning or been subject to penalties or other disciplinary action from any PRC authorities regarding conducting our business without requisite approvals or permits, except for the following instances where (i) a subsidiary was fined a total of RMB 450,000 during the year of 2023 for its failure to timely file project completion acceptance with the local government for one real estate project, (ii) a subsidiary was fined a total of RMB 510,000 for its failure to obtain the pre-sale permit before selling properties, and (iii) a subsidiary was fined a total of RMB 298,282 for its failure to obtain the pre-sale permit before selling properties. However, we cannot assure you that we will not be subject to any penalty in the future due to a lack of such approvals or permits. If (i) we or our subsidiaries, do not receive or maintain any permission or approval required of us or our subsidiaries, (ii) we or our subsidiaries inadvertently concluded that certain permissions or approvals have been acquired or are not required, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations thereof change, and we or our subsidiaries become subject to the requirement of additional permissions or approvals in the future, we may have to expend significant time and costs to procure them. If we are unable to do so, in a timely manner or otherwise, we may become subject to sanctions imposed by the PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines, penalties, and proceedings against us, and other forms of sanctions, and our ability to conduct our business, invest in mainland China as foreign investments or accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. or other overseas exchange may be restricted, our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and the value of our ADSs could significantly decline or become worthless. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information — D. Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Business —We may fail to obtain or maintain, or may experience material delays in obtaining, necessary government approvals for any major property development, which will adversely affect our business.”
4
On December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, and certain other PRC governmental authorities jointly released the Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, which became effective on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to these measures, (i) operators of critical information infrastructure that intend to purchase network products and services and online platform operators that conduct data processing activities, in each case that affect or may affect national security, and (ii) operators of network platforms seeking listing abroad that are in possession of more than one million users’ personal information must apply for a cybersecurity review. These measures set out certain general factors which would be the focus in assessing the national security risk during a cybersecurity review, including, without limitation, risks of influence, control or malicious use of critical information infrastructure, core data, important data or large amounts of personal information by foreign governments in relation to listing abroad.
As of December 31, 2023, we had not received any notice that we are a critical information infrastructure operator from any government authority, nor had we received any request from the CAC to undergo a cybersecurity review. As advised by our PRC counsel, ChangAn Law Offices, as of the date of this annual report, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries currently are subject to the cybersecurity review process with respect to the offering of our securities or the business operations of our PRC subsidiaries, as neither we nor any of our PRC subsidiaries qualifies as a critical information infrastructure operator or has conducted any data processing activities that affect or may affect national security or holds personal information of more than one million users. There remains uncertainty, however, as to how the Cybersecurity Review Measures will be interpreted or implemented and whether the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, may adopt new laws, regulations, rules, or detailed implementation and interpretation related to the Cybersecurity Review Measures.
On February 17, 2023, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, issued the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Enterprises, or the Overseas Offering and Listing Measures, which became effective on March 31, 2023, and five supporting guidelines on CSRC’s official website. Pursuant to these measures, PRC domestic enterprises conducting overseas securities offering and listing, either directly or indirectly, shall complete filings with the CSRC within three working days following the submission of application for an initial public offering or listing. These filings shall include, among other documents, (i) a filing report, (ii) regulatory opinions, filing or approval documents issued by the competent authorities of the industry concerned (if applicable), (iii) opinions on the security assessment and review issued by the competent department of the State Council (if applicable), (iv) legal opinions and undertakings issued by PRC counsel, and (v) the listing documents.
Our PRC counsel, ChangAn Law Offices, has advised us that, based on their understanding of the currently effective PRC laws and regulations, including the Overseas Offering and Listing Measures, as of the date of this annual report, we are not required to obtain any prior approval or permission from or complete filing procedures with the CSRC or CAC for our historical offshore offerings to foreign investors which have been completed, except for a private placement sale of the Company’s common shares to Central Plains Ltd. on December 27, 2023, for which, under a conservative interpretation of the applicable PRC laws and regulations, we were required to make a filing with the CSRC but we have not completed it. The PRC counsel has further advised us that the untimely filing may result in a correction order, an admonition, and a fine in the amount of RMB 1,000,000 to 10,000,000. Based on the foregoing, we do not expect that the uncompleted filing with the CSRC with respect to the private placement transaction would per se have a material adverse impact on our business. The Company is actively consulting with its PRC counsel with respect to potential remedial measures.
However, we are required to go through filing procedures with CSRC for our future issuance or offering of securities (including shares, depository receipts, corporate bonds convertible into shares and other securities in nature of equity) to foreign investors if certain condition conditions set forth in the Overseas Offering and Listing Measures are met so that they are considered “indirect overseas offerings and listings by a PRC domestic company”. However, our PRC legal counsel has further advised us that there remains some uncertainty as to how relevant rules published by the CSRC and the CAC will be interpreted or implemented, and its opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC and the CAC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC legal counsel, and hence, we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from them.
5
However, any future securities offerings and listings outside of mainland China by our company, including, but not limited to, follow on offerings, secondary listings and going-private transactions, will be subject to the filing requirements with the CSRC under the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Enterprises and the supporting guidelines, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with such filing requirements in a timely manner, or at all. If we fail to obtain the necessary approval or complete the filings and other regulatory procedures in a timely manner, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies, which may include fines and penalties on our operations in mainland China, limitations on our operating privileges in China, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our mainland China subsidiaries, delay of or restriction on the repatriation of the proceeds from our initial public offering into mainland China, or other actions that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs. The CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt our offerings before settlement and delivery of the shares offered. Consequently, if investors engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, they do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC or other regulatory authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals or accomplish the required filing or other regulatory procedures for our initial public offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties or negative publicity regarding such approval requirement could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, reputation, and the trading price of our ADSs.
For detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Failure to maintain the security of our information and technology networks, including personally identifiable and customer information, as well as uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of cybersecurity review procedures and proprietary business information, could significantly adversely affect us”, “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—The approval of the CSRC, may be required if we intend to do a follow-on equity offering in the future, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval”, “Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — China — Regulatory Developments On Data Privacy.”
D. Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Business
We are a holding company that depends on dividend payments from our subsidiaries for funding. To the extent funds or assets in the business are in the PRC or a PRC entity, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC due to interventions in or the imposition of restrictions and limitations on the ability of our company or the operating entities by the PRC government to transfer cash or assets.
We are a holding company established in the Cayman Islands; we operate most of our business and operations through our subsidiaries in China. Our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders and to service our indebtedness outside of China depends significantly upon dividends that we receive from our subsidiaries in China. To the extent our U.S., Malaysia and U.K. operations continue to grow, we may in the future also depend on dividends from our U.S., Malaysia, or U.K. subsidiaries. If our subsidiaries incur indebtedness or losses, such indebtedness or losses may impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. As a result, our ability to pay dividends and to service our indebtedness will be restricted. Regulations in China currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated after-tax profits upon satisfaction of relevant statutory conditions and procedures, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. Each of our PRC subsidiaries, including wholly foreign-owned enterprises and domestic companies, is required to set aside at least 10.0% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the cumulative amount of such reserves reaches 50.0% of its respective registered capital and, with the approval of a shareholder meeting or general shareholder meeting, a PRC subsidiary may set aside a certain amount of after-tax profits to its discretionary general reserves. As of December 31, 2023, our statutory reserves amounted to US$179.8 million. Our statutory reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Dividends paid by the PRC subsidiaries may also be subject to PRC withholding tax. In addition, restrictive covenants in bank credit facilities, bonds, other long-term debt agreements, joint venture agreements or other agreements that we or our subsidiaries currently have or may enter into in the future may also restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us and our ability to receive distributions. Therefore, these restrictions on the availability and usage of our major source of funding may impact our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders and to service our indebtedness.
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Our business and prospects are heavily dependent on and may be adversely affected by the performance of the PRC property markets, particularly in Zhengzhou.
Our business and prospects depend on the performance of the PRC property market. As of December 31, 2023, we had a total of 104 property projects covering 20 cities in China at various stages of development. We intend to continue to enhance our presence in targeted high-growth cities in China. These property markets may be affected by local, regional, national and global factors, including economic and financial conditions, speculative activities in local markets, demand for and supply of properties, investor confidence, availability of alternative investment choices for property buyers, inflation, government policies, interest rates and availability of capital. Any market downturn in China generally or in cities in which we have or expect to have operations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Moreover, any oversupply of properties or potential decline in demand for or prices of properties in these cities could also have a material adverse impact on us. In particular, the PRC property market is affected by the recent slowdown of China’s economic growth. There have been increasing concerns over the sustainability of the real estate market growth in China. Any slowdown in the PRC’s economic development could lead to tighter credit markets, increased market volatility, sudden drops in business and consumer confidence and dramatic changes in business and consumer behaviors. In response to their perceived uncertainty in economic conditions, consumers might delay, reduce or cancel purchases of homes, and our homebuyers may also defer, reduce or cancel purchases of our units. We have experienced volatilities in demand from time to time in the recent years due to the strict mortgage policy and other measures taken by the PRC government to slow down the rapid increase in housing prices. To the extent any fluctuations in the Chinese economy significantly affect homebuyers’ demand for our units or change their spending habits, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. The PRC’s economy also faces challenges in the short to medium term. Continued turbulence in the international markets and prolonged declines in consumer spending, including home purchases, as well as any slowdown of economic growth in China, may adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Our business requires access to substantial financing. Our failure to obtain adequate financing in a timely manner could severely adversely restrict our ability to complete existing projects, expand our business, or repay our obligations and affect our financial performance and condition.
Our property development business is capital intensive. To date, we have funded our operations primarily through bank borrowings, proceeds from sales and pre-sale of our properties and proceeds from issuance of equity and debt securities. We obtain commercial bank financing for our projects through credit lines extended on a case-by-case basis. Our ability to secure sufficient financing for land use rights acquisition and property development and repayment of our existing onshore and offshore debt obligations depends on a number of factors that are beyond our control, including lenders’ perceptions of our creditworthiness, sufficiency of collateral, if any, market conditions in the capital markets, investors’ perception of our securities, the PRC economy and PRC government regulations that affect the availability and cost of financing for real estate companies or property purchasers.
Since 2003, PRC commercial banks have been prohibited, under the guidelines of the PBOC, from advancing loans to fund the payment of land use rights. We generate significant cash flow through pre-sale, which are subject to government restrictions. In particular, PRC regulations on the pre-sale of properties generally provide that the proceeds from the pre-sale of a real estate project may only be used for the construction of such project. Any additional potential government restrictions on pre-sale could significantly increase our financing needs. Moreover, our ability to move cash through inter-company transfers or transfer funds from onshore subsidiaries to our offshore parent company is limited by PRC government regulations, which limits our ability to use excess cash resources in one subsidiary to fund the obligations of another subsidiary or our offshore parent company. In addition, reserve requirement applicable to PRC commercial banks generally limits, and any increases in such reserve requirements could further limit, the amount of commercial bank credit available to businesses in China, including us.
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Furthermore, various other PRC regulations restrict our ability to raise capital through external financing and other methods, including, without limitation, the following:
| · | we cannot borrow from a PRC bank for a particular project if we do not have the land use rights certificate for that project; |
| · | we cannot pre-sell uncompleted residential units in a project prior to achieving certain development milestones specified in related regulations; |
| · | we cannot borrow from a PRC bank for a particular project unless we fund at least 35% of the total investment amount of that project from our own capital; |
| · | property developers are strictly restricted from using the proceeds from a loan obtained from a local bank to fund property developments outside the region where that bank is located; and |
| · | PRC banks are prohibited from accepting properties that have been vacant for more than three years as collateral for loans. |
On February 13, 2017, the Asset Management Association of China issued the Administrative Rules for the Filing of Private Equity and Asset Management Plans by Securities and Futures Institutions No. 4—Investment in Real Estate Developers and Projects by Private Equity and Asset Management Plans, or “Rule 4.” Rule 4 provides that the Asset Management Association of China will temporarily suspend accepting any private equity and asset management plan which makes a direct or indirect investment in any ordinary residential property project located in specified cities where the property prices are considered to have risen too fast, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Jinan and Chengdu, where the Company operates. In addition, a private equity and asset management plan may not be used to finance any real estate developer, whether in the form of bank entrusted loans, trust plans or transfers of beneficial interests in assets, for the purpose of acquiring land use rights or supplementing working capital.
On August 20, 2020, PBOC and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, or the “MOHURD,” jointly held a conference with 12 major real estate development companies in China. At the conference, PBOC and MOHURD proposed a pilot plan to regulate the financing activity of real estate development companies. The pilot plan sets three goals for real estate development companies: the debt asset ratio will not exceed 70% after deducting advance proceeds from projects sold; net debt to equity ratio will not exceed 100%; and the ratio of balance of cash and cash equivalent to short-term borrowings will be at least 1. Based on the number of goals completed, the upper limit of annual growth rate of interest-bearing liabilities of a real estate development company varies from 5% to 15%. The pilot plan was supposed to become a formal policy in 2021; nevertheless, the governmental authority has not issued any relevant regulations or policies.
On December 31, 2020, PBOC and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, or “CBIRC”, collectively issued the Notice on the Establishment of a Concentration Administration System for Real Estate Loans from Banking Financial Institutions, or the “2021 Notice”, which took effect on January 1, 2021. The 2021 Notice divides all Chinese-funded banks into five (5) levels and sets different limitation on banks in different levels to provide real estate loans. For example, the amount of outstanding real estate loans of a bank in Level 1 must not account for more than 40% of its total outstanding RMB loans, while the amount of outstanding real estate loans of a bank in Level 5 must not account for more than 12.5% of its total outstanding loans denominated in RMB.
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While the PRC government has adopted or adjusted the measures mentioned above and may adopt or adjust other measures in the future seeking to support the healthy development of the residential real estate market in China, the government policies significantly impacted the residential real estate market in the past few years. For example, a few real estate developers, such as China Evergrande Group, Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd., Yango Group Co. and us, have experienced decreasing transaction volumes in the Chinese residential real estate market, closing of certain financing opportunities and significant challenges and pressure on short-term liquidity in 2021. The crisis has also led to notable bankruptcies, with China’s largest developer, Country Garden, causing investor concerns about potential loan defaults. China Evergrande filed for U.S. bankruptcy in August 2023 while restructuring its debt, having defaulted on a massive $300 billion debt in 2021; it was ordered to liquidate by Hong Kong High Court in January 2024. We cannot assure you that the PRC government will not adopt additional and more stringent industry policies, regulations and measures in the future, nor can we assure you when or whether the existing policies and regulations will be eased or reversed, or otherwise enhanced to some extent in their implementations. If the policies remain unchanged or become more restrictive, they may continue affecting the growth rate of the Chinese residential real estate market, some of which may cause a decline in transaction volumes and average selling prices, prevent developers from raising the capital they need, increase developers’ costs to start new projects and increase the burdens on developers to secure financing on favorable terms or at all. In addition, the slowdown of China’s economic growth as well as the housing market may result in the banks and other financial institutions becoming more cautious in their lending activities, and therefore adversely impact our ability to secure financing. As a result, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
In the United States, we currently have three development projects in the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens boroughs of New York City. Pre-sale proceeds (i.e., deposits and other sales proceeds received before the conveyance of title to the buyer) cannot be used to finance project construction under local laws and regulations applicable to the New York projects, so we are financing their development through internal funds and bank loans, causing us to utilize more of our own funds to undertake larger construction debt obligations and to bear higher borrowing costs. In January 2024, two of our subsidiaries in the United States filed voluntary petitions for relief under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”
As of December 31, 2023, our contractual obligations amounted to US$3,305.1 million, primarily arising from contracted construction costs or other capital commitments for future property developments, operating lease obligations and debt obligations. Of this amount, US$1,939.8 million was due within one year.
There can be no assurance that our internally generated cash flow and external financing will be sufficient for us to meet our contractual and financing obligations in a timely manner. Due to the current measures imposed by the PRC government (as well as other measures that may be imposed in the future) which limit our access to additional capital, as well as restrictions imposed on our conduct under existing debt arrangements, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain sufficient funding to finance intended purchases of land and land use rights, develop future projects or meet other capital needs as and when required at a commercially reasonable cost or at all. Our failure to obtain adequate financing in a timely manner and on reasonable terms could severely adversely restrict our ability to complete existing projects, expand our business or repay our obligations and affect our cash flow, liquidity, financial performance and condition.
We are subject to certain restrictive covenants and risks normally associated with debt financing which may limit our ability to take certain corporate actions, including incurring additional debt, which could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We are subject to certain restrictive covenants in our loan agreements with certain commercial banks. Certain loan agreements contain covenants providing that, among other matters, we or our relevant PRC operating subsidiaries may not enter into mergers, joint ventures or restructurings, decrease our registered share capital, transfer material assets, including shares of subsidiaries, engage in material investments, liquidate, change our shareholding, or distribute dividends without the relevant lenders’ prior written consent or unless we fully settle the outstanding amounts under the relevant loan agreements. In addition, certain of our loan agreements contain cross-default clauses. If any cross-default occurs, these banks are entitled to accelerate payment of all or any part of the loan under their relevant loan agreements and to enforce all or any of the security for such loans. Further, the onshore corporate bonds issued by Xinyuan (China) Real Estate, Ltd., or “Xinyuan China”, our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, contain restrictions on certain business activities of Xinyuan China when in default on payment of interest or principal, including, among others, limitations on distributions of net income, limitations on certain expenditures, or business combination transactions. Our future bank and other borrowings may contain similar restrictions or cross-default provisions.
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Our outstanding debt securities also contain certain covenants that restrict our ability to take other corporate actions. The indentures governing our senior secured notes contain covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability and our restricted subsidiaries’ abilities (as defined in the relevant indenture) to incur additional debt or issue preferred stock, to make certain payments or investments, to pay dividends, to purchase or redeem capital stock, sell assets, or make certain other payments, subject to certain qualifications and exemptions and satisfaction of certain conditions.
As a result of any such covenants in current or future financing documents, our ability to pay dividends or other distributions on our common shares and ADSs may be limited. Such covenants may also restrict our ability to raise additional capital in the future through bank borrowings, mortgage financings, and debt and equity issuances and may restrict our ability to engage in some transactions that we believe to be of benefit to us. The occurrence of any of the above events may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results, as well as cash flow and cash that is available for distributions.
