19,400,000 American Depositary Shares Representing 19,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares (par value US$0.50 per share) GREENTREE HOSPITALITY GROUP LTD. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
Exhibit 1.1
19,400,000 American Depositary Shares
Representing
19,400,000 Class A Ordinary Shares
(par value US$0.50 per share)
GREENTREE HOSPITALITY GROUP LTD.
, 2018
, 2018
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. International plc
00 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxx X00 0XX
United Kingdom
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated
Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
UBS | Securities LLC |
0000 | Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx |
Xxx | Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000 |
As representatives (the “Representatives”) of the several Underwriters named in Schedule II hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd., an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 19,400,000 American Depositary Shares representing 19,400,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.50 per share, of the Company (the “Firm ADSs”).
The Company proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 2,910,000 American Depositary Shares representing 2,910,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.50 per share, of the Company (the “Additional ADSs”) if and to the extent that the Representatives, as Managers of the offering, shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such American Depositary Shares granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm ADSs and the Additional ADSs are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ADSs.” The Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.50 per share, of the Company and the Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.50 per share, of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Ordinary Shares.”
The ADSs are to be issued pursuant to a deposit agreement (the “Deposit Agreement”), dated as of , 2018, among the Company, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary (the “Depositary”), and holders from time to time of the American Depositary Receipts (the “ADRs”) issued by the Depositary and evidencing the ADSs. The ADSs will represent the right to receive the Ordinary Shares deposited pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form F-1, including a prospectus, relating to the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs. The registration statement as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of ADSs (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional ADSs pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. The Company has filed a registration statement on Form F-6 relating to the ADSs with the Commission (such registration statement on Form F-6, including all exhibits thereto, as amended at the time such registration statement becomes effective, being hereafter referred to as the “ADS Registration Statement”). The Company has also filed, in accordance with Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), a registration statement on Form 8-A (the “Form 8-A Registration Statement”) to register the Ordinary Shares and the Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.50 per share, of the Company ADSs under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.
For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto, and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof.
UBS Securities LLC has agreed to reserve a portion of the ADSs to be purchased by it under this Agreement for sale to the Company’s directors, officers, employees and business associates and other parties related to the Company (collectively, “Participants”), as set forth in the Prospectus under the heading “Underwriting” (the “Directed Share Program”). The Ordinary Shares to be sold by UBS Financial Services Inc. and its affiliates pursuant to the Directed Share Program, at the direction of the Company, are referred to hereinafter as the “Directed Shares”. Any Directed Shares not orally confirmed for purchase by any Participant by the end of the business day on which this Agreement is executed will be offered to the public by the Underwriters as set forth in the Prospectus.
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1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) Each of the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement and the Form 8-A Registration Statement, and any post-effective amendment to any of the foregoing, has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement of the Form 8-A Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or threatened by the Commission.
(b) (i) Each of the Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statement and the Form 8-A Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) each of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the Prospectus complies and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Form 8-A Registration Statement complies and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iv) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the ADSs in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 4) and at each Option Closing Date (as defined in Section 2), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (v) each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (vi) the Prospectus does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter is that described in Section 8(b).
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(c) The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Any such free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the sale of the ADSs, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information then contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to the Representatives before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the prior consent of the Representatives, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.
(d) The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21.1 to the Registration Statement. Each such subsidiary is referred to as a “subsidiary” and they are referred to collectively as the “subsidiaries”.
(e) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a company in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The currently effective memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive or organizational documents of the Company comply with the requirements of applicable Cayman Islands law and are in full force and effect. The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company adopted on , 2018, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement, comply with the requirements of applicable Cayman Islands law and, immediately following closing on the Closing Date, will be in full force and effect.
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(f) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation or organization in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and, except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; all of the issued share capital or equity interests, as applicable, of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims. All of the constitutive or organizational documents of each of the subsidiaries comply with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and are in full force and effect.
(g) Under the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands all dividends and other distributions declared and payable in cash on the Ordinary Shares may be freely remitted out of the Cayman Islands and may be paid in, or freely converted into, United States dollars, in each case without there being required any consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental agency or body in the Cayman Islands; and except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, all such dividends and other distributions paid by the Company will not be subject to withholding under the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands.
(h) Under the laws and regulations of Samoa all dividends and other distributions declared and payable in cash on the share capital of the subsidiaries organized in Samoa may be freely remitted out of Samoa and may be paid in, or freely converted into, United States dollars, in each case without there being required any consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental agency or body in Samoa; and except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, all such dividends and other distributions paid by the subsidiaries organized in Samoa will not be subject to withholding under the laws and regulations of Samoa.
(i) Under the laws and regulations of Hong Kong all dividends and other distributions declared and payable in cash on the share capital of the subsidiaries organized in Hong Kong may be freely remitted out of Hong Kong and may be paid in, or freely converted into, United States dollars, in each case without there being required any consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental agency or body in Hong Kong; and except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, all such dividends and other distributions paid by the subsidiaries organized in Hong Kong will not be subject to withholding under the laws and regulations of Hong Kong.
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(j) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, under the laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) all dividends and other distributions declared and payable in cash on the share capital of the subsidiaries organized in the PRC that are directly owned by subsidiaries organized in the Cayman Islands or Samoa may be remitted out of the PRC and may be paid in, or converted into, United States dollars, in each case without there being required any consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental agency or body in the PRC; and except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, all such dividends and other distributions paid by the subsidiaries organized in the PRC will not be subject to withholding under the laws and regulations of the PRC.
(k) The ADSs have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject to official notice of issuance.
(l) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(m) The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized and, when executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, will constitute a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles, and upon issuance by the Depositary of ADRs evidencing ADSs and the deposit of Ordinary Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement; and the Deposit Agreement and the ADRs conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(n) The authorized share capital of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(o) The Ordinary Shares outstanding prior to the issuance of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(p) The Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Ordinary Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
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(q) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in breach of or in default under any laws, regulations, rules, orders, decrees, guidelines or notices of its jurisdiction of organization or any other jurisdiction where it operates (except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus), (ii) in violation of its constitutive or organizational documents, or (iii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound (except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus), except in the case of (i) and (iii) above, where any such breach or default would not, individually or in aggregate, have material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(r) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement will not contravene any provision of applicable law or the memorandum and articles of association of the Company or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the ADSs.
(s) Since December 31, 2017, there has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(t) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and proceedings that would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Time of Sale Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described; and there are no contracts or other documents that are required to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required.
(u) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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(v) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the ADSs and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(w) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with any and all applicable national, provincial, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(x) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(y) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Ordinary Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(z) (i) None of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates, or any director, or officer thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee, agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, has taken or will take any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules of regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”) or any other applicable anti-corruption law, including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) (“Government Official”) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) neither the Company nor its subsidiaries will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.
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(aa) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970 and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(bb) (i) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) , the United Nations Security Council (“UNSC”), the European Union (“EU”), Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria).
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(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) Since January 1, 2013, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
(cc) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding share capital, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its share capital other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the share capital, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, except in each case as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, respectively.
(dd) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title (in fee simple in the case of real property in applicable jurisdictions, and valid land use rights and building ownership certificates in the case of real property in the PRC) to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case except as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, respectively.
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(ee) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, all material patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names currently employed by them in connection with the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(ff) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that could have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(gg) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sent or received any written communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the material contracts or agreements specifically referred to or described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, or specifically referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company, any of its subsidiaries or, to the best knowledge of the Company, any other party to any such contract or agreement.
(hh) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no disputes exist or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are threatened with any franchisee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (each a “Franchisee”) except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(ii) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, each Franchisee is such by virtue of being a party to a franchise contract with either the Company or a subsidiary thereof and assuming each such contract has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties thereto, other than the Company or a subsidiary thereof, each such contract constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of each party thereto, enforceable against such Franchisee in accordance with its terms, except (i) for any one or more of such franchise contracts as would not in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and (ii) to the extent that enforcement thereof may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles.
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(jj) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, each Franchisee possess all licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates and permits issued by the appropriate national, provincial, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to operate its franchise and comply with the terms of the franchise agreement with the Company or subsidiary thereof to which it is party, except such as would not in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(kk) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(ll) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates and permits issued by the appropriate national, provincial, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such license, consent, authorization, approval, order, certificate or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the provisions of all such licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates or permits in all material respects.
(mm) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain effective internal control over financial reporting (as defined under Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 under the Exchange Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
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(nn) The Company has taken all necessary actions to ensure that, upon the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, it will be in compliance with all provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) that are then in effect and with which the Company is required to comply as of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and is actively taking steps to ensure that it will be in compliance with other provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act not currently in effect, upon the effectiveness of such provisions, or which will become applicable to the Company at all times after the effectiveness of the Registration Statement.