In addition, our obligations under our senior secured notes are guaranteed by various of our subsidiaries, and the guarantee by our wholly-owned subsidiary, Xinyuan Real Estate, Ltd., which indirectly holds all our assets and operations in China, is secured by a pledge of our shares of the other guarantor subsidiaries subject to limited exceptions. If we default under any of the senior secured notes, the holders thereof may enforce their claims against those shares. In such an event, the holders of the notes could gain ownership of the shares of Xinyuan Real Estate, Ltd., and, as a result, own and control all our subsidiaries in China. We conduct substantially all of our operations in China, and if we default under any of the notes, we could lose control or ownership of our assets and operations in China.
We are overdue on our debt, and we may not be able to work out a viable debt restructuring plan or otherwise maintain our liquidity and financial position. We are exposed to risks associated with our debt restructuring, and our other measures to maintain and improve our liquidity and financial position may not be successful.
As of December 31, 2023, our short-term bank loans and other debt, and current portion of long-term bank loans and other debt amounted to US$1,957.2 million. We did not make payments in full for the June 2022 Senior Secured Notes (as defined below) at maturity on June 29, 2022. The total amount due and payable, including principal and interests, was RMB545.3 million. The default also triggered cross-default of other senior notes issued by us. On August 18, 2023, eligible holders of the defaulted senior notes in the aggregate principal amount of US$307.36 million exchanged their notes and the Company delivered the September 2027 Senior Secured Notes in the aggregate principal amount of US$331.3 million due on September 30, 2027 and US$1.54 million in cash consideration in full satisfaction of the exchange consideration to those eligible holders. The carrying amount of senior notes still in default was US$393.0 million as at December 31, 2023. We also breached certain covenants relating to bank and other borrowings of US$614.0 million as of December 31, 2023. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Debt Securities—Senior Secured Notes.”
We are currently exploring a variety of measures to maintain and improve our liquidity and financial position. We have been proactively making effort to resolve debts both from domestic and foreign institutions since June 2022 and have engaged Alvarez & Marsal Corporate Finance Limited to advise on certain debt matters. We have reached or agreed into resolution or settlement with institutions through various approaches. As of December 31, 2023, we had accumulatively completed debt restructurings amounting to USD$880.6 million, including the rollover of the onshore corporate bonds issued by Xinyuan China, and an exchange offer of the senior secured notes issued by the Company completed in August 2023. The total restructuring amount mentioned above accounts for approximately 45% of the total outstanding balance of our interest-bearing debts. The average maturity extended is around 3 years. The interest saving contributes around RMB350 million annually.
However, there is no assurance as to whether such debt restructuring may be completed or successful. If we cannot work out successfully complete such debt restructuring, we may not be able to maintain our liquidity and continue our normal business operation. Even if we successfully enter into arrangements to restructure or resolve our debt, it is possible that our existing creditors and potential financing providers may impose additional conditions, increase interest rates and demand payment of extension fees or penalties in connection with such arrangements, leaving little or no value for our shareholders.
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Our auditor has issued a “going concern” audit opinion, and our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on our ability to significantly improve our liquidity position.
We experienced net losses of US$413.3 million and US$258.7 million in 2021 and 2022 and net income of US$30.5 million in 2023, respectively. We may continue to incur losses in the future. There is material uncertainty associated with our ability to continue as a going concern. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
In addition, our independent auditor has indicated in its report on our audited financial statements that there exists material uncertainty that could raise doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. These doubts regarding our ability to continue as a going concern relate to the conditions including that our ability to generate funds to meet short-term operating cash requirements and loan repayments is reliant on our ability to sell the real estate properties we hold, or to obtain alternative financing, and that the timing of these sales is uncertain and as a result the we are currently reliant on long-term investor loans being renewed when they come up for repayment. Such a “going concern” opinion could impair our ability to finance our operations through the sale of equity, incurring debt, or other financing alternatives.
Our liquidity and our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on various factors, to generate cash flows from operations and to arrange adequate financing arrangements to support our working capital requirements, and there are no assurances that we will be successful in our efforts to maintain a sufficient cash balance, report profitable operations in the future or pay our debts as they fall due, any of which could impact our ability to continue as a going concern. Any such inability to continue as a going concern may result in our shareholders losing their entire investment.
If we are unable to manage successfully our expansion into other cities in China, we will not be able to execute our business plan.
A key aspect of our historical business plan has been to expand our residential property development operations into high-growth cities in China, from our initial focus on Zhengzhou. We plan to expand into new cities as suitable opportunities arise. The development of real estate projects in other cities will impose significant demands on our management and other operational resources. Moreover, we will face additional competition and will need to establish brand recognition and market acceptance for our developments in these new markets. Each city has its unique market conditions, customer requirements and local regulations related to the local real estate industry. If we are unable to successfully develop and sell projects outside of our existing markets, our future growth may be limited and we may not generate adequate returns to cover our investments in these new markets. In addition, if we expand our operations to other cities with higher land prices, our costs may increase, which may lead to a decrease in our profit margin, or impairments resulting from land value decreases.
We are in the early stages of expanding into markets outside of China, in which we have limited or no development experience and which may require us to spend significant resources, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to succeed in any such market.
While our primary focus continues to be residential real estate markets in high-growth cities in China, we have begun expanding into other markets on an opportunistic basis. In the U.S., we currently have two completed projects, one in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn or the “New York Oosten Project” and another one in Manhattan, or the “Hudson Garden Project.” We also have an early-stage project in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York. Any change in federal income tax laws that increase the effective costs of owning a home would have an adverse effect on the demand for homes in the United States, which could negatively affect any properties we may develop in the United States. In 2014, we acquired 100% of the shares of a Malaysian company, which owns offshore landfill development rights for a total area of 170 acres (approximately 687,966 square meters). The reclamation work has been completed as of December 31, 2020. In 2018, we acquired a 50% equity stake in Madison Developments Limited, or “MDL,” the developer of the Amory Tower project (previously named as the Madison project), a 0.38-hectare (approximately 0.94 acre) development located adjacent to Canary Wharf, in London, United Kingdom. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview” for more information on our projects outside China.
Given our limited experience in markets outside of China market, it may be difficult for us to forecast accurately our future revenue and expenses related to existing and future projects in the United States, the U.K., or Malaysia. Further, locating appropriate future projects in those and other non-China markets and generating future revenue from such projects may require us to expend significant capital and management resources.
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In addition, we may not be able to develop a successful property development business in any given market. Our ability to develop a successful property developments business in any given market will depend on a number of factors including many outside of our control, such as the status of the country’s/region’s economy in general and in our target markets, consumer confidence levels, unemployment levels, interest rates and the ability of potential purchasers to obtain mortgage financing.
Our business is sensitive to the general economic conditions in the countries, cities and specific target markets in which we operate. A severe or prolonged downturn in the global economy generally and particularly in the countries or regions in which we have development projects could materially and adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
The real estate market is sensitive to general economic conditions, financial conditions, including interest rates, availability of capital, employment rates, and other economic and financial conditions in the local market and the broader region or country as well as global economic conditions. Significant downturns and instability in the global economy or in the country and local markets in which we operate or the perception that they could occur, could depress economic activity and restrict our access to capital. In addition, any such events could negatively affect our customers in one or more markets, including their access to financing or willingness to engage in a major financial transaction, such as purchasing a home. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected.
In our China markets, our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are influenced by social, economic, political and legal developments in China. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Changes in social conditions, political and economic policies of the PRC government may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.” In response to their perceived uncertainty in economic conditions, consumers might delay, reduce or cancel purchases of homes, and our homebuyers may also defer, reduce or cancel purchases of our units. We have experienced volatilities in demand from time to time in the recent years due to the strict mortgage policy and other measures taken by the PRC government to slow down the rapid increase in housing prices. To the extent any fluctuations in the Chinese economy significantly affect homebuyers’ demand for our units or change their spending habits, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
The PRC economy also faces challenges in the short to medium term. Continued turbulence in the international markets and prolonged declines in consumer spending, including home purchases, as well as any slowdown of economic growth in China, may adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Our U.S. property developments are sensitive to the general economic conditions in the United States and the condition of the U.S. housing market in particular. The U.S. housing industry is highly cyclical and is significantly affected by changes in industry conditions, as well as in global and local economic conditions, such as changes in employment and income levels, availability of financing for buyers, interest rates, levels of new and existing homes for sale demographic, trends and housing demand. Deterioration in industry conditions in the United States or in broader economic conditions could have additional material adverse effects on our business expansion in the United States and financial results.
There have been significant changes and proposed changes to the U.S. trade policies, treaties, tariffs and taxes, including trade policies and tariffs regarding China, which have created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China, as well as other countries, including with respect to the trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs that could apply to trade with those countries.
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We may be unable to acquire desired development sites at commercially reasonable costs.
Our revenue depends on the completion and sale of our projects, which in turn depends on our ability to acquire development sites. Our land costs are a major component of our cost of real estate sales and increases in such costs could diminish our gross margin. In China, the PRC government controls the supply of land and regulates land sales and transfers in the secondary market. As a result, the policies of the PRC government, including those related to land supply and urban planning, affect our ability to acquire, and our costs of acquiring, land use rights for our projects. In recent years, the PRC government has introduced various measures attempting to moderate investment in the property market in China. Although we believe that these measures are generally targeted at the luxury property market and speculative purchases of land and properties, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not introduce other measures in the future that would adversely affect our ability to obtain land for development. We currently acquire our development sites primarily by bidding for government land, supplemented in some instances by direct negotiations with local governments prior to land auctions or by acquisition of local developers or by investment in an entity that holds land use rights or by cooperating with our business partners through joint ventures and associated companies. Under current regulations, land use rights acquired from government authorities for commercial and residential development purposes must be purchased through a public tender, auction or listing-for-sale. Competition in these bidding processes has resulted in higher land use rights costs for us over the past few years, and we may not successfully obtain desired development sites due to the increasingly intense competition in the bidding processes. Moreover, the supply of potential development sites in any given city will diminish over time, and we may find it increasingly difficult to identify and acquire attractive development sites at commercially reasonable costs in the future.
We rely on third-party contractors who may not perform at acceptable quality levels or in a timely manner.
Substantially all of our project construction and related work are outsourced to third-party contractors, and their performance may not meet our level of standards or specifications. Negligence, delay or poor work quality by contractors may result in defects in our buildings or residential units, which could in turn cause us to suffer financial losses, harm our reputation or expose us to third-party claims. If the performance of any third-party contractor is not satisfactory or is delayed, we may need to replace such contractor or take other actions to remedy the situation, which could adversely affect the cost and construction progress of our projects, and which could cause the completion of our property developments to be delayed. We work with multiple contractors on different projects and cannot guarantee that we can effectively monitor their work at all times. Although our construction and other contracts contain provisions designed to protect us, we may be unable to successfully enforce these rights and, even if we are able to successfully enforce these rights, the third-party contractors may not have sufficient financial resources to compensate us. Moreover, the contractors may undertake projects from other property developers, engage in risky undertakings or encounter financial or other difficulties, such as supply shortages, labor disputes or work accidents, which may cause delays in the completion of our property projects or increases in our costs. In addition, consistent with what we believe is the customary industry practice in China, our contractors typically do not maintain insurance coverage on our properties under construction.
We may be unable to complete our property developments on time or at all and any construction delays, or failure to complete a project according to our planned specifications or budget, may delay our property sales, which could adversely affect our revenue, cash flows and our reputation.
The progress and costs for a development project can be adversely affected by many factors, including, without limitation:
| · | delays in obtaining necessary licenses, permits or approvals from government agencies or authorities; |
| · | changes in government policies, rules or regulations; |
| · | shortages of materials, equipment, contractors and skilled labor or increased labor or raw material costs; |
| · | disputes with our third-party contractors; |
| · | failure by our third-party contractors to comply with our designs, specifications or standards; |
| · | difficult geological situations or other geotechnical issues; |
| · | onsite labor disputes or work accidents; |
| · | natural catastrophes or adverse weather conditions, including strong winds, storms, floods, and earthquakes; and |
| · | geopolitical challenges and uncertainties (including wars and other forms of conflict, terrorist acts and security operations), such as the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the severe economic sanctions and export controls imposed by the U.S. and other governments against Russia and Russian interests. |
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Any construction delays, or failure to complete a project according to our planned specifications or budget, may delay our property sales, which could adversely affect our revenue, cash flows and our reputation.
Under PRC laws and regulations and our pre-sale contracts, we are required to compensate purchasers for late delivery of or failure to complete our pre-sold units. If the delay extends beyond the contractually specified period, the purchasers may become entitled to terminate the pre-sale contracts and claim damages. We are also unable to guarantee that any legal proceedings or renegotiations resulting from delays or failures to deliver will have a favorable outcome. For more information, see “—We may become involved in legal and other proceedings from time to time and may suffer significant liabilities or other losses as a result.”
Proceeds from pre-sale of our properties are an important source of financing for our property developments. Under PRC laws, we are not permitted to commence pre-sale until we have completed certain stages of the construction process for a project. Consequently, a significant delay in the construction of a project could restrict our ability to pre-sell our properties, which could extend the recovery period for our capital outlay. This, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our cash flow, business and financial position.
Changes of laws and regulations with respect to pre-sale may adversely affect our cash flow position and performance.
We depend on cash flows from pre-sale of properties as an important source of funding for our property development projects. Under current PRC laws and regulations, property developers must fulfill certain conditions before they can commence pre-sale of the relevant properties and may only use pre-sale proceeds to finance the construction of the specific developments. In addition, a number of provinces and cities in which we are operating business, such as Tianjin, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Qingdao, have established local rules and conditions for the pre-sale permits application, especially for the custody of pre-sale funds. Such local regulatory measures have not materially affected or restricted our operation or our use of pre-sale funds yet. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC national government or the local governmental authorities will not implement further restrictions on the pre-sale of properties, which may affect our cash flow position and force us to seek alternative sources of funding for much of our property development business.
The results of our operations may fluctuate from period to period as we derive our revenue principally from the sale of properties and we rely on our unsold inventory of units.
We derive the majority of our revenue from the sale of properties that we have developed. Our results of operations tend to fluctuate from period to period due to a combination of factors, including the overall schedule of our property development projects, the timing of the sale of properties that we have developed, the size of our land bank, our revenue recognition policies and changes in costs and expenses, such as land acquisition and construction costs. The number of properties that we can develop or complete during any particular period is limited due to the size of our land bank, the substantial capital required for land acquisition and construction, as well as the development periods required before positive cash flows may be generated. For real estate sales contracts for which we have an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date, revenue is recognized over time by measuring the progress towards complete satisfaction of that performance obligation. Otherwise, revenue is recognized at a point in time when the customer obtains control of the asset. In addition, several properties that we have developed or that are under development are large scale and developed in multiple phases over the course of one to several years. The selling prices of the residential units in larger-scale property developments tend to change over time, which may impact our sales proceeds and, accordingly, our revenue for any given period. Furthermore, our property development projects may be delayed or adversely affected by a combination of factors beyond our control, which may in turn adversely affect our revenue recognition and consequently our cash flows or results of operations. As a result of the fluctuations in our operating results, our period-to-period comparisons of results of operations and cash flow positions may not be indicative of our future results of operations and may not be taken as meaningful measures of our financial performance for any specific period.
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The recognition of our real estate revenue and costs is dependent upon our estimation of our total project revenue and costs.
For real estate sales contracts for which we have an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date, revenue is recognized over time by measuring the progress towards complete satisfaction of that performance obligation. Otherwise, revenue is recognized at a point in time when the customer obtains control of the asset. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—A. Operating Results—Critical Accounting Policies.” Under both methods, revenue and costs are calculated based on an estimation of total project costs and total project revenue, which are revised on a regular basis as the work progresses. Any material deviation between actual and estimated total project revenue and costs may result in an increase, a reduction or an elimination of reported revenue or costs from period to period, which will affect our gross profit and net income.
We face risks related to our back-to-back loans.
With our operations in the U.S. markets and now other non-PRC jurisdictions, we have seen and expect to continue to experience an increasing need of non-RMB financings with respect to project developments and future expansions. We currently satisfy our non-RMB denominated financing requirements through four ways: dividends distributions from our PRC subsidiaries, which are subject to 10% withholding tax payment, back-to-back loan arrangements, high-yield bond issuances and construction loan financing from local banks. Under back-to-back loan arrangements, our PRC subsidiaries make deposits denominated in RMB into banks in China as collateral to request the banks in China to issue standby letters of credit denominated in U.S. dollars or other currencies in the same amount as the RMB collateral to their outbound branches, and our project companies outside the PRC enter into loans denominated in U.S. dollars or other currencies with such outbound branches in the same amount specified in such standby letters of credit in accordance with to the Provisions on the Administration of Foreign Exchange for Cross-border Guarantee issued by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the People’s Republic of China, or the “SAFE,” effective June 1, 2014. SAFE registration requirements apply to overseas back-to-back loan arrangements and the use of proceeds of such loans must comply with certain requirements. On August 4, 2017, the National Development and Reform Commission, or the “NDRC,” Ministry of Commerce, or the “MOFCOM,” PBOC and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the “MFA,” jointly issued Guiding Opinions on Further Directing and Regulating the Direction of Overseas Investments, or “Opinion 74.” Under Opinion 74, outbound investment into real estate industry is restricted. The back-to-back loan arrangement may face strict scrutiny by banks in China. Any change in laws or regulations to restrict or forbid back-to-back loan transactions in the future may adversely affect our non-PRC companies’ financing. In addition, we are exposed to exchange rate fluctuation and foreign exchange control risks under the current back-to-back loan model, which may adversely affect our business condition and results of operation.