(oo) Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and are independent in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
(pp) The audited consolidated financial statements (and the notes thereto) of the Company included in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Company as of the dates specified and the consolidated results of operations and changes in the consolidated financial position of the Company for the periods specified, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods presented (other than as described therein); the summary and selected consolidated financial data included in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited consolidated financial statements included therein; except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus or Prospectus under the Securities Act or the regulations thereunder; all disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.
(qq) The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting Policies” in the Time of Sale Prospectus accurately describes: (i) accounting policies which the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and which require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments (“Critical Accounting Policies”); (ii) judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of Critical Accounting Policies; and (iii) the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions; and the Company’s Board of Directors and management have reviewed and agreed with the selection, application and disclosure of Critical Accounting Policies and have consulted with its independent public accountants with regard to such disclosure.
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(rr) The section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Time of Sale Prospectus accurately and fully describes: (i) all material trends, demands, commitments, events, uncertainties and risks, and the potential effects thereof, that the Company believes would materially affect liquidity and are reasonably likely to occur; and (ii) all off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, and obligations (collectively, “off-balance sheet arrangements”) that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on the liquidity of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or the availability thereof or the requirements of the Company or any of its subsidiaries for capital resources.
(ss) The statements set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus under the captions “Description of Share Capital” and “Description of American Depositary Shares”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Shares and ADSs, respectively, and under the captions “Taxation” and “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects.
(tt) Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes, after reasonable inquiry, to be reliable and accurate and, to the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.
(uu) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any Ordinary Shares during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified share option plans or other employee compensation plans or pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants.
(vv) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action which was designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the ADSs.
(ww) The Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus and any preliminary prospectus comply, and any amendments or supplements thereto will comply, with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the Directed Share Program.
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(xx) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency, other than those obtained, is required in connection with the offering of the Directed Shares in any jurisdiction where the Directed Shares are being offered.
(yy) The Company has not offered, or caused UBS Financial Services to offer, ADSs to any person pursuant to the Directed Share Program with the specific intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company, or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products.
(zz) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all national, provincial, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to pay would not have a material adverse effect, or except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves in conformity with GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which has had (nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a material adverse effect.
(aaa) From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act.
(bbb) The Company (i) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company confirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule III hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
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(ccc) As of the time of each sale of ADSs in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (i) the Time of Sale Prospectus, (ii) any free writing prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (iii) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(ddd) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, none of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is engaged in any material transactions with its directors, officers, management, shareholders, or any other affiliate, including any person who formerly held a position as a director, officer and/or shareholder.
(eee) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other similar payment in connection with the issuance and sale of the ADSs and the Ordinary Shares represented thereby.
(fff) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries that were incorporated outside of the PRC has taken, or is in the process of taking, reasonable steps to comply with, and to ensure compliance by each of its shareholders, option holders, directors, officers, employees [and Directed Share Participants] that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen with any applicable rules and regulations of the relevant PRC government agencies (including but not limited to the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange) relating to overseas investment by PRC residents and citizens or the repatriation of the proceeds from overseas offering and listing by offshore special purpose vehicles controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies and individuals, such as the Company (the “PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations”), including without limitation, requesting each shareholder, option holder, director, officer, employee [and Directed Share Participants] that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations.
(ggg) The Company has taken all reasonable steps to comply with, and to ensure compliance by all of the Company’s shareholders and prior holders who are PRC residents or PRC citizens with any applicable rules and regulations of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE Rules and Regulations”), including without limitation, taking reasonable steps to require each of its shareholders and option holders that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or PRC citizen to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations.
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(hhh) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, there are no affiliations or associations between any member of FINRA and the Company; there are no affiliations or associations between (i) any member of FINRA and (ii) any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% or greater security holders or any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or after the 180th day immediately preceding the date the Registration Statement was initially filed with the Commission.
(iii) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any Underwriter and (ii) will not to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the ADSs to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Underwriter.
(jjj) No stamp, documentary, issuance, registration, transfer, withholding, capital gains, income or other taxes or duties are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx or the PRC, or to any taxing authority thereof or therein, in connection with (i) the execution, delivery or consummation of this Agreement (except that Cayman Islands stamp duty may be payable if the original Agreement is brought to or executed in the Cayman Islands), (ii) the creation, allotment and issuance of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs, (iii) the deposit with the Depositary of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs by the Company against the issuance of ADRs evidencing the ADSs, (iv) the sale and delivery of the ADSs to the Underwriters or purchasers procured by the Underwriters, or (iv) the resale and delivery of the ADSs by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein, provided that such resale and delivery does not take place in the PRC.
(kkk) The Company does not expect to be a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the foreseeable future (not including the current taxable year).
(lll) It is not necessary under the laws of the Cayman Islands (i) to enable the Underwriters to enforce their rights under this Agreement or to enable any holder of ADSs to enforce their respective rights thereunder, provided that they are not otherwise engaged in business in the Cayman Islands, or (ii) solely by reason of the execution, delivery or consummation of this Agreement or the offering or sale by the Company of the ADSs, for any of the Underwriters or any holder of ADSs or Ordinary Shares to be qualified or entitled to carry out business in the Cayman Islands.
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(mmm) Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, each holder of ADRs evidencing ADSs issued pursuant to the Deposit Agreement shall be entitled, subject to the Deposit Agreement, to seek enforcement of its rights through the Depositary or its nominee registered as representative of the holders of the ADRs in a direct suit, action or proceeding against the Company.
(nnn) Each of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement is in proper form under the laws of the Cayman Islands for the enforcement thereof against the Company; and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence in Cayman Islands of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, it is not necessary that this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement be filed or recorded with any court or other authority in the Cayman Islands or that any stamp or similar tax in the Cayman Islands be paid on or in respect of this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or any other documents to be furnished hereunder, except for nominal stamp duty if the documents are executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
(ooo) The Company is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
(ppp) Except as described under the section “Enforcement of Civil Liabilities” in the Time of Sale Prospectus, the courts of the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx and the PRC would recognize as a valid judgment any final monetary judgment obtained against the Company in the courts of the State of New York.
(qqq) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of its or their properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) under the laws of the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx or the PRC. The irrevocable and unconditional waiver and agreement of the Company contained in Section 17(a) not to plead or claim any such immunity in any legal action, suit or proceeding based on this Agreement is valid and binding under the laws of the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx and the PRC.
(rrr) The choice of law of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx and the PRC and will be honored by the courts of the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx and the PRC. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 17(a) has, to the extent permitted by law, legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the jurisdiction of the Specified Courts (as defined in Section 17(a)), and has the power to designate, appoint and empower, and pursuant to Section 17(b), has legally, validly and effectively designated, appointed and empowered an agent for service of process in any suit or proceeding based on or arising under this Agreement in any of the Specified Courts.
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(sss) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of its or their properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) under the laws of the Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxx or the PRC.
2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company at US$ per ADS (the “Purchase Price”) the number of Firm ADSs (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the number of Firm ADSs to be sold by the Company as the number of Firm ADSs set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm ADSs.
On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional ADSs, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 2,910,000 Additional ADSs at the Purchase Price, provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Additional ADSs shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm ADSs but not payable on such Additional ADSs. The Representatives may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional ADSs to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm ADSs nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional ADSs may be purchased as provided in Section 2 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm ADSs. On each day, if any, that Additional ADSs are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional ADSs (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm ADSs set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm ADSs.
3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by the Representatives that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the ADSs as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in the judgment of the Representatives is advisable. The Company is further advised by the Representatives that the ADSs are to be offered to the public initially at $US per ADS (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by the Representatives at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $US per ADS under the Public Offering Price, and that any Underwriter may allow, and such dealers may reallow, a concession, not in excess of $US per ADS, to any Underwriter or to certain other dealers.
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4. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm ADSs to be sold by the Company shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City to the account specified by the Company to the Underwriters at least forty-eight hours in advance of such payment against delivery of such Firm ADSs for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on , 2018, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than , 2018, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”
Payment for any Additional ADSs shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City to the account specified by the Company to the Underwriters at least forty-eight hours in advance of such payment against delivery of such Additional ADSs for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than , 2018, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives.
The Firm ADSs and Additional ADSs shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm ADSs and Additional ADSs shall be delivered to the Representatives on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company. The Purchase Price payable by the Underwriters shall be reduced by (i) any transfer taxes paid by, or on behalf of, the Underwriters in connection with the transfer of the ADSs to the Underwriters to the extent such taxes are duly paid and (ii) any withholding required by law.
5. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the ADSs to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the ADSs on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than (New York City time) on the date hereof.
The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable to market the ADSs on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
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(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 5(a) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.