We rely on our key management members and the loss of their services or investor confidence in such personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We depend on the services provided by key management members. Competition for management talent is intense in the property development sector. We rely on the leadership, expertise, experience and vision of our directors and senior management team. In particular, we are highly dependent on Mr. Yong Zhang, our founder and Chairman. We do not maintain key employee insurance. In the event that we lose the services of any key management member, we may be unable to identify and recruit suitable successors in a timely manner or at all, which will adversely affect our business and operations and we may incur additional expenses to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel. Moreover, we may need to employ and retain more management personnel to support an expansion into high-growth cities on a much larger geographical scale as well as our expansion in the U.S., Malaysia, the U.K. and other areas. If we cannot attract and retain suitable personnel, especially at the management level, our business and future growth will be adversely affected.
15
We provide guarantees for the mortgage loans of our customers in China, which expose us to risks of default by our customers.
We pre-sell properties before actual completion and, in accordance with PRC industry practice, our customers’ mortgage banks require us to guarantee our customers’ mortgage loans. Typically, we provide guarantees to PRC banks with respect to loans procured by the purchasers of our properties for the total mortgage loan amount until the completion of the registration of the mortgage with the relevant mortgage registration authorities, which generally occurs within six to 12 months after the purchasers take possession of the relevant properties. In line with what we believe to be industry practice, we rely on the credit evaluation conducted by mortgagee banks and do not conduct our own independent credit checks on our customers. The mortgagee banks typically require us to maintain, as restricted cash, up to 10% of the mortgage proceeds paid to us as security for our obligations under such guarantees. If a purchaser defaults on its payment obligations during the term of our guarantee, the mortgagee bank may deduct the delinquent mortgage payment from the security deposit. If the delinquent mortgage payments exceed the security deposit, the banks may require us to pay the excess amount. If multiple purchasers’ default on their payment obligations, we will be required to make significant payments to the banks to satisfy our guarantee obligations. Factors such as a significant decrease in housing prices, increase in interest rates or the occurrence of natural catastrophes, among others, could result in a purchaser defaulting on its mortgage payment obligations. If we are unable to resell the properties underlying defaulted mortgages on a timely basis or at prices higher than the amounts of our guarantees and related expenses, we will suffer financial losses. We paid US$3,723,398, US$4,068,840 and US$2,286,938 to satisfy guarantee obligations related to customer defaults in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.
As of December 31, 2022 and 2023, our outstanding guarantees in respect of our customers’ mortgage loans amounted to US$2,110.5 million and US$1,926.4 million, respectively. If substantial defaults by our customers occur and we are called upon to honor our guarantees, our financial condition, cash flow and results of operations will be materially adversely affected.
Our level of indebtedness could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, diminish our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations and limit our ability to explore business opportunities.
As of December 31, 2023, the outstanding balance of our total indebtedness amounted to US$1,957.2 million. Our level of indebtedness could have an adverse effect on us. For example, it could:
| · | require us to dedicate a large portion of our cash flow from operations as well as the proceeds from certain financings and asset dispositions to fund payments of our debt, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes; |
| · | make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations under our debt securities and other indebtedness; |
| · | increase our vulnerability to adverse general economic or industry conditions; |
| · | limit our flexibility in planning for, or relating to, changes in our business or the industry in which we operate; |
| · | limit our ability to raise additional debt or equity capital in the future or increase the cost of such funding; |
| · | restrict us from making strategic acquisitions, exploring business opportunities or selling assets; |
| · | place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to any competitors that have less debt; and |
| · | make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt. |
Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future, which in turn is dependent on various factors. For a discussion of these factors, see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects — A. Operating Results — Principal Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations.”
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Our financing costs are subject to changes in interest rates.
The rates of interest payable on our PRC long-term bank loans are adjustable based on the range of 92.63% to 189.47% of the PBOC benchmark rate, which fluctuates from time to time. As of December 31, 2023, the principal amount of our aggregate outstanding variable rate debt was US$777.8 million. A hypothetical 1% increase in annual interest rates would increase our interest expenses by US$7.78 million based on our debt level on December 31, 2023. In connection with our U.S. projects and U.K. projects, we enter into U.S. dollar and British pound denominated loans, which will subject us to additional interest rate fluctuation risks, including fluctuations of the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, and the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR. For a further discussion of interest rate sensitivity, see “Item 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk—Interest Rate Risk.”
We are subject to potential environmental liability.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations concerning the protection of health and the environment. The particular environmental laws and regulations that apply to any given development site vary significantly according to the site’s location and environmental condition, the present and former uses of the site and the nature of the adjoining properties. Environmental laws and conditions may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance and other costs and can prohibit or severely restrict project development activity in environmentally-sensitive regions or areas. Although the environmental investigations conducted by local PRC environmental authorities have not revealed any environmental liability related to our China projects that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations to date, it is possible that these investigations did not reveal all environmental liabilities and that there are material environmental liabilities of which we are unaware. We cannot assure you that future environmental investigations will not reveal material environmental liability. Also, we cannot assure you that the PRC, United States, Malaysian or U.K. governments will not change the existing laws and regulations or impose additional or stricter laws or regulations, the compliance of which may cause us to incur significant capital expenditure. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Environmental Matters.”
17
Our business expansion and business diversification require proper allocation of our management resources and qualified employees.
In recent years, we expanded our operations into the U.S., Malaysia and the U.K. while also expanding our operations in China. Such expansion, with more diversified business focuses in terms of market regions and types of business, demand proper allocation of our management resources. In addition, our Malaysia acquisition which involves land reclamation activities, our acquisitions of Beijing Ruizhuo Xitou Development Co., Ltd., or “Xitou,” Beijing Ruizhuo Xichuang Technology Development Co., Ltd., or “Xichuang,” and Beijing I-Journey Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., or “I-Journey,” which extends the Group’s business to providing real estate and property management related technology services, in which we have no prior experience and which presents risks we have not previously encountered or dealt with, may require additional skill sets on the part of our management. If our management fails to satisfy these increased demands, we may not be able to carry out our business expansion and project development successfully. In addition, if we are unable to recruit or retain a sufficient number of qualified employees for the continuation and expansion of our business, our business and prospects may be adversely affected.
New lines of business or new products and services may subject us to additional risks.
From time to time, we may implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within existing lines of business. There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. There may be license and compliance requirements regarding new lines of business, including special requirements for foreign-invested enterprises. The development and marketing of new lines of business or new products and services could distract our management from our core business. In addition, we may invest significant time and resources into these new lines of business or new products and services. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business or new products and services may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. External factors, such as compliance with regulations, competitive alternatives, and shifting market preferences, may also impact the successful implementation of a new line of business or a new product or service. Furthermore, any new line of business or new product or service could have a significant impact on the effectiveness of our system of internal control. Particularly, we cannot assure that our investment in certain technology development activities, including our development of smart home technology products, cloud-based enterprise resource planning software and online property sales platform will be successful or have positive impacts on our business. Failure to successfully manage these risks in the development and implementation of new lines of business or new products or services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Failure to maintain the security of our information and technology networks, including personally identifiable and customer information, as well as uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of cybersecurity review procedures and proprietary business information, could significantly adversely affect us.
In China, the government is still ramping up regulations with regard to personal information protection. On October 1, 2020, the Information Security Technology—Personal Information Security Specification (GB/T 35273-2020), or the “2020 Specification,” took effect. Although the 2020 Specification is a recommended guideline, and it is not enforceable by law, the authority will use this standard to evaluate our compliance with China’s legal guidelines and regulations regarding personal information protection. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or “SCNPC,” promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC, or the “Personal Information Protection Law,” which integrates various rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection. The Personal Information Protection Law, which took effect on November 1, 2021, seeks to protect the personal information rights and interests, regulating the processing of personal information, ensuring the orderly and free flow of personal information in accordance with the law and promoting the reasonable use of personal information. The Personal Information Protection Law applies to the processing of personal information within China, as well as certain personal information processing activities conducted by entities outside China for natural persons within China, including those for the provision of products and services to natural persons within China or for the analysis and assessment of acts of natural persons within China. The Personal Information Protection Law provides severe punishment for violations of the regulations relating to the processing of personal information.
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The relevant regulatory authorities in China continue to monitor websites and networks in relation to the protection of personal data, privacy and information security, and may impose additional requirements from time to time. For example, the SCNPC promulgated the PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law provides for a security review procedure for data that may affect national security. Furthermore, on December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the “CAC,” the NDRC, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the “MIIT,” and several other administrations jointly published the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which became effective on February 15, 2022. The Measures for Cybersecurity Review provide that certain operators of critical information infrastructure engaged in the purchasing of network products and services, and certain network platform operators carrying out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, must apply with the Cybersecurity Review Office to conduct a cybersecurity review. On July 30, 2021, the State Council issued the Security Protection Regulations for Critical Information Infrastructure, or the “Regulation for CII,” which became effective on September 30, 2021. The Regulation for CII specifies that CII refers to important Internet facilities and information systems in significant industries, such as public communication, information services, energy, traffic, hydraulic engineering, financing, public services, e-government, national defense technology, and other facilities that once destroyed, lost function or data leakage, may seriously endanger national security, national economy, people’s livelihood, and public interest. However, the scope of operators of “critical information infrastructure” under the current regulatory regime remains unclear and is subject to further decisions of competent PRC regulatory authorities.
On November 14, 2021, the CAC published a draft version of the Administrative Measures for Internet Data Security, or the “Draft Measures for Internet Data Security,” which propose that data processors conducting the following activities would also need to apply for cybersecurity review procedures: (i) mergers, reorganizations or divisions of Internet platform operators that have acquired a large number of data resources related to national security, economic development or public interests that affect or may affect national security; (ii) overseas listings, if the data processor processes an amount of personal information relating to over one million users; (iii) listings in Hong Kong which affect or may affect national security; or (iv) other data processing activities that affect or may affect national security. There currently is no public timetable as to when or whether the Draft Measures for Internet Data Security will be enacted. As such, substantial uncertainties still exist with respect to the potential timing of obligations, the regulation’s final content, as well as its interpretation and implementation. Regardless of such uncertainties, if in the future these or other regulations were to require us to perform a cybersecurity review, then any failure to obtain approval or clearance from the regulatory authorities with respect to our cybersecurity review could materially constrain our liquidity and have a material adverse impact on our business operations and financial results, especially if any additional capital or financing were to be needed.
The PRC regulatory authorities have also undertaken recent efforts to enhance the supervision and regulation of cross-border data transmissions. On July 7, 2022, the CAC promulgated the Measures for the Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transmission, which came into effect on September 1, 2022 and regulate security assessment procedures with respect to cross-border data transfers by data processors of important data and personal information that is collected and generated during operations within the PRC. The Measures for the Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transmission provide a six-month transition period (beginning from the regulation’s effective date) for data processors to rectify their compliance with the security assessment requirements with regard to cross-border data transfers carried out before these measures take effect (September 1, 2022). On March 22, 2024, the CAC issued the long-awaited Provisions on Facilitating and Regulating Cross-Border Data Transfers, effective as of the same date. The CAC simultaneously updated the Guidelines to Applications for Security Assessment of Outbound Data Transfers and the Guidelines for Filing the Standard Contract for Outbound Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Information to harmonize the current rules applicable to cross-border data transfers. These regulations benefit many multinational companies that are involved in the transfer of personal information and other data out of China. The essence of these regulations consists of exceptions to existing data compliance requirements (such as the need to conduct “security assessments” and to complete “standard contracts”) set out under pre-existing laws and regulations concerning outbound cross-border data transfers.
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Regulatory requirements on cybersecurity and data privacy are constantly evolving and can be subject to varying interpretations or significant changes, resulting in uncertainties about the scope of our responsibilities in that regard. In particular, the Draft Measures for Internet Data Security are still uncertain and in a draft state, and we cannot assure that, once implemented (if they are ever implemented), relevant governmental authorities will not interpret or implement this and other laws or regulations in ways that may negatively affect us. Security breaches and other disruptions of our information and technology networks could compromise our information and expose us to liability, reputational harm and significant remediation costs, which could cause material harm to our business and financial results. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including our proprietary business information, and information relating to our customers and information of our employees, contractors and vendors, in our networks. Despite our security measures, and those of our third-party service providers, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by third parties or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. A significant theft, loss, corruption, exposure, fraudulent use or misuse of customer, employee or other personally identifiable or proprietary business data, noncompliance with our contractual or other legal obligations regarding such data could result in significant remediation and other costs, fines, litigation or regulatory actions against us. Such an event could additionally disrupt our operations, harm our relationships with contractors and vendors, damage our reputation, result in the loss of a competitive advantage, which could adversely affect our business, revenue, competitive position and investor confidence. Additionally, we rely on third parties to support our information and technology networks, and as a result have less direct control over our data and information technology systems. These third parties are also vulnerable to security breaches and compromised security systems, for which we may not be indemnified and which could materially adversely affect us.
We may fail to obtain or maintain, or may experience material delays in obtaining, necessary government approvals for any major property development, which will adversely affect our business.
The real estate industry in China is strictly regulated by the PRC government. Property developers in China must abide by various laws and regulations, including implementation rules implemented by local governments to enforce these laws and regulations. Before commencing, and during the course of, development of a property project, we need to apply for or renew various licenses, permits, certificates and approvals, including but not limited to, land use rights certificates, construction site planning permits, construction work planning permits, construction permits, pre-sale permits and completion acceptance certificates. We need to satisfy various requirements to obtain these approval certificates and permits, and to meet specific conditions in order for the government authorities to renew relevant approval certificates and permits. We cannot guarantee that we will not encounter serious delays or difficulties in the future. Some of our subsidiaries were not in compliance with certain construction or pre-sale PRC laws and regulations, such as commencing construction works and pre-sale before obtaining the requisite approvals or permits. Although we have improved our internal control procedures, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to adapt to new rules and regulations that may come into effect from time to time with respect to the property industry or that we will not encounter material delays or difficulties in fulfilling the necessary conditions to obtain and/or renew all necessary certificates or permits for our operations in a timely manner, or at all, in the future. In the event that we fail to obtain the necessary governmental approvals for any of our major property projects, or a serious delay occurs in the government’s examination and approval process, we may not be able to maintain our development schedule and our business and cash flows may be adversely affected.
Moreover, as the real estate industry is closely monitored by the PRC government, we anticipate that new policies will be promulgated from time to time in relation to the conditions for issuance or renewal of such approvals, licenses or permits. We cannot guarantee that such new policies will not present unexpected obstacles toward our ability to obtain or renew the required permits, licenses and certificates or that we will be able to overcome these obstacles in a timely manner, or at all. Loss of or failure to renew our permits, licenses and certificates may stall the progress of our major property development projects.
If (i) we or our subsidiaries, do not receive or maintain any permission or approval required of us or our subsidiaries, (ii) we or our subsidiaries inadvertently concluded that certain permissions or approvals have been acquired or are not required, or (iii) applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations thereof change, and we or our subsidiaries become subject to the requirement of additional permissions or approvals in the future, we may have to expend significant time and costs to procure them. If we are unable to do so, in a timely manner or otherwise, we may become subject to sanctions imposed by the PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines, penalties, and proceedings against us, and other forms of sanctions, and our ability to conduct our business, invest in mainland China as foreign investments or accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. or other overseas exchange may be restricted, our business, reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected, and the value of our ADSs could significantly decline or become worthless.
20
Regulations in the United States could increase the cost and limit the availability of our project development in these jurisdictions and adversely affect our business or financial results.
As we expand our business in the U.S., we will continue to be subject to extensive and complex regulations in these jurisdictions that affect land development and home construction, including zoning, density restrictions, building design and building standards, as well as environmental laws. These regulations often provide broad discretion to the administering governmental authorities as to the conditions we must meet prior to being approved, if approved at all. We are subject to determinations by these authorities as to the adequacy of water and sewage facilities, roads and other local services. New housing developments may also be subject to various assessments for public improvements. Any of these regulatory issues can limit or delay construction and increase our operating costs. We are also subject to a variety of local, state and/or federal laws and regulations concerning protection of health, safety and the environment. These matters may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance, remediation, mitigation and other costs or subject us to costs from fines, penalties and related litigation. These laws and regulations can also prohibit or severely restrict development and homebuilding activity in environmentally sensitive areas.
Increases in the price of raw materials or labor costs may increase our cost of sales and reduce our earnings.
We outsource the design and construction of our projects under development to third-party service providers. Our third-party contractors are responsible for providing labor and procuring almost all of the raw materials used in our project developments. Our PRC construction contracts typically provide for fixed or capped payments, but the payments are subject to changes in PRC government-suggested prices for certain raw materials we use, such as steel and cement. In addition, China’s overall economy and the average wage in China have increased in recent years and are expected to grow in the near future. The average wage level for the employees has also increased for the past periods. Any increase in raw materials costs, labor costs or other costs which may result in adjustments in payments under any of our construction contracts could result in an increase in our construction costs. In the event that the price of any raw materials, including cement, concrete blocks and bricks, or labor cost increase in the future, such increase could be passed on to us by our contractors, and our construction costs would increase accordingly. Passing such increased costs to our customers may result in reduced sales and delay our ability to complete sales for our projects. Any input cost increase could reduce our earnings to the extent we are unable to pass these increased costs to our customers.
Retail and commercial investment properties and properties held for sale are generally illiquid investments and the lack of alternative uses of such properties could limit our ability to respond to changes in the performance of our properties.
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 86,951, 116,288, 12,187, 18,936 and 3,904 square meters of retail investment properties in Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Changsha, Chengdu and Kunshan, in China, and approximately 28,090 square feet of retail investment properties in New York, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we also had four projects under construction at which we plan to develop commercial property for lease with a planned GFA of approximately 203,270 square meters. We anticipate that we may prudently and gradually increase our retail and commercial investment properties as appropriate opportunities arise in the future. Any form of real estate investment is difficult to liquidate and, as a result, our ability to sell our properties in response to changing economic, financial and investment conditions is limited. In addition, we may also need to incur operating and capital expenditures to manage and maintain our properties, or to correct defects or make improvements to these properties before selling them. We cannot assure you that we can obtain financing at a reasonable cost for such expenditures, or at all.
Furthermore, aging of retail and commercial investment properties or properties held for sale, changes in economic and financial conditions or changes in the competitive landscape in the PRC or U.S. property markets, may adversely affect the amounts of rentals and revenue we generate from, as well as the fair value of, these properties. However, our ability to convert any of these properties to alternative uses is limited as such conversion requires extensive governmental approvals in the PRC or may require zoning or other approvals in the United States and involves substantial capital expenditures for the purpose of renovation, reconfiguration and refurbishment. We cannot assure you that such approvals and financings can be obtained when needed. These and other factors that impact our ability to respond to adverse changes in the performance of our retail and commercial investment properties, as well as properties held for sale, may adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.
21
We may be adversely affected by material issues that affect our relationships or business ventures with our joint venture and associated company partners.
We have partnered with a number of business partners and established joint ventures with third parties and may continue to do so in the future. The performance of such business ventures has affected, and will continue to affect, our results of operations and financial position. We and our business venture partners provided capital to our jointly established project companies in proportion to our shareholding percentages in order to fund such project companies’ land acquisition efforts and working capital requirements. Once these project companies commence pre-sale and generate cash flow, they will repay such capital to us on demand. Therefore, the timing of such business ventures’ capital requirements, the financial performance of these business ventures and their ability to repay may materially and adversely affect our results of operations. With respect to our subsidiaries with minority interest holders, our consolidated financial results may be directly impacted and the profit attributable to our Group may be diluted. With respect to joint ventures and associates, we generally expect to incur share of loss in such joint ventures or associates until their respective development of property projects completes and starts to contribute revenue. As of December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, we had a total of 16, 14 and 14 joint ventures, respectively.
We may engage in joint ventures, which could result in unforeseen expenses or disruptive effects on our business.
From time to time, we have engaged and may consider engaging in joint ventures with other businesses to develop a property. Any joint venture that we determine to pursue will be accompanied by a number of risks. We may not be in a position to exercise sole decision-making authority regarding the joint ventures. We may not be able to control the quality of products produced by the joint venture. Depending on the terms of the joint venture agreement, we may require the consent of our joint venture partners for the joint venture to take certain actions, such as making distributions to the partners. A joint venture partner may encounter financial difficulties and become unable to meet obligations with regard to funding of the joint venture. In addition, our joint venture partners and the joint ventures themselves may hold different views or have different interests from ours, and therefore may compete in the same market with us, in which case our interest and future development may be materially adversely affected. Further, since we may not have full control over the business and operations of our joint ventures and associated companies, we cannot assure that they will be in strict compliance with all applicable PRC laws and regulations. We cannot assure you that we will not encounter problems with respect to our joint ventures and associated companies or our joint ventures and associated companies will not violate PRC laws and regulations, which may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition.
Any future investments or acquisitions could expose us to unforeseen risks or place additional strain on the management and other resources.
As part of our business strategy, we regularly evaluate investments in, or acquisitions of, subsidiaries, joint ventures, and we expect that we will continue to make such investments and acquisitions in the future. Any potential future acquisition may be accompanied by a number of risks, including risks relating to the evolving legal landscape in China. An acquired business may underperform relative to expectations or may expose us to unexpected liabilities. Acquisitions of entities that own real estate may involve risks in addition to the risks inherent in a real estate acquisition, because the acquisition of an entity generally includes all of the liabilities of the entity — known and unknown, fixed and contingent — rather than only the liabilities related to the real estate. These liabilities, which could be material, may include liabilities not disclosed by the seller of the entity or not discovered during our due diligence. In addition, the integration of any acquisition could require substantial management attention and resources. If we were unable to successfully manage the integration and ongoing operations, or hire and retain additional personnel necessary for the running of the expanded business, the results of our operations and financial performance could be adversely affected.
Acquisitions may result in the incurrence and inheritance of debts and other liabilities, assumption of potential legal liabilities in respect of the acquired businesses, and incurrence of impairment charges related to goodwill and other intangible assets, any of which could harm our businesses, financial condition and results of operations. In particular, if any of the acquired businesses fails to perform as we expect, we may be required to recognize a significant impairment charge, which may materially and adversely affect our businesses, financial condition and results of operations. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to achieve the strategic purpose of any acquisition, the desired level of operational integration or our investment return target.
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Our failure to successfully manage our business expansion would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and prospects.
Our expansion has created, and will continue to place, substantial demand on our resources. Managing our growth and integrating the acquired businesses will require us to, among other things:
| · | comply with the laws, regulations and policies applicable to the acquired businesses, including obtaining timely approval for the real estate construction as required under the PRC law; |
| · | maintain adequate control on our business expansion to prevent, among other things, project delays or cost overruns; |
| · | manage relationships with employees, customers and business partners during the course of our business expansion; |
| · | attract, train and motivate members of our management and qualified workforce to support successful business expansion; |
| · | access debt, equity or other capital resources to fund our business expansion, which may divert financial resources otherwise available for other purposes; |
| · | divert significant management attention and resources from our other businesses; and |
| · | strengthen our operational, financial and management controls, particularly those of our newly acquired subsidiaries, to maintain the reliability of our reporting processes. |
Any difficulty meeting the foregoing or similar requirements could significantly delay or otherwise constrain our ability to implement our expansion plans or result in failure to achieve the expected benefits of the combination or acquisition or write-offs of acquired assets or investments, which in turn would limit our ability to increase operational efficiency, reduce costs or otherwise strengthen our market position. Failure to obtain the intended economic benefits from the business expansion could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, we may also experience mixed results from our expansion plans in the short term.
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Regulations in the PRC may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.
A number of PRC laws and regulations have established procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities in China by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the “M&A Rules,” which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended on June 22, 2009, and the Implementing Rules Concerning Security Review on the Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Investors of Domestic Enterprises, or the “Security Review Rules,” issued by MOFCOM in August 2011. These laws and regulations impose requirements in some instances that MOFCOM must be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. In addition, the Anti-Monopoly Law of PRC requires that the anti-monopoly enforcement agency be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. On February 7, 2021, the Anti-Monopoly Committee of the State Council published the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines for the Internet Platform Economy Sector, which stipulates that any concentration of undertakings involving variable interest entities is subject to anti-monopoly review. Moreover, the Security Review Rules specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and prohibit any attempt to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. On December 19, 2020, the NDRC and the MOFCOM jointly issued the Measures for the Security Review for Foreign Investment, which took effect on January 18, 2021. These measures set forth the provisions concerning the security review mechanism on foreign investment, including, among others, the types of investments subject to review, and the review scopes and procedures. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. On January 22, 2024, the Provisions of the State Council on Filing Thresholds for Business Concentrations came into effect, which raised the filing threshold concerning the revenues of parties participating in business concentrations to be consistent with the current Anti-Monopoly Law of PRC, and, to a certain degree, to alleviate the burdens of PRC regulatory compliance applicable to acquisition activities. Complying with the requirements of the relevant regulations to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including approval from the MOFCOM and other PRC government authorities, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. We believe that our business is not in an industry related to national security. However, we cannot preclude the possibility that MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish interpretations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of such security review in the future. Although we have no current plans to do so, we may elect to grow our business in the future in part by directly acquiring complementary businesses in China.
The approval of the CSRC, may be required if we intend to do a follow-on equity offering in the future, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval.
The M&A Rules require an overseas special purpose vehicle, or “SPV,” formed for listing purposes through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC persons or entities to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the “CSRC,” prior to the listing and trading of such SPV’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear, and our follow-on offering of securities may be subject to approval of the CSRC. If the CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain the approval and any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining the CSRC approval for such future offering would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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In addition, on February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Overseas Listing Trial Measures and five relevant guidelines on the application of the Regulatory Rules, which took effect on March 31, 2023, requiring the overseas securities offerings or listings of Chinese domestic companies to be filed with the CSRC. The Overseas Listing Trial Measures clarify the scope of overseas offerings or listings by Chinese domestic companies which are subject to the filing and reporting requirements thereunder, and provide, among other things, that Chinese domestic companies that have already directly or indirectly offered and listed securities in overseas markets prior to the effectiveness of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures must fulfill their filing obligations and report relevant information to the CSRC within three working days after conducting a follow-on securities offering on the same overseas market, and follow the relevant reporting requirements within three working days upon the occurrence and public disclosure of any specified circumstances provided thereunder, including any (i) change of control; (ii) investigations or sanctions imposed by overseas securities regulatory agencies or other relevant competent authorities; (iii) change of listing status or transfer of listing segment; or (iv) voluntary or mandatory delisting. In addition, where the main business of an issuer undergoes a material change after an overseas offering and listing, and is therefore beyond the scope of the business stated in the original filing documents, such issuer shall follow the relevant reporting requirements within three working days after occurrence of such changes.
As of the date of this annual report, we are not required by the CSRC to make the above filings. However, if we conduct a new issuance of securities on the stock market, we are required by the Overseas Listing Trial Measures to fulfill relevant filing obligations within three working days upon the competition of the new securities offering. If we are found in violation of these provisions or measures, the competent Chinese authorities may impose administrative regulatory measures, such as orders for correction, warnings, and fines, and may subject us to legal liability in accordance with PRC laws and regulations, which could include fines and penalties on our operations in the Chinese mainland, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our development plan may be adversely affected in the event that relocation issues related to government housing expropriations are not successfully settled by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.
We acquire property for development through bidding, auctions and listing procedures held by the government or through acquisitions of third parties. Some of the property we acquire from the government may have been made available through expropriation. On January 21, 2011, the PRC State Council issued the Regulations on the Expropriation and Compensation of Houses on State-owned Land, which provides that government entities at the city and county level are responsible for overseeing housing expropriation and compensation within their respective administrative regions. The regulations mandate that a compensation agreement be entered into between the relevant housing expropriation department and the entities or individuals whose houses have been expropriated addressing, among others things, the mode of payment and the amount of compensation, the period of payment, the removal expenses, temporary placement or transitional housing expenses, losses from the closure of business operations, the time period within which the entities or individuals must vacate the expropriated premises, the type of transitional accommodation and the period of transition. The compensation payable may not be less than the market value of property of a similar nature as of the date of issuance of the expropriation notice. Under the regulations, property developers are prohibited from participating in the relocation arrangements. Given the fact that the completion of the relocation procedures is the condition precedent for the relevant PRC governmental authorities to grant land use rights, any failure of the PRC governmental authorities in handling the relocation issues may cause substantial delays in the granting process of land use rights. If we cannot obtain the land use rights from the relevant governmental authorities in time, our development plan may be delayed, and we may not be able to complete the development and sell the property according to plan. This will, in turn, adversely affect our business operations.
We do not have insurance to cover potential losses and claims.
We do not maintain insurance policies for properties that we have delivered to our customers, and we maintain only limited insurance coverage against potential losses or damages with respect to our properties in the PRC before their delivery to customers. Although we require our contractors to carry insurance, we believe most of our contractors do not comply with this requirement. Our contractors may not be sufficiently insured themselves or have the financial ability to absorb any losses that arise with respect to our projects or pay our claims. In addition, there are certain types of losses, such as losses due to earthquakes, which are currently uninsurable in China. While we believe that our practice is in line with the general practice in the PRC property development industry, there may be instances when we will have to internalize losses, damages and liabilities because of the lack of insurance coverage, which may in turn adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, while we carry limited insurance on our operations in the United States, Malaysia and the U.K., such insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for any losses, damages and liabilities we might incur with regard to our properties.
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We may suffer a penalty or even forfeit land to the PRC government if we fail to comply with procedural requirements applicable to land grants from the government or the terms of the land use rights grant contracts.
According to the relevant PRC laws and regulations, if we fail to develop a property project according to the terms of the land use rights grant contract, including those relating to the payment of land premiums, specified use of the land and the time for commencement and completion of the property development, the PRC government may issue a warning, may impose a penalty or may order us to forfeit the land. Specifically, under current PRC laws and regulations, if we fail to pay land premiums in accordance with the payment schedule set forth in the relevant land use rights grant contract, the relevant PRC land bureau may issue a warning notice to us, impose late payment penalties or even require us to forfeit the related land to the PRC government. The late payment penalties are usually calculated based on the overdue days for the land premium payments. Furthermore, if we fail to commence development within one year after the commencement date stipulated in the land use rights grant contract, the relevant PRC land bureau may issue a warning notice to us and impose an idle land fee on the land of up to 20% of the land premium. If we fail to commence development within two years, then upon approval by the competent local branch of the PRC government, the land may be subject to forfeiture to the PRC government without any compensation. Even if the commencement of the land development is compliant with the land use rights grant contract, if the developed GFA on the land is less than one-third of the total GFA of the project that should have been under construction and development or the total capital invested is less than one-fourth of the total investment of the project and the suspension of the development of the land continues for more than one year without government approval, the land will also be treated as idle land and be subject to penalty or forfeiture.
We cannot assure you that circumstances leading to significant delays in our own land premium payments or development schedules or forfeiture of land will not arise in the future. If we pay a substantial penalty, we may not be able to meet pre-set investment targeted returns for a given project and our financial conditions could be adversely affected. If any of our land is forfeited, we will not only lose the opportunity to develop the property projects on such land, but may also lose a significant portion of the investment in such land, including land premium deposits and the development costs incurred.
Any non-compliant GFA of our uncompleted and future property developments will be subject to governmental approval and additional payments or even revocation of qualification certificate.
The local government authorities inspect property developments after their completion and issue the completion acceptance certificates if the developments are in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations. If the total constructed GFA of a property development exceeds the GFA originally authorized in the relevant land grant contracts or construction permit, or if the completed property contains built-up areas that do not conform with the plan authorized by the construction permit, the property developer may be required to pay additional amounts or take corrective actions with respect to such non-compliant GFA before a completion acceptance certificate can be issued to the property development. Furthermore, if the total constructed GFA of a property development exceeds the constructed GFA limitation specified in the real estate development qualification obtained by the property developer, the property developer may be fined up to RMB100,000, or even have its qualification certificate and business license revoked.
We obtained completion acceptance certificates for all of our completed properties as of December 31, 2023. However, we cannot be certain that local government authorities will not determine that the total constructed GFA upon completion of our existing projects under development or any future property developments exceed the relevant authorized GFA. Any such non-compliance could lead to additional payments or penalty, which would adversely affect our financial condition. We have not incurred material amounts of any such payments or penalties since the founding of our company.
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We may not be able to continue obtaining qualification certificates, which will adversely affect our business.
Real estate developers in the PRC must obtain a formal qualification certificate in order to carry on a property development business in the PRC. According to the PRC regulations issued on the qualifications of property developers, a newly established property developer must first apply for a temporary qualification certificate with a one-year validity, which can be renewed for not more than two years. If, however, the newly established property developer fails to commence a property development project within the one-year period during which the temporary qualification certificate is in effect, it will not be allowed to renew its temporary qualification certificate. All qualification certificates are subject to inspection on an annual basis and shall be renewed upon expiration. Under government regulations, developers must fulfill all statutory requirements before they may obtain or renew their qualification certificates. In accordance with the provisions of the rules on the administration of qualifications, the real estate developer qualifications are classified into four classes and the approval system for each class is tiered. A real estate developer may only engage in the development and sale of real estate within the scope of its qualification certificate. See “Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — China — Regulations on Qualifications of Developer.”
There can be no assurance that some of our project companies that are in the process of applying for or renewing proper qualification certificates will be able to obtain such certificates on a timely basis to commence their planned real estate projects development on schedule. There can be no further assurance that we and our project companies will continue to be able to extend or renew the qualification certificates or be able to successfully upgrade the current qualification class to a higher qualification. If we or our project companies are unable to obtain or renew qualification certificates, the PRC government will refuse to issue pre-sale and other permits necessary for the conduct of the property development business, and our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows will be adversely affected. In addition, if any of our project companies engages in the development and sale of real estate outside the scope of its qualification certificate, it may be ordered to rectify such conduct within a prescribed period, be fined up to RMB100,000, or even have its qualification certificate and business license revoked.
Our failure to assist our customers in applying for property ownership certificates in a timely manner may lead to compensatory liabilities to our customers and our reputation and results of operations may be thus adversely affected.
We are statutorily required to assist our customers in their application process for property ownership certificates within 90 days after delivery of property, or such other period contracted with our customers, including in the way of submitting required materials to the real estate administration of the place where the house is located within 60 days from the day of delivery, passing various governmental clearances, formalities and procedures. If we failed to submit the required materials for property right registration within such period, we may be given a disciplinary warning and be ordered to take remedial measures within specified time limit, or be fined not less than RMB20,000 but not more than RMB30,000. Besides, under our typical sales contract, we are liable for any delay in the submission of the required documents as a result of our failure to meet such requirements, and are required to compensate our customers for delays. In the case of delays of submission of required documents, we are required under contracts with our customers to pay compensation to our customers and our reputation and results of operations may be adversely affected.
The property development business is subject to claims under statutory quality warranties.
Under PRC law, all property developers in the PRC must provide certain quality warranties for the properties they construct or sell. We are required to provide these warranties to our customers. Generally, we receive quality warranties from our third-party contractors with respect to our property projects. If a significant number of claims were brought against us under our warranties and if we were unable to obtain reimbursement for such claims from third-party contractors in a timely manner or at all, or if the money retained by us to cover our payment obligations under the quality warranties was not sufficient, we could incur significant expenses to resolve such claims or face delays in remedying the related defects, which could in turn harm our reputation, and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We may become involved in legal and other proceedings from time to time and may suffer significant liabilities or other losses as a result.
We have been, in the past, and may be, in future, involved in disputes with various parties relating to the acquisition of land use rights, the development and sale of our properties or other aspects of our business and operations. These disputes may lead to legal or other proceedings and may result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management’s attention. Disputes and legal and other proceedings may require substantial time and expense to resolve, which could divert valuable resources, such as management time and working capital, delay our planned projects and increase our costs. Third parties that are found liable to us may not have the resources to compensate us for our incurred costs and damages. We could also be required to pay significant costs and damages if we do not prevail in any such disputes or proceedings. In addition, we may have disagreements with regulatory bodies in the course of our operations, which may subject us to administrative proceedings and unfavorable decrees that result in pecuniary liabilities and cause delays to our property developments. On December 19, 2023, we received subpoenas from the SEC in connection with certain loans and compensations. Any unfavorable judgment in our current legal proceedings or any involvement in further legal proceedings or disputes may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”
The relevant PRC tax authorities may challenge the basis on which we have been paying our land appreciation tax obligations and our results of operations and cash flows may be affected.
Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries engaging in property development are subject to land appreciation tax, or “LAT,” which is levied by the local tax authorities. All taxable gains from the sale or transfer of land use rights, buildings and their attached facilities in the PRC are subject to LAT at progressive rates ranging from 30% to 60%. Exemptions are available for the sale of ordinary residential properties if the appreciation values do not exceed certain thresholds specified in the relevant tax laws. Gains from the sale of commercial properties, luxury residential properties and villas are not eligible for this exemption.
We have accrued LAT payable on our property sales and transfers in accordance with the progressive rates specified in relevant tax laws, less amounts previously paid under the levy method applied by relevant local tax authorities. However, provision for LAT requires our management to use a significant amount of judgment with respect to, among other things, the anticipated total proceeds to be derived from the sale of the entire phase of the project or the entire project, the total appreciation of project value and the various deductible items. Given the time gap between the point at which we make provisions for and the point at which we settle the full amount of LAT payable, the relevant tax authorities may not necessarily agree with our apportionment of deductible expense or other bases on which we calculate LAT. As a result, our LAT expenses as recorded in our financial statements of a particular period may require subsequent adjustments. If the LAT provisions we have made are substantially lower than the actual LAT amounts assessed by the tax authorities in the future, our results of operations and cash flows will be materially and adversely affected. For a range of reasonably possible losses in excess of the amounts we have accrued for LAT, to the extent such estimates are determinable, see Note 15 of our Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Our operations may be affected by the real property taxes to be imposed by the PRC government.
According to the Interim Regulations on Real Property Tax of the PRC, or the “Real Property Tax Regulations,” which were amended on January 8, 2011, real property tax shall be paid by the property owners based on the residual value of real property following a subtraction of 10% to 30% from the original value of the property, and the specific range of subtraction, the tax payment period and the detailed implementing rules shall be decided or formulated by the local governments of provinces. Although the PRC government has been considering imposing real property tax on a nationwide scale, most of the provinces have not promulgated any detailed implementing rules about real property tax or levy the real property tax yet. In another attempt to cool the real estate market, the PRC government has designated Shanghai and Chongqing as trial regions to impose the real property tax, and in response, on January 27, 2011, both Shanghai and Chongqing implemented local rules regarding the imposition of real property tax, with these rules taking effect on January 28, 2011, with Chongqing amending its rules on January 13, 2017. On February 20, 2013, the PRC State Council, in an executive meeting, stated a new policy regarding the real property tax that the government would select more trial regions for the real property tax that year. However, most provinces still have not implemented any local rules regarding the imposition of real property tax yet. Real property tax regulations may eventually be officially implemented at the national level; any such regulation could significantly impact the real estate market. In light of these developments, we cannot guarantee that our operations will not be adversely affected.
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Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC may be subject to PRC withholding tax.
The Enterprise Income Tax Law of the PRC, or the “EIT Law,” became effective as of January 1, 2008 and was amended on February 24, 2017 and December 29, 2018, and the Implementation Rules for the EIT Law issued by the PRC State Council became effective as of January 1, 2008 and was amended on April 23, 2019. The EIT Law provides that a maximum income tax rate of 20% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC, and the State Council has reduced such rate to 10% through the Implementation for the EIT Law. We are a Cayman Islands holding company and substantially all of our income may be derived from dividends we receive from our PRC subsidiaries. Thus, dividends paid to us by our subsidiaries in China may be subject to the 10% income tax if we are considered a “non-resident enterprise” under the EIT Law. If we are required under the EIT Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our PRC subsidiaries, it will materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends received by us from our PRC subsidiaries.
We may be deemed a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the EIT Law and be subject to the PRC taxation on our worldwide income.
The EIT Law also provides that enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises” and are generally subject to the uniform 25% corporate income tax rate as to their worldwide income. Under the Implementation Rules for the EIT Law, “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances and treasury, and acquisition and disposition of properties and other assets of an enterprise. Under the Notice on the Issues Regarding Recognition of Overseas Incorporated Domestically Controlled Enterprises as PRC Resident Enterprises Based on the De Facto Management Body Criteria, or “Circular 82,” which was retroactively effective as of January 1, 2008 and amended on November 8, 2013, January 29, 2014 and December 29, 2017, an overseas incorporated, domestically-controlled enterprise will be recognized as a PRC resident enterprise if it satisfies certain conditions. Further, the State Administration of Taxation, or the “SAT,” issued the Administrative Measures of Enterprise Income Tax of Chinese-controlled Offshore Incorporated Resident Enterprises (Trial), or “Bulletin 45,” which became effective on September 1, 2011, and was amended on April 17, 2015, June 28, 2016 and June 15, 2018, to provide further guidance on the implementation of Circular 82. Bulletin 45 clarified certain issues relating to the determination of PRC tax resident enterprise status, post-determination by administration and the authorities responsible for determining offshore-incorporated PRC tax resident enterprise status. Bulletin 45 specifies that when provided with a copy of a Chinese tax resident determination certificate issued by the in-charge tax authorities from an offshore-incorporated PRC tax resident enterprise, the payer should not withhold 10% income tax when paying Chinese-sourced dividends, interest and royalties to the offshore incorporated PRC tax resident enterprise. However, as Circular 82 and Bulletin 45 only apply to enterprises incorporated under laws of foreign jurisdictions that are controlled by PRC enterprises or groups of PRC enterprises, it remains unclear how the tax authorities will determine the location of “de facto management bodies” for overseas incorporated enterprises that are controlled by individual PRC residents or non-PRC enterprises such as our company. It is still unclear whether PRC tax authorities would require us to be treated as a PRC resident enterprise. If we are treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes, we will be subject to PRC tax on our worldwide income at the 25% uniform tax rate, which could have an impact on our effective tax rate and an adverse effect on our net income and results of operations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the EIT Law also provides that, if a PRC resident enterprise already invests in another PRC resident enterprise, the dividends received by the investing resident enterprise from the invested resident enterprise will be exempt from PRC income tax, subject to certain qualifications. Therefore, if we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise, the dividends received from our PRC subsidiaries may be exempt from income tax in China. However, it remains unclear how the PRC tax authorities will interpret the PRC tax resident treatment of an offshore company with indirect ownership interests in PRC resident enterprises through intermediary holding companies.
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Dividends payable by us to our non-PRC investors and gain on the sale of our ADSs may become subject to taxes under PRC tax laws.
Under the Implementation Rules for the EIT Law, a PRC income tax rate of 10% is applicable to dividends payable to investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or which have such establishment or place of business but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends have their sources within the PRC. Similarly, any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs by such investors is also subject to 10% PRC income tax if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. For non-PRC individual investors, under the PRC Individual Income Tax Law, if we are deemed as a PRC “resident enterprise,” there could be a PRC income tax at a rate of 20% for such dividends or gains, if such income is considered as having been derived from within China. It is unclear whether dividends we pay with respect to our ADSs, or the gain you may realize from the transfer of our ADSs, would be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and be subject to PRC tax. If we are required under the Implementation Rules for the EIT Law to withhold PRC income tax on dividends payable to our non-PRC investors that are “non-resident enterprises,” or non-PRC individuals, or if you are required to pay PRC income tax on the transfer of our ADSs, the value of your investment in our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.
Indirect Transfers of Equity Interests in PRC Tax Resident Enterprises by Non-resident Enterprises May Cause Uncertainty on Tax Liabilities.
On February 3, 2015, the SAT issued the Circular on issues of enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfer of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprise, or “Circular 7,” which extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, Circular 7 provides clear criteria for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. Circular 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. In October 2017, SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or “SAT Bulletin 37,” which came into effect on December 1, 2017. The SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer other than transfer of shares or ADSs acquired and sold on public markets may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10%. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.
We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions that involve PRC taxable assets, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under Circular 7 or SAT Bulletin 37, or both. However, since Circular 7 specifies that it does not apply if a non-resident enterprise obtains the proceeds from indirect transfer of Chinese taxable property by trading stocks of a listed foreign enterprise in the open market, for most of our investors, who either are not enterprises, or are non-resident enterprises but only trade stocks in the open market, they will not be required to pay tax under Circular 7 or SAT Bulletin 37.
If the value of our brand or image diminishes, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We intend to continue promoting the “Xinyuan” brand in selected cities in our target markets by delivering quality products and attentive real estate-related services to our customers. Our brand is integral to our sales and marketing efforts. Our continued success in maintaining and enhancing our brand and image depends to a large extent on our ability to satisfy customer needs by further developing and maintaining the quality of our services across our operations, as well as our ability to respond to competitive pressures. If we are unable to satisfy customer needs or if our public image or reputation were otherwise hindered, our business transactions with our customers may decline, which could in turn adversely affect our results of operations.
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We may be required to record impairment charges in the future.
We record our real estate properties projects, completed and under development, at the lower of carrying amounts or fair value less selling costs. In accordance with ASC 360, “Property, Plant and Equipment,” real estate property projects, completed and under development, are subject to valuation adjustments when the carrying amount exceeds fair value. An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of the assets is not recoverable and exceeds fair value. The carrying amount is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by the assets. We have not recognized any fair value losses from our real estate properties projects, completed and under development. If the projected profitability of a given project deteriorates due to a decline in the pace of unit sales, a decline in selling prices, or some other factor, such project is reviewed for possible impairment by comparing the estimated future undiscounted cash flows for the project to its carrying value. If the estimated future undiscounted cash flows are less than the project’s carrying value, the project is written down to its estimated fair value. If business conditions deteriorate, there is a potential risk that impairment charges will be recorded, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operation.
Failure to protect our brand or trademark may adversely affect our business.
We own trademarks for “鑫苑” in the form of Chinese characters and our company logo in the PRC, the United States, the U.K., EU, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Korea. We rely on those countries’ intellectual property and anti-unfair competition laws and contractual restrictions to protect brand name and trademarks. We believe our brand, trademarks and other intellectual property rights are important to our success. Any unauthorized use of our brand, trademarks and other intellectual property rights could harm our competitive advantages and business. Monitoring and preventing unauthorized use are difficult. The measures we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate. Furthermore, the application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China and abroad is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial risks to us. If we are unable to adequately protect our brand, trademarks and other intellectual property rights, our reputation may be harmed and our business may be adversely affected.
In the PRC, the registration and protection of a company’s corporate name is regional and limited to its related industry. Although we have registered our corporate name “Xinyuan” in certain provinces where we operate, we cannot prevent others from registering the same corporate name in other provinces or in other industries. If another company is the first to register “Xinyuan” as its corporate name in a province other than Beijing, Tianjin, Henan Province, Shandong Province, Jiangsu Province, Anhui Province, Sichuan Province, Hunan Province, and Shaanxi Province or in another industry, we will have to adopt another corporate name if we plan to enter that market or industry. Moreover, the use of “Xinyuan” by another company may lead to confusion in the market place and reduce the value of our brand name.
We may be subject to additional payments of statutory employee benefits.
According to PRC laws and local regulations, we are required to pay various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and childbearing insurance to designated government agents for the benefit of all our employees. Since the Social Insurance Law of the PRC came into effect on July 1, 2011, which was amended on December 29, 2018, the legal framework regulating employee social insurance has been further strengthened. The requirement of employee benefits has not been implemented consistently by the local governments in China, given the different levels of economic development in different locations. While we believe that our PRC subsidiaries have appropriately accrued for and paid statutory employee benefits, we cannot be certain the relevant PRC authorities may not interpret local requirements differently and require payments of additional employee benefit amounts in the future.
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Our property development schedule may be delayed and our development costs may increase as a result of delayed governmental demolition and resettlement processes if we were to acquire land requiring demolition of existing properties.
According to the Regulations on the Expropriation and Compensation of Houses on State-owned Land, local PRC governments are responsible for the expropriation and compensation of houses on State-owned land and may authorize entities like us to carry out the expropriation and compensation work. However, in practice, we may be required to pay the corresponding demolition and resettlement costs. If the party subject to expropriation is not satisfied with the compensation, an administrative reconsideration or an administrative action can be brought, which may delay the project. Our practice generally has been to acquire land where demolition of existing properties and resettlement of residents is not required. However, if we were to acquire land where such actions are required, issues in the demolition and resettlement processes may affect our reputation, increase our costs and delay the pre-sale of the relevant project, which may in turn adversely affect our business, financial position and operational performance.
To the extent demolition and resettlement are required in any of our future property developments, we may be required to compensate existing residents an amount calculated in accordance with local resettlement compensations standards. These local standards may change from time to time without advance notice. If such compensation standards are changed to increase the compensation we are required to pay, our land acquisition costs may increase, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In respect of projects in which the resettlement costs are borne by us, if we or the local government fail to reach an agreement over the amount of compensation with any existing owner or resident, any party may apply to the relevant authorities for a ruling on the compensation amount. Dissenting owners and residents may also refuse to relocate or even initiate legal proceedings to challenge our land use rights, permits or approvals. Any administrative process, legal proceedings, resistance or refusal to relocate may delay our future project development schedules, and an unfavorable final ruling may result in us paying more than the amount required by the local standards or even losing the relevant certificates, permits or approvals. Any occurrence of the above factors may result in increases in our future development costs or delay the development schedule of the relevant project which can adversely affect our cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.
We could be adversely affected by potential violations of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or “FCPA,” generally prohibits companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to public officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our internal policies mandate compliance with these anti-corruption laws. We operate and retain employees in China, the United States, Malaysia and the U.K., and we rely on our management structure, regulatory and legal resources and effective operation of our compliance program to direct, manage and monitor the activities of our employees. Despite our training, oversight and compliance programs, we cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures always will protect us from deliberate, reckless or inadvertent acts of our employees or agents that contravene our compliance policies or violate applicable laws. Our continued expansion in China and the United States could increase the risk of such violations in the future. Expansion into other countries could expose us to additional anti-bribery or anticorruption laws, and we could face additional risks if expand our operations into countries where the compliance culture is less robust. Violations of the FCPA, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.
Risks Related to the Residential Property Industry in China
Our operations are highly subject to government policies and regulations in the real estate market.
The real estate industry in China is subject to constant and drastic policy changes by the PRC government. Since 2010, the PRC government has been tightening its control of the real estate market with the aim of curbing increases in property prices while also, since early 2015, trying to stimulate the market to reduce inventory. A number of rules and regulations have been set forth by various PRC authorities concerning the real estate market. See “Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Regulation — China” for more details on some of the PRC regulations.
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Since 2016, the local governments of several cities in the PRC have implemented a series of measures designed to stabilize the growth of the property market on a more sustainable level. These tightening measures have affected some of the cities where we operate, including Zhengzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Jinan, Tianjin, Beijing, Xi’an and Changsha. Since 2017, certain local governments in the PRC further implemented measures to control the increase of property sale prices and stabilize the real estate market. For example, in March 2017, the municipal city of Tianjin requested non-local residents to provide social insurance certificates and individual income tax contribution certificates issued by Tianjin’s competent authorities before such non-local residents were permitted to purchase a residential property. In April 2018, Hainan province adopted measures to limit each local resident from purchasing more than one residential property. In September 2020, the city of Chengdu adopted a five-year limit for residents to transfer or sell newly purchased residential property. These measures regulate various aspects of the property market, including: (i) land acquisition financing, (ii) pre-sale management, (iii) sale price restriction (for example, Suzhou requires developers to file sale prices at the price filing systems of relevant authorities), (iv) purchaser qualification and (v) purchaser financing. These local measures may also cause adverse and material impacts on our business operations and financial results. Since 2024, many tightening measures in the above-mentioned cities have been abolished or relaxed to a certain extent. For example, in April 2024, Tianjin issued a policy providing that residents of Beijing and Hebei, and those employed in Beijing and Hebei, should be entitled to enjoy the same housing purchase policies as local residents in Tianjin. In January 2024, several cities in Hainan Province also started to relax certain aspects of the previous restrictions in those cities. For instance, in Haikou, families with multiple children are permitted to purchase an additional residential property compared to the number permitted under the previous policies. In April 2024, Chengdu completely abolished its existing restrictions on residential property purchases.
Despite the above, the PRC government can still issue and impose policies and regulatory measures on the PRC real estate sector that could limit our access to required financing and other capital resources, adversely affect the property purchasers’ involved ability to obtain mortgage financing or significantly increase the cost of mortgage financing, reduce market demand for our properties and increase our operating costs. We cannot be certain that the PRC government will not issue additional (or will not restore previously abolished or relaxed) stringent regulations or measures, or that agencies and banks will not adopt restrictive measures or practices in response to PRC governmental policies and regulations, which could substantially reduce the number of our pre-sold properties and our cash flow from operations and substantially increase our financing needs, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The PRC government has adopted various measures to regulate foreign investment in the property development industry and may adopt further restrictive measures in the future.
The PRC government has implemented a number of regulations and measures governing foreign investment in the property development industry.
In July 2006, the Ministry of Construction, MOFCOM, the NDRC, the PBOC, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, or the “SAIC,” and the SAFE, issued the Opinions on Regulating the Entry and Administration of Foreign Investment in the Real Estate Market, amended on August 19, 2015, which impose significant requirements on foreign investment in the PRC real estate sector. For instance, these opinions set forth requirements for the procedures to set up a foreign-invested real estate enterprise, or the “FIREE,” and the thresholds for a FIREE to borrow domestic or overseas loans. In addition, since June 2007, a FIREE approved by local authorities is required to file such approvals with the MOFCOM or its provincial branches. We cannot assure that any FIREE that we establish, or whose registered capital we increase, will be able to complete the filing procedures with MOFCOM in time or otherwise fully comply with those specific requirements set for FIREEs.
The regulatory restrictions imposed on foreign investment in real estate projects has been and continues to be evolving. Currently, on March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress adopted the Foreign Investment Law of the PRC, or the “FIL,” which became effective on January 1, 2020. The FIL grants national treatment to foreign invested entities, except for those foreign invested entities that operate in industries deemed to be either “restricted” or “prohibited” in a “negative list.” On December 28, 2021, the MOFCOM and the NDRC promulgated the Special Administrative Measures on the Access of Foreign Investment (Negative List) (2021 Edition), or the “2021 Negative List,” which took effect on January 1, 2022, which provide there are no specific restrictions for foreign investment in the real estate industry.