The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Xxxxxx and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Drake & Co, Samoa counsel for GreenTree Inns Hotel Management Group, Inc. and Pacific Hotel Investment Inc., dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(f) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Zhonglun W&D Law Firm Shanghai Office, PRC counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
The opinions of counsel for the Company (except for the opinion of PRC counsel for the Company) described above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company, as the case may be, and shall so state therein.
(g) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
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(h) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of King & Wood Mallesons, PRC counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(i) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of White & Case LLP, counsel for the Depositary, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(j) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than three business days prior to the date hereof.
(k) The “lock-up” agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between the Company, the Representatives and the shareholder of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of ADSs, Ordinary Shares or certain other securities, delivered to the Representatives on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
(l) The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional ADSs hereunder are subject to the delivery to the Representatives on the applicable Option Closing Date of the following:
(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;
(ii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof;
(iii) an opinion of Xxxxxx and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(d) hereof;
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(iv) an opinion of Drake & Co, Samoa counsel for GreenTree Inns Hotel Management Group, Inc. and Pacific Hotel Investment Inc., dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(e) hereof;
(v) an opinion of Zhonglun W&D Law Firm Shanghai Office, PRC counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(f) hereof;
(vi) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(g) hereof;
(vii) an opinion of King & Wood Mallesons, PRC counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(h) hereof;
(viii) an opinion of White & Case LLP, counsel for the Depositary, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(i) hereof;
(ix) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, independent public accountants, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(j) hereof; provided that the letter delivered on the Option Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than three business days prior to such Option Closing Date; and
(x) such other documents as the Representatives may reasonably request with respect to the due authorization and issuance of the Additional ADSs to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional ADSs.
(n) There shall not have been any adverse legislative or regulatory developments in the PRC following the signing of this Agreement, which in the Representatives’ judgment in good faith after consultation with the Company, would make it inadvisable or impractical to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the ADSs at the Closing Date or any Optional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated in this Agreement.
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(o) The Company and the Depositary shall have executed and delivered the Deposit Agreement and, in the case of the Company, a side letter (the “Depositary Side Letter”) addressed to the Depositary, instructing the Depositary not to, during the Restricted Period referred to in Section 6(n), accept any shareholder’s deposit of Ordinary Shares in the Company’s American Depositary Receipt facility or issue any new ADSs evidencing the ADSs to any shareholder or any third party, unless consented to by the Company, and the Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date. The Company and the Depositary shall have taken all actions necessary to permit the deposit of the ADSs and the issuance of the ADSs representing such Ordinary Shares in accordance with the Deposit Agreement.
(p) The Depositary shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Underwriters a certificate satisfactory to the Representatives of one of its authorized officers with respect to the deposit with it of the ADSs against issuance of the ADSs, the execution, issuance, countersignature and delivery of the ADSs pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and such other matters related thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(q) The ADSs representing the ADSs shall have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.
(r) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Company shall have filed a Rule 462 Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) promptly after 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall have at the time of filing either paid to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462 Registration Statement or given irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Securities Act.
(s) The Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information required by Rule 430A under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement containing the information required by such Rule 430A, and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective.
(t) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, any Rule 462 Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, shall be in effect and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission.
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(u) FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting, or other arrangements of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(v) On the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters shall have received such other information, documents, certificates and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the accuracy and completeness of any statement in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, issuance and sale of the ADSs as contemplated herein.
6. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) To furnish to the Representatives, without charge, copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to the Representatives in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 6(g) or 6(h) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) To comply with the requirements of Rule 430A and notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the ADSs for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Securities Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the ADSs; before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
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(c) To furnish to the Representatives a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus (including any electronic roadshow) to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Representatives reasonably object.
(d) Not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(e) If at any time following issuance of a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company there ocurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such free writing prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Regsitration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Time of Sale Prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, to promptly notify the Represenatives and promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such free writing prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.
(f) Not to (and to cause its affiliates not to) take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which constitutes or which would reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company or facilitate the sale or resale of the ADSs.
(g) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the ADSs at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission (subject to the last clause of this subsection (g)) and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law; to promptly give the Representatives written notice of any such event or condition of which the Company becomes aware; and before amending or supplementing the Time of Sale Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object.
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(h) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the ADSs as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission (subject to the last clause of this subsection (h)) and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses the Representatives will furnish to the Company) to which ADSs may have been sold by the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law; to promptly give the Representatives written notice of any such event or condition of which the Company becomes aware; and before amending or supplementing the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object.
(i) To endeavor to qualify the ADSs for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request and to maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required to complete the distribution of the ADSs; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject.