The PRC government’s restrictive regulations and measures could increase our operating costs in adapting to these regulations and measures, limit our access to capital resources or even restrict our business operations. We cannot be certain that the PRC government will not issue additional and more stringent regulations or measures, which could further adversely affect our business and prospects.
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We face intense competition from other real estate developers.
The property industry in the PRC is highly competitive. In the high-growth tier I and tier II cities we focus on, local and regional property developers are our major competitors, and an increasing number of large state-owned and private national property developers have started entering these markets. Many of our competitors, especially the state-owned and private national property developers, are well capitalized and have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we have. Some also have larger land banks, greater economies of scale, broader name recognition, a longer track record and more established relationships in certain markets. In addition, the PRC government’s recent measures designed to reduce land supply has further increased competition for land among property developers.
Competition among property developers may result in increased costs for the acquisition of land for development, increased costs for raw materials, shortages of skilled contractors, oversupply of properties, decrease in property prices in certain parts of the PRC, a slowdown in the rate at which new property developments will be approved and/or reviewed by the relevant government authorities and an increase in administrative costs for hiring or retaining qualified personnel, any of which may adversely affect our business and financial condition. Furthermore, property developers that are better capitalized than we are may be more competitive in acquiring land through the auction process. If we cannot respond to changes in market conditions as promptly and effectively as our competitors or effectively compete for land acquisitions through the auction systems, our business and financial condition will be adversely affected.
In addition, risk of property over-supply is increasing in parts of China, where property investment, trading and speculation have become overly active. We are exposed to the risk that in the event of actual or perceived over-supply, property prices may fall drastically, and our revenue and profitability will be adversely affected.
Our sales, revenue and operations will be affected if our customers are not able to secure mortgage financing on attractive terms, if at all.
A majority of the purchasers of our residential properties rely on mortgages to fund their purchases. If the availability or attractiveness of mortgage financing is reduced or limited, many of our prospective customers may not desire or be able to purchase our properties and, as a result, our business, liquidity and results of operations could be adversely affected. Among other factors, the availability and cost of mortgage financing may be affected by changes in PRC regulations or policies or changes in interest rates. The circulars issued by the PRC State Council and related measures taken by local governments and banks have restricted and may continue to restrict the ability of purchasers to qualify for or obtain mortgage financing.
On March 30, 2015, the PBOC, the MOHURD and the CBRC jointly issued the Circular on Issues concerning Individual Residential Mortgage Policies in an effort to stimulate the market. The circular specifies the minimum down payment is 20% for purchasers of a first residential property for their households with their housing fund loans and 40% for the purchasers of a second residential household property with housing fund loans with outstanding mortgages who apply for another mortgage. On August 27, 2015, the MOHURD, the Ministry of Finance of the PRC, or the “MOF,” and the PBOC jointly issued the Circular on Adjusting the Minimum Down Payment for the Purchase of Houses by Individuals with the Housing Fund Loans, which provides that the purchasers of a second residential household property with housing fund loans are only required to pay a minimum down payment of 20% if all loans are settled on their first residential property, in addition, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen may, on the basis of the unified national policy and in accordance with local conditions, independently determine the minimum down payment ratio for applying for housing fund loans to purchase a second residential household property. On February 1, 2016, the PBOC issued the Circular on Issues concerning Adjusting the Individual Housing Loan Policies, which provides that, in the cities without restrictive measures for residential property purchase, the minimum down payment shall, in principle, be 25% of the house price with housing fund loans for a first residential property for purchasers’ households, while the minimum down payment shall be at least 30% of the corresponding house price for a second residential household property. And in the cities with restrictive measures for house purchase, the individual housing loan policies shall be subject to the previous provisions. Furthermore, on April 12, 2019, the Circular on Matters relating to Adjusting the Policy for Individual Housing Loans via the Housing Provident Fund to Further Upgrade Services was issued, which provides that the minimum down payment is 30% for purchasers of a first residential property other than economically affordable house for their households with their housing fund loans, and 60% for the purchasers of a second residential household property other than economically affordable house with housing fund loans.
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We cannot predict how long these policies will continue or what other action, if any, the banks in cities in which we operate may take. In addition, from 2013, PRC banks have tightened the conditions on which mortgage loans are extended to homebuyers by comparing the anticipated monthly repayment of the mortgage loan with the individual borrower’s monthly income and other measures. Therefore, mortgage loans for home buyers have been subject to longer processing periods or even denied by the banks. We monitor our homebuyers’ outstanding mortgage loans on an ongoing basis via our management reporting procedures and have taken the position that contracts with underlying mortgage loans with processing periods exceeding one year cannot be recognized as revenue on an over time basis. As a result, we reversed contracted sales of the amounts related to apartments for which mortgage loans with processing periods exceeding one year when recognizing revenue on an over time basis.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
Significant oversight and discretion by the PRC government over our business operations could result in a material change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.
We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business, and may influence or intervene our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operation and/or the value of our ADSs. Also, the PRC government has indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers like us, and has implemented, and may continue to implement, relevant regulatory requirements.
For example, recently the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, strengthened supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews and data security protection, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. Our failure to meet such requirements could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. In addition, implementation of industry-wide regulations directly targeting our operations could require us to change our operations, and our failure to do so could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline. We cannot rule out the possibility that regulations or policies that directly or indirectly affect our industry or require us to seek additional permission to continue our operations may be released in the future, which could result in a material adverse change in our business, results of operations, financial condition, and/or the value of our ADSs. Therefore, investors and our business face potential uncertainties from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business.
Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system, including uncertainties with respect to the interpretation, application, and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations, and sudden or unexpected changes of PRC laws and regulations with little advance notice, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and the value of our ADSs.
We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The legal system in China is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which decided legal cases may be cited for reference but have less precedential value. The legal system in China evolves rapidly, and the interpretations of laws, regulations, and rules may change from time to time. The enforcement of laws in the PRC legal system and rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice.
In addition, their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, particularly with regard to internet-related industries, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of local regulations by national laws. Such unpredictability towards our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights could adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, the interpretation, application, and enforcement of which may involve uncertainties. As a result, we may not be aware of our potential violation of these policies and rules. In addition, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protection that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, administrative and court proceedings may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, and we cannot predict the outcome of administrative and court proceedings.
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In addition, new laws and regulations may be enacted from time to time and uncertainties exist regarding the interpretation and implementation of current and any future PRC laws and regulations applicable to our businesses. For example, recently the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, strengthened supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews and data security protection, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. Compliance with these laws, regulations, rules, guidelines, and implementations may be costly, and any incompliance or associated inquiries, investigations, and other governmental actions may divert significant management time and attention and our financial resources, bring negative publicity, subject us to liabilities or administrative penalties, or materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Changes in social conditions, political and economic policies of the PRC government may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.
Our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are influenced by social, economic, political and legal developments in China. China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the framework and style of government supervision, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through strategically allocating resources, controlling the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. The growth rate of the Chinese economy has gradually slowed since 2010, and the impact of COVID-19 on the Chinese economy in 2020, 2021 and 2022 was severe. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our property and materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations imposed by the central or local governments may require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations, and if relevant regulations are issued and become effective in a short notice, we may not be able to take the required actions in a timely manner without allocating significant resource. Therefore, we cannot predict whether changes in the PRC economic, political and social conditions, laws, regulations and policies will have any adverse effect on our current or future business, financial condition or results of operations.
PRC regulations of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of our offshore financing to make loans or additional capital contributions to the operating entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and business.
We may transfer funds to the operating entities or finance the operating entities by means of shareholders’ loans or capital contributions. Any loans to the operating entities, which are foreign-invested enterprises, cannot exceed a statutory limit, and shall be filed with SAFE, or its local counterparts. Furthermore, any capital contributions we make to the operating entities shall be registered with the PRC State Administration for Market Regulation or its local counterparts, and filed with MOFCOM or its local counterparts.
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On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming the Administration Measures on Conversion of Foreign Exchange Registered Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19. SAFE Circular 19, however, allows foreign invested enterprises in China to use their registered capital settled in RMB converted from foreign currencies to make equity investments, but the registered capital of a foreign invested company settled in RMB converted from foreign currencies remains not allowed to be used, among other things, for investment in the security markets, or offering entrustment loans, unless otherwise regulated by other laws and regulations. On June 9, 2016, SAFE further issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or SAFE Circular 16, which, among other things, amended certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for purposes beyond its business scope or to provide loans to non-affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope or the relevant regulations. On October 23, 2019, SAFE promulgated the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting the Facilitation of Cross-Border Trade and Investment, or SAFE Circular 28, which removes the restrictions on domestic equity investments by non-investment foreign-invested enterprises with their capital funds, provided that certain conditions are met. The applicable foreign exchange circulars and rules may limit our ability to transfer funds, which may adversely affect the operating entities’ business, our financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to PRC restrictions on currency exchange.
We currently receive most of our revenue from operations in the PRC and such revenue is denominated in Renminbi. The Renminbi is currently convertible under the “current account,” which includes dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign direct investment and loans, including loans we may secure from our PRC subsidiaries. Currently, our PRC subsidiaries may purchase foreign currency for settlement of “current account transactions,” including payment of dividends to us, without the approval of the SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant PRC governmental authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign currencies in the future for current account transactions. Foreign exchange transactions under the capital account remain subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, the SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental authorities. Since a significant amount of our future revenue and cash flow will be denominated in Renminbi, any existing and future restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize cash generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside of the PRC or pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs, and may limit our ability service our foreign currency-denominated indebtedness and to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing for our PRC subsidiaries.
PRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties or otherwise limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise adversely affect us.
On July 4, 2014, the SAFE issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Round-trip Investment by Domestic Residents via Special Purpose Vehicles, or the “SAFE Circular 37,” which replaced the former circular commonly known as “Circular 75” implemented on October 21, 2005. The SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with the competent local SAFE branch in connection with their direct establishment or indirect overseas investment activities. Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in SPVs, are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or “SAFE Notice 13.” Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, must be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.
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We believe that all of our shareholders who were PRC citizens or residents at the time of our initial public offering completed their required registrations with the SAFE in accordance with Circular 75 before the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37 prior to, and immediately after, the completion of our initial public offering. However, as there is uncertainty concerning the reconciliation of these notices with other approval or registration requirements and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it remains unclear how these regulations, and any future legislation concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, as a publicly traded company in the United States, we may not at all times know of the identities of all of our beneficial owners, who are PRC citizens or residents, and we may have little control over either our present or prospective direct or indirect PRC resident beneficial owners or the outcome of such registration procedures. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. The failure or inability of these PRC resident beneficial owners to comply with applicable SAFE registration requirements may subject us to the sanctions described above, including sanctions which may impede our ability to contribute the additional capital from our proceeds of any future offerings to our PRC subsidiaries, and our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or distribute profits to us. Furthermore, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.
We may be subject to fines or penalties if we fail to comply with any applicable laws, regulations or rules.
Historically, we experienced certain non-compliance incidents, some of our project companies commenced construction before obtaining construction work permits or construction work planning permits. We believe these non-compliances did not have a material operational and financial impact on us. There is no assurance that our internal control measures will be effective and there will not be any non-compliance incidents in the future.
In addition, PRC laws, regulations or rules governing our industry have been evolving rapidly. We cannot assure you that we will not be subject to fines or penalties arising from non-compliance incidents if we fail to adapt to the new regulatory regime in a timely manner, or at all, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
Certain portions of our property development projects and investment properties are designated as civil air defense properties and transfer of the right to use such area is subject to restrictions and uncertainties.
Certain portions of our property development projects and investment properties are designated as civil air defense properties. According to the PRC laws and regulations, new buildings constructed in cities should contain basement areas that can be used for civil air defense purposes in times of war. Under the Civil Air Defense Law of the PRC promulgated by the SCNPC on October 29, 1996, as amended on August 27, 2009 and Management Measures for Peacetime Development and Usage of Civil Air Defense Properties promulgated by the House Civil Air Defense Office in November 2001, after obtaining the approval from the civil air defense supervising authority, a developer can manage and use such areas designated as civil air defense properties at other time and generate profits from such use. We had entered into contracts to transfer the right to use civil air defense properties in some of our property development projects to our customers as car parks and we intend to continue such transfer. However, in times of war, such areas may be used by the government at no cost. In the event of war and if the civil air defense area of our projects is used by the public, we may not be able to use such area as car parks, and such area will no longer be a source of our revenue. In addition, while our business operations have complied with the laws and regulations on civil air defense property in all material aspects, we cannot assure you that such laws and regulations will not be amended in the future which may make it more burdensome for us to comply with and increase our compliance cost. The civil air defense areas of our projects are primarily used or to be used for car parks, representing an insignificant portion of our property portfolio.
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We may be subject to fines due to the lack of registration of our leases.
Pursuant to relevant PRC regulations, parties to a lease agreement are required to file the lease agreements for registration and obtain property leasing filing certificates for their leases. We have leased certain properties from independent third-party landlords mainly for our office premises. However, we failed to register some lease agreements under which we are the tenant. The failure to register the lease agreements does not affect the validity of the lease agreements under the relevant PRC laws and regulations, or our rights or entitlements to lease out the investment properties to tenants. However, we may be required by relevant government authorities to file the lease agreements to complete the registration formalities and may be subject to a fine for non-registration within the prescribed time limit, which may range from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 per lease agreement. The imposition of the above fines could require us to make additional efforts and/or incur additional expenses, any of which could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. The registration of these lease agreements to which we are a party requires additional steps to be taken by the respective other parties to the lease agreement which are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that the other parties to our lease agreements will be cooperative and that we can complete the registration of these lease agreements and any other lease agreements that we may enter into in the future.
There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.
Our core business is conducted within China and is governed by PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws, rules and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China. Some of our activities outside the PRC are also subject to the extra-territorial jurisdiction under the relevant PRC laws and regulations. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.
In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws, rules and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws, rules and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China or may be subject to significant degrees of interpretation by PRC regulatory agencies. In particular, because these laws, rules and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited number of published decisions and the nonbinding nature of such decisions, and because the laws, rules and regulations often give the relevant regulator significant discretion in how to enforce them, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve uncertainties and can be inconsistent and unpredictable. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until after the occurrence of the violation.
Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our operations and may intervene or influence our operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and social goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the internet industries and private education industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies or take regulatory actions regarding our industry that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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We could be adversely affected by political tensions between the United States and China.
Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated in recent years due to, among other things,
| · | the trade war between the two countries since 2018; |
| · | the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| · | the PRC National People’s Congress’ passage of Hong Kong national security legislation; |
| · | the imposition of U.S. sanctions on certain Chinese officials from China’s central government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the U.S. government, and the imposition of sanctions on certain individuals from the U.S. by the Chinese government; |
| · | various executive orders issued by the U.S. government, which include, among others, |
| o | the executive order issued in August 2020, as supplemented and amended from time to time, that prohibits certain transactions with ByteDance Ltd., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and the respective subsidiaries of such companies named in such executive order; |
| o | the executive order issued in January 2021, as supplemented and amended from time to time, that prohibits such transactions as are identified by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce with certain “Chinese connected software applications,” including Alipay and WeChat Pay; and |
| · | the Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-Territorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Other Measures promulgated by the MOFCOM, on January 9, 2021, which applies to Chinese individuals or entities that are purportedly barred by a foreign country’s law from dealing with nationals or entities of a third country. |
Rising political tensions between China and the U.S. could reduce levels of trade, investment, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. The measures taken by the U.S. and Chinese governments may have the effect of restricting our ability to transact or otherwise do business with entities within or outside of China and may cause investors to lose confidence in Chinese companies and counterparties, including us. If we were unable to conduct our business as it is currently conducted as a result of such regulatory changes, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, the U.S. government has imposed measures regarding limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets, and delisting certain China-based companies from U.S. national securities exchanges. In January 2021, after reversing its own delisting decision, the NYSE ultimately resolved to delist China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom in compliance with the executive order issued in November 2020, after receiving additional guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury and its Office of Foreign Assets Control. In addition, the NYSE announced in February 2021 that it has determined to commence proceedings to delist CNOOC Limited in light of the same executive order. These delistings have introduced greater confusion and uncertainty about the status and prospects of Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock exchanges. If any further measures were to be implemented, the resulting legislation may have a material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the United States such as us, and we cannot assure you that we will always be able to maintain the listing of our ADSs on a national stock exchange in the U.S., such as the NYSE or the NASDAQ, or that you will always be allowed to trade our ADSs.
Our business was materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic globally and in China during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022.
Beginning in December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, or “COVID-19,” resulted in prolonged mandatory quarantines, lockdown, closures of businesses and facilities and travel restrictions imposed by the Chinese government and many other countries around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the restrictions imposed and actions taken by the governments and society as a whole in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, could present significant challenges and uncertainties.
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The Chinese economy has been recovering steadily from the impact of COVID-19 since the second half of 2020; however, during 2021 and 2022, there were a considerable amount of new COVID-19 cases, including primarily the COVID-19 Omicron variant cases, in various cities in China. The Chinese local authorities had reinstated certain measures to keep COVID-19 in check, including travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Although China began to modify its COVID-19 control policy at the end of 2022, and most of the travel restrictions and quarantine requirements were lifted in December 2022. During the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, the recurrence of COVID-19 in the China and continuance of the outbreak in other parts of the world, adversely impacted our company’s business operations and the business operations of our company’s customers and partners, which in turn had an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We took measures to reduce the impact of the COVID-19, including monitoring our employees’ health on a daily basis and optimizing our technology system to support remote work arrangements. However, we still experienced lower work efficiency and productivity, which adversely affected our service quality. Furthermore, we and our customers experienced business disturbances due to the quarantine measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. We experienced a slowdown in revenue growth and delayed collection of accounts receivables from our customers. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a material impact on our business operations and financial results.