(j) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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(k) During the period when a Prospectus relating to the ADSs is (or, but for the exception afforded by Rule 172, would be) required to be delivered under the Securities Act, to file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(l) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the ADSs pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Time of Sale Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds” and in compliance with any applicable laws, rules and regulations of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary; to not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions, or in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise); and to maintain and implement adequate internal controls and procedures to monitor and audit transactions that are reasonably designed to detect and prevent any use of the proceeds from the offering of the ADSs contemplated hereby that is inconsistent with any of the Company’s representations and obligations under the preceding sentence.
(m) To comply with all applicable securities and other laws, rules and regulations in each jurisdiction in which the Directed Shares are offered in connection with the Directed Share Program.
(n) Not to, without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, during the period ending six months after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), (1) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any right or warrant to purchase, lend, make any short sale, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any ADSs or Ordinary Shares beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act) or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the ADSs or Ordinary Shares, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of ADSs, Ordinary Shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any ADSs or Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares.
The restrictions contained in Section 6(n)(i) above shall not apply to (A) the ADSs to be sold hereunder or (B) the issuance by the Company of ADSs or Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof of which the Underwriters have been advised in writing.
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(o) If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up letter described in Section 5(k) hereof and provide the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three business days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(p) Not to facilitate any shareholder’s conversion of Ordinary Shares to ADSs during the Restricted Period and not to release the Depositary from the obligations set forth in, or otherwise amend, terminate or fail to enforce, the Depositary Agreement without the prior written consent of the Representatives.
(q) To pay, and indemnify and hold the Underwriters harmless against, any stamp, issue, registration, documentary, sales, transfer or other similar taxes or duties imposed under the laws of Cayman Islands or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein that is payable in connection with (i) the execution, delivery, consummation or enforcement of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement, (ii) the creation, allotment and issuance of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs, or (iii) the sale and delivery of the ADSs to the Underwriters or purchasers procured by the Underwriters, or (iv) the resale and delivery of the ADSs by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein.
(r) To promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) completion of the distribution of the ADSs within the meaning of the Securities Act and (b) completion of the Restricted Period referred to in Section 6(n).
(s) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, to promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(t) To comply with the terms of the Deposit Agreement so that the ADSs will be issued by the Depositary and delivered to each Underwriter’s participant account in DTC, pursuant to this Agreement on the Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date.
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(u) (i) To not attempt to avoid any judgment in connection with this Agreement obtained by it, applied to it, or denied to it in a court of competent jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands; (ii) following the consummation of the offering, to use its best efforts to obtain and maintain all approvals required in the Cayman Islands to pay and remit outside the Cayman Islands all dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Ordinary Shares, if any; and (iii) to use its best efforts to obtain and maintain all approvals, if any, required in the Cayman Islands for the Company to acquire sufficient foreign exchange for the payment of dividends and all other relevant purposes.
(v) To comply with the PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations, and to use its reasonable efforts to cause holders of its Ordinary Shares that are, or that are directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, Chinese residents or Chinese citizens, to comply with the PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations applicable to them, including, without limitation, requesting each such shareholder to complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations (including any applicable rules and regulations of the SAFE).
(w) To use its best efforts to have the ADSs accepted for listing on the New York Stock Exchange and maintain the listing of the ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange.
(x) Upon request of any Underwriter, to furnish, or cause to be furnished, to such Underwriter an electronic version of the Company’s trademarks, service marks and corporate logo for use on the website, if any, operated by such Underwriter for the purpose of facilitating the offering of the ADSs.
(y) To use its best efforts to comply with and will use its best efforts to require the Company’s directors and executive officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(z) That all sums payable by the Company under this Agreement shall be paid free and clear of and without deductions or withholdings of any present or future taxes or duties, unless the deduction or withholding is required by law, in which case the Company shall pay such additional amounts as will result in the receipt by each Underwriter of the full amount that would have been received had no deduction or withholding been made; provided, however, that no such additional amounts shall be paid in respect of any taxes or duties that would not have been imposed but for (i) a present or former connection between such Underwriter and the jurisdiction imposing such taxes or duties (other than a connection that would not have arisen but for the transactions contemplated by this Agreement) or (ii) the failure of such Underwriter to provide, upon reasonable request, any certification, identification or other documentation concerning such Underwriter’s nationality, residence, identity or connection with the jurisdiction imposing such taxes or duties.
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(aa) That all sums payable to an Underwriter shall be considered exclusive of any value added or similar taxes. Where the Company is obliged to pay value added or similar tax on any amount payable hereunder to an Underwriter, the Company shall in addition to the sum payable hereunder pay an amount equal to any applicable value added or similar tax.
(bb) To deliver to each Underwriter (or its agent), prior to or at the Closing Date, a properly completed and executed Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-8, together with all required attachments to such form.
7. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares represented thereby under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the ADSs to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the ADSs under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the ADSs for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(i) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the ADSs by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, (v) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Form 8-A Registration Statement relating to the Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.50 per share, of the Company and all costs and expenses incident to listing the ADSs on the NYSE, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the ADSs or Ordinary Shares represented thereby, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any Testing-the-Waters Communication or “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the ADSs, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any Testing-the-Waters Communication, electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the officers of the Company and any such consultants, [and the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show], (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement , (x) all fees and disbursements of counsel incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Share Program and stamp duties, similar taxes or duties or other taxes, if any, incurred by the Underwriters in connection with the Directed Share Program and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution” , Section 9 entitled “Directed Share Program Indemnification” and the last paragraph of Section 11 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, travel and lodging expenses of the Representatives in connection with the road show, transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the ADSs by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
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8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its selling agents, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any “road show” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described in Section 8(b).
(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus, road show, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the following information in the Prospectus: the concession figure appearing in the paragraph under the caption “Underwriting” and the information in the and paragraphs regarding stabilization, short sale transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids, in each case under the caption “Underwriting.”
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(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(b), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result hereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. Counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the indemnified parties. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for (i) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or who are affiliates of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act and (ii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either such Section. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement (i) includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
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(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the ADSs or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the ADSs shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the ADSs (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the ADSs. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of ADSs they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
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(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the ADSs underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter, or the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the ADSs.
9. Directed Share Program Indemnification. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless UBS Financial Services, each person, if any, who controls UBS Financial Services within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of UBS Financial Services within the meaning of Rule 405 of the Securities Act (“UBS Financial Services Entities”) from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) (i) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Participants in connection with the Directed Share Program or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) caused by the failure of any Participant to pay for and accept delivery of Directed Shares that the Participant agreed to purchase; or (iii) related to, arising out of, or in connection with the Directed Share Program, other than losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or expenses relating thereto) that are finally judicially determined to have resulted from the bad faith or gross negligence of the UBS Financial Services Entities.
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(b) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any UBS Financial Services Entity in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 9(a), the UBS Financial Services Entity seeking indemnity, shall promptly notify the Company in writing and the Company, upon request of the UBS Financial Services Entity, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the UBS Financial Services Entity to represent the UBS Financial Services Entity and any others the Company may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any UBS Financial Services Entity shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such UBS Financial Services Entity unless (i) the Company shall have agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Company and the UBS Financial Services Entity and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. The Company shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of the UBS Financial Services Entities in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all UBS Financial Services Entities. Any such separate firm for the UBS Financial Services Entities shall be designated in writing by UBS Financial Services. The Company shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Company agrees to indemnify the UBS Financial Services Entities from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time a UBS Financial Services Entity shall have requested the Company to reimburse it for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the Company agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by the Company of the aforesaid request and (ii) the Company shall not have reimbursed the UBS Financial Services Entity in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of UBS Financial Services, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any UBS Financial Services Entity is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such UBS Financial Services Entity, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of the UBS Financial Services Entities from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.
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(c) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 9(a) is unavailable to a UBS Financial Services Entity or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then the Company in lieu of indemnifying the UBS Financial Services Entity thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the UBS Financial Services Entity as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the UBS Financial Services Entities on the other hand from the offering of the Directed Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 13(c)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 13(c)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the UBS Financial Services Entities on the other hand in connection with any statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the UBS Financial Services Entities on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Directed Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Directed Shares (before deducting expenses) and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the UBS Financial Services Entities for the Directed Shares, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Directed Shares. If the loss, claim, damage or liability is caused by an untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the UBS Financial Services Entities on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement or the omission or alleged omission relates to information supplied by the Company or by the UBS Financial Services Entities and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(d) The Company and the UBS Financial Services Entities agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the UBS Financial Services Entities were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 9(c). The amount paid or payable by the UBS Financial Services Entities as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the UBS Financial Services Entities in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 9, no UBS Financial Services Entity shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Directed Shares distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such UBS Financial Services Entity has otherwise been required to pay. The remedies provided for in this Section 9 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
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(e) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 9 shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any UBS Financial Services Entity or the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Directed Shares.
10. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by the Representatives to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) there has been, in the judgment of the Representatives, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement or the Time of Sale Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, (ii) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT, the NASDAQ Global Market, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, the London Stock Exchange, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade, (iii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iv) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States, the PRC, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands or other relevant jurisdiction shall have occurred, (v) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal, New York State, Hong Kong, London, PRC, Cayman Islands or other relevant authorities or (vi) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets, currency exchange rates or controls or any calamity or crisis that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (vii), makes it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the ADSs on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
11. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase ADSs that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of ADSs which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the ADSs to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as the Representatives may specify, to purchase the ADSs which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of ADSs that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 11 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of ADSs without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm ADSs and the aggregate number of Firm ADSs with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm ADSs to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives, the Company for the purchase of such Firm ADSs are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional ADSs and the aggregate number of Additional ADSs with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional ADSs to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional ADSs that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
39
If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.
12. Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the ADSs, represents the entire agreement between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the ADSs.
(b) the Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the ADSs: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arms’ length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, and (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Shares.
40
13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.
14. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
15. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
16. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to the Representatives, at:
[Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. International plc
00 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxxx X00 0XX
United Kingdom
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated
Xxx Xxxxxx Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Fascimile: 0-000-000-0000
Attention: BofA Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, High Grade Transaction Management/Legal
NY1-050-12-02, 00 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxxx,
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
UBS Securities LLC
0000 Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000];
and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to 0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 000000, People’s Republic of China.
17. Submission to Jurisdiction; Appointment of Agents for Service.
(a) The Company hereby submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York (the “Specified Courts”) over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the offering of the ADSs (each, a “Related Proceeding”). The Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any Related Proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such Related Proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. To the extent that the Company has or hereafter may acquire any immunity (on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise) from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process with respect to itself or its property, the Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such immunity in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding.
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(b) The Company hereby irrevocably appoints Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc., with offices at 000 0xx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, as its agent for service of process in any Related Proceeding and agrees that service of process in any such Related Proceeding may be made upon it at the office of such agent. The Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. The Company represents and warrants that such agent has agreed to act as the Company’s agent for service of process, and the Company agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents and instruments, that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect.
18. Trial by Jury. The Company (on its behalf and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, on behalf of its shareholders and affiliates) and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
19. Judgment Currency. If for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder into any currency other than United States dollars, the parties hereto agree, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Underwriters could purchase United States dollars with such other currency in The City of New York on the business day preceding that on which final judgment is given. The obligation of the Company with respect to any sum due from it to any Underwriter or any person controlling any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day following receipt by such Underwriter or controlling person of any sum in such other currency, and only to the extent that such Underwriter or controlling person may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency. If the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder, the Company agrees as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter or controlling person against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder, such Underwriter or controlling person agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder.
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20. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons, affiliates, selling agents and officers and directors referred to in Sections 8 and 9 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons, affiliates and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of ADSs from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
21. Time. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.
22. Representatives. The Representatives will act for the several Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and any action under this Agreement taken by the Representatives jointly will be binding upon all the Underwriters.
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Very truly yours, | ||
GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
Accepted as of the date hereof
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. International plc
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx
Incorporated
UBS | Securities LLC |
Acting severally on behalf of themselves [and
the | ||
By: | Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. International plc | |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
By: | Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated | |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
By: | UBS Securities LLC | |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
44
SCHEDULE I
Underwriter |
Number of Firm ADSs To Be Purchased |
|||
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. International plc |
||||
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated |
||||
UBS Securities LLC |
||||
|
|
|||
Total: |
19,400,000 | |||
|
|
I-1
SCHEDULE II
Time of Sale Prospectus
II-1
SCHEDULE III
Written Testing-the-Waters Communications
III-1
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER
III-2
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF WAIVER OF LOCK-UP
FORM OF PRESS RELEASE
GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd.
[Date]
GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd. (the “Company”) announced today that Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. International plc, Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated and UBS Securities LLC, Hong Kong Branch, the lead book-running managers in the Company’s recent public sale of American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”), representing Class A ordinary shares, are [waiving][releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to ADSs, representing Class A ordinary shares, held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver][release] will take effect on , 20 , and the ADSs may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
3
EXHIBIT C
SAMOA COUNSEL OPINIONS
4