Our business, results of operations and financial condition were materially and adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, and further uncertainty remains as a result of the COVID-19, such as the changes in the outlook of China’s property market, slowdown in China’s economic growth or negative business sentiment. In particular, potential impact includes, among others, the following:
| · | the impacts of COVID-19 resulted in a general slowdown in China’s real estate industry, adversely affecting the demand for our services; |
| · | our customers may not have sufficient budget or cash flow to pay for our services, or may fail to make the payment in a timely manner, or at all; and |
| · | some of our customers may not be well capitalized and may be vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic and the slowdown of the macroeconomic conditions, and if they cannot resume their business during a prolonged virus outbreak, the demand for our services may be negatively affected. |
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We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.
In addition to the impact of COVID-19, our business could be adversely affected by the effects of the Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or “SARS,” or other epidemics. Our business operations could be disrupted if any of our employees is suspected of having the Ebola virus disease, H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, avian flu, SARS, or other epidemics, since it could require our employees to be quarantined and/or our offices to be disinfected. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent that any of these epidemics harm the Chinese and global economy in general.
We are also vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities, such as fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events, which could cause construction delays and business interruptions. For example, certain areas in Henan Province, China, where a significant portion of our development projects are located, experienced a heavy rainfall which was unexpected and caused widespread flooding in July 2021. The flooding resulted in interruptions of our business and construction in Henan Province, which materially and adversely affected our results of operations and financial condition in 2021.
We may face PRC regulatory risks relating to our equity compensation plans.
Under the applicable regulations and SAFE rules, PRC residents who participate in an employee stock ownership plan or a stock option plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE and complete certain other procedures. On February 15, 2012, the SAFE implemented the Notice on the Administration of Foreign Exchange Matters for Domestic Individuals Participating in the Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Listed Companies, or the “Stock Option Notice.” Under the Stock Option Notice, if a PRC resident participates in any employee stock incentive plan of an overseas listed company, a qualified domestic PRC agent or the PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company must, among other things, file, on behalf of such individual, an application with the SAFE or its local counterpart to obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the foreign exchange in connection with the stock holding, unit holding, share option exercises, or the holding of other types of equities permitted by PRC law. Concurrently, the qualified domestic PRC agent or the PRC subsidiary must also obtain approval from the SAFE or its local counterpart to open a special foreign exchange account at a PRC domestic bank to hold the funds required in connection with the stock acquisition or option exercise, any returned principal or profits upon the sale of shares, any dividends issued on the stock and any other income or expenditures approved by the SAFE or its local counterpart. In addition, the PRC agent or the PRC subsidiary is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock options or other awards granted if there is any material change to the stock options or other awards, the PRC agent or the PRC subsidiary, the overseas listed company, or any other material changes. If we, or any of these persons mentioned above, fail to comply with the relevant rules or requirements, we may be subject to penalties, and may become subject to more stringent review and approval processes with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as our PRC subsidiaries’ dividend payment to us or borrowing foreign currency loans, all of which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The enactment of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and the adoption of any rules, legislations or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause uncertainty and our securities listed on the NYSE could be delisted or prohibited from being traded “over-the-counter” if we are unable to meet the PCAOB requirement in time.
The increased regulatory scrutiny of U.S.-listed companies with operations in China could add uncertainties to our business operations, share price and reputation. U.S. public companies that have or had a substantial portion of their operations in China have been the subject of heightened scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate government policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud.
As part of increased regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit information, the United States enacted the HFCA Act on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit reports are prepared by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor’s local jurisdiction. The HFCA Act also requires public companies on this SEC list to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government and make certain additional disclosures in their SEC filings. In addition, under the HFCA Act, if the auditor of a U.S. listed company’s financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspections for three consecutive “non-inspection” years, the SEC is required to prohibit the securities of such issuer from being traded on a U.S. national securities exchange, such as the NYSE and Nasdaq, or in the U.S. over-the-counter markets.
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On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments implementing the disclosure and submission requirements under the HFCA Act, pursuant to which the SEC would identify a “Commission-Identified Issuer” if an issuer has filed an annual report containing an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction, and will then impose a trading prohibition on an issuer after it is identified as a “Commission-Identified Issuer” for three consecutive years.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued its determination that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions, and the PCAOB included in the report of its determination a list of the accounting firms that are headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong. This list includes Union Power HK CPA Limited (“Union Power”), the firm which audited our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Subsequently on July 29, 2022, we were added to the conclusive list of “Commission-Identified Issuer” identified under the HFCA Act on the website of the SEC.
On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 was signed into law, which, among other things, amended the HFCA Act to reduce from three years to two years the number of consecutive years an issuer can be identified as an identified issuer before the SEC can prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. national securities exchange and on the over-the-counter market. Accordingly, our securities may be prohibited from trading on NYSE or other U.S. stock exchange if our auditor is not inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our ADSs being delisted.
On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol Agreement (the “SOP”) with the CSRC and China’s Ministry of Finance. The SOP, together with two protocol agreements governing inspections and investigations (together, the “SOP Agreements”), establish a specific, accountable framework to make possible complete inspections and investigations by the PCAOB of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, as required under U.S. law.
On December 15, 2022, PCAOB Chair Erica Y. Williams released a statement stating that, for the first time in history, the PCAOB has secured complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and the PCAOB voted to vacate the previous December 16, 2021 determinations to the contrary. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of this annual report.
However, whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainties and depends on a number of factors out of our and our auditor’s control. The PCAOB continues to demand complete access in mainland China and Hong Kong moving forward. The PCAOB has also indicated that it will act immediately to consider the need to issue new determinations with the HFCA Act if needed.
On December 28, 2022, we appointed Assentsure PAC, or Assentsure, as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 and Assentsure remains our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. Assentsure is headquartered in Singapore and subject to the inspections by the PCAOB on a regular basis. As an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, Assentsure is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. It is not subject to the determinations issued by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021. Therefore we believe the appointment of Assentsure would substantially reduce the risk of us being continued to be identified as “Commission-Identified Issuer” under the HFCA Act, and the risk of our securities being prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the United States due to rules under the HFCA Act.
If we continue to be identified as a “Commission-Identified Issuer”, the ramification of such identification includes volatility in the trading price of our securities. We are also subject to the additional compliance requirements under the HFCA Act and potentially other requirements under related proposed rules. If our shares are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our shares when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our shares. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.
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If for whatever reason the PCAOB is unable to conduct full inspections of our auditor, such uncertainty could cause the market price of our securities to be materially and adversely affected, and our securities could be delisted or prohibited from being traded “over-the-counter”. If our securities were unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with a potential delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our securities.
It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.
Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigations initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or “Article 177,” which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.
We may be adversely affected by the settlement order between the SEC and certain PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm.
In December 2012, the SEC instituted proceedings under Rule 102(e)(1)(iii) of the SEC’s Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act against five PRC-based accounting firms, alleging that these firms had violated U.S. securities laws and the SEC’s rules and regulations thereunder by failing to provide to the SEC the firms’ work papers related to their audits of certain PRC-based companies that are publicly traded in the United States. Rule 102(e)(1)(iii) grants the SEC the authority to deny to any person, temporarily or permanently, the ability to practice before the SEC who is found by the SEC, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, to have willfully violated any such laws or rules and regulations. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law decision was issued, censuring these accounting firms and suspending four of the five firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. Four of these PRC-based accounting firms appealed to the SEC against this decision and, on February 6, 2015, each of the four PRC-based accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC. The firms’ ability to continue to serve all their respective clients is not affected by the settlement. The settlement requires the firms to follow detailed procedures to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms’ audit documents via the CRSC. If the firms do not follow these procedures, the SEC could impose penalties such as suspensions, or it could restart the administrative proceedings. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four PRC-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice for four years after entry of the settlement. The four-year mark occurred on February 6, 2019. We cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four PRC-based accounting firms’ compliance with the U.S. law in connection with the U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties, such as suspensions.
In the event that the PRC-based “big four” accounting firms become subject to additional legal challenges by the SEC or PCAOB, depending upon the final outcome, listed companies in the U.S. with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the “Exchange Act,” including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about any such future proceedings against these audit firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, U.S.-listed companies and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.
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If the auditor of our audit report in our annual report filed with the SEC were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our consolidated financial statements, our consolidated financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to delisting of the ADSs from the NYSE or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of the ADSs in the U.S.
In addition, on May 26, 2015, the MOF issued Notice on the Interim Provisions on the Audits Conducted by Accounting Firms concerning the Overseas Listing of Chinese Domestic Companies, or “Circular 9,” which became effective on July 1, 2015. In accordance with Circular 9, auditors based outside of China, including our independent registered public accounting firm, are required to cooperate with mainland Chinese auditors with requisite qualifications and enter into written arrangements with mainland Chinese auditors in order to conduct audit work for overseas listed mainland Chinese companies, and auditors based outside of China shall undertake the auditing responsibilities which may be incurred. Hence, our independent registered public accounting firm may need to establish appropriate arrangements with mainland Chinese auditors in order to continue to audit our financial statements, which may be difficult in light of the SEC’s administrative proceedings and the settlement described above. If our auditor were unable to have alternate support or cooperation arrangements or otherwise were unable to address issues related to the production of documents in accordance with the settlement order in the SEC proceedings and we were unable to timely find another independent registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to delisting of our ADSs from the NYSE or deregistration from the SEC, or both.
Risks Related to our ADSs
The trading price of our ADSs has been, and is likely to continue to be, volatile, which could result in substantial losses to holders of our ADSs as well as the potential suspension of listing or delisting of our ADRs.
The trading price of our ADSs has been, and is likely to continue to be, volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, the high and low closing prices of our ADSs in fiscal year 2023 were US$7.48 and US$2.00, respectively. In addition, the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in Hong Kong and/or the U.S. may affect the volatility in the prices of and trading volumes for our ADSs. Some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including significant price declines after their initial public offerings. The trading performances of these companies’ securities at the time of or after their offerings may affect the overall investor sentiment towards other companies with business operations located mainly in China and listed in Hong Kong and/or the U.S. and consequently, may impact the trading performance of our ADSs. In addition to market and industry factors, the prices and trading volumes for our ADSs may be highly volatile for specific business reasons, including:
| · | variations in our results of operations or earnings that are not in line with market or research analyst expectations or changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts; |
| · | publication of operating or industry metrics by third parties, including government statistical agencies, that differ from expectations of industry or financial analysts; |
| · | announcements made by us or our competitors of new product and service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures or capital commitments; |
| · | press and other reports, whether or not true, about our business, including negative reports published by short sellers, regardless of their veracity or materiality to us; |
| · | litigation and regulatory allegations or proceedings that involve us; |
| · | changes in pricing we or our competitors adopt; |
| · | additions to or departures of our management; |
| · | actual or perceived general industry, regulatory, economic and business conditions and trends in China and globally, due to various reasons, including changes in geopolitical landscape, as some investors or analysts may invest in or value our ADSs based on the economic performance of the Chinese economy, which may not be correlated to our financial performance; |
| · | political or market instability or disruptions, and actual or perceived social unrest in the U.S., Hong Kong or other jurisdictions; |
| · | fluctuations of exchange rates among the Renminbi, the Hong Kong dollar and the U.S. dollar; and |
| · | sales or perceived potential sales or other dispositions of existing or additional ADSs or other equity or equity-linked securities. |
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Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and trading price of our ADSs. In addition, the stock market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies and industries.
When the trading price of our ADRs falls below US$1.00, we are considered below compliance standards pursuant to the listing requirements of the NYSE and could result in the delisting of our ADRs by the NYSE. As the average trading price of our ADRs remained below US$1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days or more, the NYSE sent us a deficiency notice on December 14, 2021 and required the stock price to be brought back above US$1.00 within six months prior to May 13, 2022. On May 2, 2022, the NSYE notified us that a calculation of the Company’s average stock price from the 30-trading days ended April 29, 2022 had been above the US$1.00 based on a 30-trading day average. As a result, the Company regained compliance. However, our average trading price over the 30 consecutive trading days ended June 23, 2022 fell below US$1.00 again, for which, the NYSE sent us a deficiency notice on June 24, 2022 and required the stock price to be brought back above US$1.00 within six months prior to December 23, 2022. On December 27, 2022, the NYSE confirmed that a calculation of the Company’s average stock price for the 30-trading days ended December 27, 2022 had been above the NYSE’s minimum requirement of $1.00 based on a 30-trading day average. As a result, the Company regained compliance.
Our ADRs could also be delisted if (i) our average market capitalization over a consecutive 30 trading-day period is less than $15 million, or (ii) our ADRs trades at an “abnormally low” price, in the determination of the NYSE. In either case, our ADRs would be suspended from trading on the NYSE immediately, without an opportunity to cure, and the NYSE would begin the process to delist our ADRs. If any of these were to occur, there is no assurance that we would be able to appeal, or that any appeal we undertake in these or other circumstances would be successful, nor is there any assurance that we will remain in compliance with the other NYSE continued listing standards.
If the NYSE delists our ADRs due to our failure to regain compliance with the NYSE minimum price requirement or because we fail to comply with another continued listing standard, and we are unable to obtain listing on another national securities exchange, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| · | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| · | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| · | a determination that our ADRs are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our ADRs to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| · | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; |
| · | such delisting may constitute a breach of certain of our contractual obligations or agreements we have entered into; and |
| · | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
We may raise additional capital through the sale of additional equity or debt securities, which could result in additional dilution to our shareholders, or impose upon us additional financial obligations.
We may require additional cash resources to finance our continued growth or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. The amount and timing of such additional financing needs will vary depending on the timing of our property developments, investments and/or acquisitions, and the amount of cash flow from our operations. If our resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities. Sales of additional equity or convertible securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations, including our ability to pay dividends or redeem stock. We cannot guarantee that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
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Substantial future sales or the perception of sales of our ADSs in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.
The sales of our ADSs or common shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ADSs to decline. As of December 31, 2023, we had 113,671,841 common shares outstanding, including 74,405,372 common shares represented by 3,720,269 ADSs. All ADSs are freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act,” other than those held by affiliates which are subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The remaining common shares outstanding are available for sale, subject to any volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rule 144. The sale or perceived sale of a substantial amount of our ADSs by any principal shareholder could adversely affect the prevailing market price for our ADSs. Such sales or perceived sales might also make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate. To the extent that common shares (in the form of ADSs) are sold into the market, the market price of our ADSs could decline.
The interests of our major shareholders may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders.
As of December 31, 2023, Mr. Yong Zhang, Chairman of our board of directors, and Ms. Yuyan Yang, also a board member, beneficially owned 27.75% and 25.30%, respectively of our share capital. Accordingly, they each have substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. This concentration of ownership by our major shareholders may result in actions being taken even if opposed by our other shareholders. In addition, it may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our ADSs.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.
We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws, including the SEC’s disclosure rules relating to an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting and of disclosure controls. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, our management and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level.
Moreover, effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and is important to help prevent fraud. As a result, our failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could harm our business and negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs. Furthermore, we have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, considerable costs and devote significant management time and efforts and other resources to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
We are a foreign private issuer with the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to United States domestic issuers, including:
| · | the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current report on Form 8-K; |
| · | the section of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
| · | the section of the Exchange Act requiring directors, officers and 10% holders to file public reporting of their stock ownership and trading activities and imposing liability on insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; |
| · | the selective disclosure rules under Regulation FD restricting issuers from selectively disclosing material nonpublic information. |
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Accordingly, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC is less extensive and less frequent compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers.
As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices for corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the corporate governance listing standards.
Our ADSs are listed on the NYSE. The NYSE corporate governance listing standards permit a foreign private issuer, like us, to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. For example, Cayman Islands does not require us to comply with the following corporate governance listing standards of the NYSE:
| · | having the majority of our board of directors composed of independent directors; |
| · | having a minimum of three members in our audit committee; |
| · | holding annual shareholders’ meetings; |
| · | having a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors; |
| · | having a nominating and corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors; and |
| · | requiring members of the audit committee to satisfy certain independence criteria in addition to those of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act; |
| · | requiring shareholders to approve the adoption or material revision of any equity compensation plan; and |
| · | requiring shareholders to approve certain issuances of our equity securities. |
We are currently following home country practice on the requirements described above. Accordingly, the majority of our board of directors is composed of management or former management directors. Each of our compensation committee and governance and nominating committee include non-independent directors. In addition, we are not required to put forward for a shareholder vote new equity plans or change to existing equity plans or other significant share issuance. For a more detailed discussion of the ways in which our corporate governance differs from that of a U.S. domestic company listed on the NYSE, see “Item 16G. Corporate Governance.” As a result of our use of the “home country practice” exception from the NYSE corporate governance rules, you do not have same shareholder protections as you would if we were a U.S. domestic public company or if we complied fully with the corporate governance listing standards.
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We are not required to follow customary practices applicable to U.S. domestic companies with respect to determining and disclosing executive compensation.
As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to many of the corporate governance and disclosure requirements relating to executive compensation matters under the U.S. securities laws. Under our compensation committee charter, only 50% of the members of the committee at any time (less than a majority) must be independent of management, while a U.S. domestic issuer is required to form a compensation committee composing entirely of independent directors. We are also not required to and do not report compensation of senior management or directors on an individual basis. As a result, investors are not able to assess for themselves appropriateness or reasonableness of the amount or form of compensation for individual executives. The SEC has adopted a rule requiring disclosure of a chief executive officer pay relative to that of the median total compensation for employees, which does not apply to foreign private issuers.
We have entered into agreements that provide for the payment of annual bonuses based on a percentage of net income to certain of our executive officers. In other cases, we have made arrangements or established bonus plans that provide for the payment of performance bonuses to employees, including executive officers, based on assessment of their contributions to our business development, improvement of operation management, and fund financing activities. These accrual and payments could result in a decrease of our net profit attributable to public shareholders.
You may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our common shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.
Holders of our ADSs will not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the underlying common shares represented by our ADSs on an individual basis. Holders of our ADSs appoint the depositary or its nominee as their representative to exercise the voting rights attaching to the common shares represented by the ADSs. Holders of ADSs may not receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that you, or persons, who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote. As soon as practicable after the depositary receives from us a notice of a shareholders’ meeting, the depositary will distribute to registered holders of ADSs a notice stating (a) such information as is contained in such notice and any solicitation materials, (b) that each registered holder on the record date set for such purpose will, subject to any applicable provisions of Cayman Islands law, be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, and (c) the manner in which such instructions may be given, including instructions to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us. The depositary will not itself exercise any voting discretion in respect of any common shares nor will it provide any instructions with respect to the common shares represented by any ADSs for which voting instructions were not timely and properly received. There can be no guarantee that registered holders of ADSs will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable them to return any voting instructions to the depositary in a timely manner. To the extent you hold your ADSs through a bank, broker or other nominee, you will be relying upon such institutions with respect to voting matters.
You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in China based on United States or other foreign law against us or our management named in the annual report.
We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and conduct substantially all of our operations in China through our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China. Most of our assets are located in China. In addition, many of our directors and senior executive officers reside within China and some or all of the assets of those persons are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States, or elsewhere outside China, upon our directors and senior executive officers, including with respect to matters arising under the U.S. federal securities law or applicable state securities law. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the respective law of the Cayman Islands and China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), the courts of the Cayman Islands will, at common law, recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the liquidated sum for which such judgment has been given, provided such judgment (i) is final and conclusive, (ii) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty; and (iii) has not been 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. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. Moreover, the PRC does not have treaties with the United States or many other countries providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgment of courts.
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You may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings as a result.
We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, the depositary will not offer those rights to ADS holders unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act or are exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. In addition, we may not be able to take advantage of any exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, holders of our ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings as a result.
You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time, or from time to time, when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books, or the books of the depositary, are closed, or at any time if we, or the depositary, deem it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than under the U.S. law, you may have less protection of your shareholder rights than you would under the U.S. law.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and by the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands, as amended from time to time, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provide significantly less protection to investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the federal courts of the United States.
In mergers and consolidations where the merged company or consolidated company will continue to be a Cayman Islands entity, dissenting shareholders have the right to be paid the fair value of their shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands courts) if they follow required procedures, subject to certain exceptions. However, they may not be comparable to the appraisal rights that would ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of a U.S. company.
As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.
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Our articles of association may contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our common shares and ADSs.
Our second amended and restated articles of association contain provisions limiting the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges and relative participating, optional or special rights and their qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our common shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.
We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders of our ADSs or common shares.
The rules governing passive foreign investment companies, or “PFICs,” can have adverse effects for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The tests for determining PFIC status for a taxable year depend upon the relative values of certain categories of assets and the relative amounts of certain kinds of income. The determination of whether we are a PFIC depends on the particular facts and circumstances (such as the valuation of our assets, including goodwill and other intangible assets) and may also be affected by the application of the PFIC rules, which are subject to differing interpretations. Based on our estimated gross income, the average value of our assets, including goodwill and the nature of our business, although not free from doubt, we do not believe that we were classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the taxable year ended December 31, 2023.
If we are a PFIC, U.S. holders of our common shares or ADSs would be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, such as ineligibility for any preferred tax rates on capital gains or on actual or deemed dividends, interest charges on certain taxes treated as deferred, and additional reporting requirements under U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations. A U.S. holder of our common shares or ADSs may be able to mitigate some of the adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences described above with respect to owning the common shares or ADSs if we are classified as a PFIC, provided that such U.S. Holder is eligible to make, and validly makes, a “mark-to-market” election. However, because we are a holding company and a mark-to-market election would not apply to any lower-tier PFICs we own, it is unclear that making the election would have any benefit to a U.S. holder. In certain circumstances, a U.S. holder can make a “qualified electing fund” election to mitigate some of the adverse tax consequences described with respect to an ownership interest in a PFIC by including in income its share of the PFIC’s income on a current basis. However, we do not currently intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable a U.S. holder to make a qualified electing fund election.
See “Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — U.S. Federal Income Taxation — Passive Foreign Investment Company.”
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ITEM 4 INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
B.
Regulation
China
Regulatory Developments on Data Privacy
In November 2016, the SCNPC promulgated the Cyber Security Law of the PRC, or the “Cyber Security Law,” which took effect on June 1, 2017. In accordance with the Cyber Security Law, network operators must comply with applicable laws and regulations and fulfill their obligations to safeguard network security in conducting business and providing services. Network service providers must take technical and other necessary measures as required by laws, regulations and mandatory requirements to safeguard the operation of networks, respond to network security effectively, prevent illegal and criminal activities, and maintain the integrity, confidentiality and usability of network data. On September 12, 2022, the CAC released the Draft Amendment to the Cyber Security Law, which increases the legal liability for violations under the current Cyber Security Law, integrates and unifies the penalties for violations of network operation security protection obligations, violations of critical information infrastructure security protection obligations and violations of personal information protection obligations. Since the Amendment was only released in draft form for purposes of soliciting public comments at this stage, uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable, final content, interpretation and implementation of this proposed Amendment.
For the further purposes of regulating data processing activities, safeguarding data security, promoting data development and utilization, protecting the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organizations, and maintaining national sovereignty, security, and development interests, on June 10, 2021, the SCNPC published the Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the PRC Data Securities Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021. The PRC Data Security Law is applicable to both data processing activities carried out within the territory of mainland China and data processing activities carried out outside mainland China that may harm the national security, public interests or the legitimate rights and interests of citizens or organizations of mainland China. The PRC Data Security Law requires all data processing (which includes the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, publication of data) to be conducted in a legitimate and proper manner. The PRC Data Security Law imposes certain data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals carrying out data processing activities, including, but not limited to, establishing whole-process data security management systems, organizing data security trainings, implementing necessary measures to ensure data security, strengthening risk monitoring, notifying users and authorities of security incidents, and the conduction of regular risk assessments. The PRC Data Security Law also provides that the government shall establish data security review mechanism for data processing activities that affect or may affect national security. Violation of the PRC Data Security Law may cause such administrative penalties such as warnings, fines, confiscation of illegal gains, suspension of business and revocation of licenses and civil and criminal liabilities.
The PRC Data Security Law and the Regulations on Security Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure promulgated by the State Council on July 30, 2021, among others, provide for a security review procedure for the data activities conducted by critical information infrastructure operators that may affect national security. As of the date of this annual report, no detailed rules or implementation measures specific to the real estate industry have been issued by any authority and we have not been informed as a critical information infrastructure operator by any government authorities. Furthermore, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operators” under the current regulatory regime remains unclear, and the PRC government authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these laws. Therefore, it is uncertain whether we would be deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator under PRC law. If we are deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator under the PRC cybersecurity laws and regulations, we must fulfill certain obligations as required under these laws and regulations, including, among others, storing personal information and important data collected and produced within the PRC territory during our operations in the Chinese mainland, which we have fulfilled in our business, and we may be subject to review when purchasing internet products and services.
On December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China amended the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, or the “Cybersecurity Review Measures,” which became effective on February 15, 2022. The scope of review under the Cybersecurity Review Measures extends to critical information infrastructure operators that intend to purchase internet products and services and data processing operators engaging in data processing activities which affect or may affect national security. According to Article 7 of the Cybersecurity Review Measures, operators who possess the personal information of over a million users must apply to the Cybersecurity Review Office to conduct cybersecurity review procedures before listing in a foreign country. Additionally, the Cybersecurity Review Measures also provide that if the relevant authorities consider certain network products and services, data processing activities or listings in foreign countries to affect or potentially affect national security, then the authorities may initiate a cybersecurity review even if the operators do not have an obligation to independently perform a cybersecurity review under such circumstances.
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On July 7, 2022, the CAC promulgated the Measures for the Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transmission, which came into effect on September 1, 2022 and regulate security assessment procedures with respect to cross-border data transfer by data processor of important data and personal information that is collected and generated during operations within the PRC. According to these measures, personal data processors will be subject to security assessment procedures conducted by the CAC prior to any cross-border transfers of data if the transfer involves: (i) important data; (ii) personal information transferred overseas by operators of critical information infrastructure or data processors that have processed personal data of more than one million persons; (iii) personal information transferred overseas by data processors who have provided personal data of 100,000 persons or sensitive personal data of 10,000 persons overseas since January 1 of the previous year; or (iv) other circumstances as requested by the CAC. Furthermore, any cross-border data transfer activities conducted in violation of the Measures for the Security Assessment of Cross-border Data Transmission before the effectiveness of these measures are required to be brought into compliance with the measures by March 2023.
On March 22, 2024, the CAC issued the long-awaited Provisions on Facilitating and Regulating Cross-Border Data Transfers, effective as of the same date. The CAC simultaneously updated the Guidelines to Applications for Security Assessment of Outbound Data Transfers and the Guidelines for Filing the Standard Contract for Outbound Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Information to harmonize the current rules applicable to cross-border data transfers. These regulations benefit many multinational companies that are involved in the activity of transferring personal information and other data out of China. The essence of these regulations consists of exceptions to existing data compliance requirements (such as the need to conduct “security assessments” and to complete “standard contracts”) set out under pre-existing laws and regulations concerning outbound cross-border data transfers.
As of the date of this annual report, we have not been involved in any formal investigations on cybersecurity review made by the CAC on such basis, and are not required to go through cybersecurity review by the CAC. However, if we are not able to comply with the cybersecurity and network data security requirements in a timely manner, or at all, we may be subject to government enforcement actions and investigations, fines, penalties, suspension of our non-compliant operations, among other sanctions, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. In particular, if it is determined in the future that the approval of the CAC or any other regulatory authority is required for our offering, any failure to complete such procedures for our offshore offerings, would subject us to sanctions by the CAC or other PRC regulatory authorities. Based on the foregoing, our PRC legal counsel does not expect that, as of the date of this annual report, the current applicable PRC laws on cybersecurity review would have a material adverse impact on our business.
On August 20, 2021, the SCNPC of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law, which became effective on November 1, 2021, and which integrates various scattered rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection. The Personal Information Protection Law stipulates that, among other requirements, (i) all processing of personal information should have a clear and reasonable purpose which should be directly related to the processing purpose and should be conducted in a method that has the minimum impact on personal rights and interests, and (ii) the collection of personal information should be limited to the minimum scope that is necessary to achieve the processing purpose and should avoid any excessive collection of personal information. Personal information processors are required to adopt necessary measures to safeguard the security of the personal information they handle. Any offending entities could be ordered to undertake corrective measures, or to suspend or terminate their provision of services, and to potentially face confiscation of unlawful income, fines or other penalties.
Our websites only collect basic user personal information that is necessary to provide the corresponding services. We do not collect any sensitive personal information or other excessive personal information that is not related to the corresponding services. We update our privacy policies from time to time to meet the latest regulatory requirements of the CAC and other authorities and adopt technical measures to protect data and ensure cybersecurity in a systematic way.Nonetheless, the Personal Information Protection Law raises the protection requirements for processing personal information, and many specific requirements of the Personal Information Protection Law remain to be clarified by the CAC, other regulatory authorities, and courts in practice. We may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with the personal information protection laws and regulations.
Many data-related laws and regulations in China are relatively new and certain concepts thereunder remain subject to discretionary and potentially competing interpretations by relevant regulators. If any data that Xinyuan possesses belongs to data categories that are subject to heightened scrutiny under such laws and regulations, then Xinyuan could be required to adopt stricter measures for the protection and management of such data. In general, compliance with currently existing PRC laws and regulations, as well as additional laws and regulations that PRC regulatory bodies may enact in the future, related to data security and personal information protection can be costly and would likely result in additional expenses to Xinyuan. Any failure to comply with such laws and regulations could also subject Xinyuan to negative publicity, which could harm our reputation and business operations. There are also uncertainties with respect to how such laws and regulations will be implemented and interpreted in practice, or whether more restrictive laws or regulations may be promulgated in the future. We are also in the process of evaluating the potential impact of the newly promulgated Regulations on Administration of Cyber Data Security, which relates to cybersecurity, privacy, data protection and information security. This regulation was stipulated on September 24, 2024 and will take effect on January 1, 2025, and we are monitoring its effect on our current business practices. All these laws and regulations may result in additional expenses and obligations to us and subject us to negative publicity, which could harm our reputation and negatively affect the trading price of the ADSs. We expect that these areas will receive greater public scrutiny and attention from regulators and more frequent and rigid investigation or review by regulators, which will increase our compliance costs and subject us to heightened risks and challenges. If we are unable to manage these risks, we could become subject to penalties, fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, and our reputation and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We believe, to the best of our knowledge, that our business operations are compliant with the currently effective PRC laws relating to cybersecurity, data security, and personal data and privacy laws in all material respects. We have taken and will continue to take reasonable measures to comply with such laws and regulations.
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PART III
| ITEM 19 | EXHIBITS |
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| Exhibit Number | Description of Document | |
| 101.SCH** | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document | |
| 101.CAL** | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document | |
| 101.DEF** | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document | |
| 101.LAB** | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document | |
| 101.PRE** | Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document | |
| 104* | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
| * | Filed herewith |
| ** | Previously filed with the annual report on Form 20-F on May 15, 2024 |
*** Previously furnished with the annual report on Form 20-F on May 15, 2024
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SIGNATURES
The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F/A and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this annual report on its behalf.
| Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. | ||
| By: | /s/ Yong Zhang | |
| Name: | Yong Zhang | |
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
Date: October 29, 2024
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated May 15, 2024 and May 30, 2023 expressed an unqualified opinion.
Material Uncertainty relating to Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 (b) to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s ability to generate funds to meet short term operating cash requirements and loan repayments is reliant on the Company’s ability to sell the real estate properties it holds, or to obtain alternative financing. The timing of these sales is uncertain and as a result the Company is currently reliant on long term investor loans being renewed when they come up for repayment. These conditions raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans relating to these matters are also described in Note 2(b). The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
Revenue Recognition and Contracts with Customers – Long-Term Fixed Price Contracts
Critical Audit Matter Description
All real estate sales contracts are long-term fixed price contracts whereby revenue is recognized over the contract term (“over time”) as the work progresses and control of the goods and services is transferred to the customer. Revenue for these contracts is recognized based on the extent of progress toward completion, generally measured by using a cost-to-cost basis input method.
Accounting for real estate sales contracts requires management’s judgment in estimating total contract costs. Contract costs, which can be incurred over several years, are largely determined based on negotiated or estimated construction contract terms and consider factors such as historical performance, technical and schedule risk, internal and subcontractor performance trends, and anticipated labor costs.
Given the significant judgments necessary to estimate costs associated with these long-term contracts, auditing real estate sales contracts requires a high degree of auditor judgment.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to real estate sales contracts included the following, among others:
| · | We tested the effectiveness of internal controls over the recognition of revenue and the determination of estimated contract costs including controls over the review of management’s assumptions and key inputs used to recognize revenue and costs on real estate sales contracts using the cost-to-cost input method. |
| · | We evaluated the appropriateness and consistency of management’s methods and assumptions used to recognize revenue and costs on real estate sales contracts using the cost-to-cost input method to recognize revenue over time. |
| · | We selected a sample of real estate sales contracts and tested the estimates of total cost for each of the real estate sales contracts by: |
| o | Testing the estimated costs to complete projects that were not completed during the year ended December 31, 2023 by comparing the estimated cost to complete at December 31, 2023 to actual cost incurred subsequent to December 31, 2023. |
| o | Evaluating management’s ability to achieve the estimates of total cost by corroborating inquiries with Company personnel, including project managers, and comparing the estimates to documentation such as management’s work plans, contract terms and requirements, and purchase orders with suppliers. Our evaluation of management’s assumptions included consideration of historical and current project performance such as consistency of gross margin, identified risks related to project timing including technical and schedule matters, and the status of construction progress. |
Impairments – Real Estate Properties Development Completed and Under Development
Critical Audit Matter Description
At December 31, 2023, the Company’s real estate properties development completed and under development was US$3,307,964,969. As described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s evaluation of impairment of real estate involves an assessment of the carrying value of real estate properties development completed and under development when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.
Auditing the Company’s process to evaluate real estate properties development completed and under development for impairment was complex due to the subjectivity in determining whether impairment indicators were present. Additionally, for real estate assets where indicators of impairment were determined to be present, the determination of the future undiscounted cash flows involved significant judgment. In particular, the undiscounted cash flows and fair value estimates were sensitive to significant assumptions, including future revenue, construction costs and selling expenses, which are affected by expectations about future market or economic conditions.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to real estate properties development completed and under development impairment included the following, among others:
| · | We tested the effectiveness of controls over impairment of real estate properties development completed and under development, including those over impairment indicators and the determination of future undiscounted cash flows and forecasted sales price for real estate properties development completed and under development. |
| · | We evaluated the undiscounted future cash flows analysis, including estimates of future occupancy levels, market rental revenue, and capitalization rates, in addition to the assessment of expected remaining holding period and changes in management’s intent with respect to the expected holding period for each real estate asset with possible impairment indicators by: |
| 1. | Making inquiries of accounting and operations management and board of directors. |
| 2. | Comparing the source data and management’s assumptions to the Company’s historical results and external market sources. |
| 3. | Testing the mathematical accuracy of the undiscounted future cash flows analysis. |
Going concern
Critical Audit Matter Description
As discussed in Note 2 (b) to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s ability to generate funds to meet short term operating cash requirements and loan repayments is reliant on the Company’s ability to sell the real estate properties it holds, or to obtain alternative financing. The timing of these sales is uncertain and as a result the Company is currently reliant on long term investor loans being renewed when they come up for repayment.
We determined that Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is a critical matter due to the estimation and uncertainty regarding the Company’s available funding and the risk of bias in management’s judgement and assumptions in their determination.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures relating to the Company’s assertion on its ability to continue as a going concern included the following, among others: We inquired of Company management and reviewed Company records and documents to assess whether there are additional factors that contribute to the uncertainties disclosed. We assessed whether the Company’s identification of conditions and events that indicate there could be substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time was appropriate and adequately disclosed. We reviewed a cash flow projection prepared by management incorporating management’s plan and performed sensitivity analysis of significant assumptions to evaluate the changes in the cash flow projection that would result from changes in the assumptions.
/s/
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2022.
May 15, 2024
PCAOB ID No: