EXCLUSIVE TECHNICAL CONSULTING AND SERVICES AGREEMENT
This
Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services Agreement (the “Agreement”)
is
entered into in Xinghe County, Inner Mongolia, People’s Republic of China(“PRC”)
as of December 7, 2007, between the following two parties (the
“Parties).
Party
A:
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Xinghe
Yongle Carbon Co., Ltd. (兴和县永乐碳素有榰狝任公司)
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Address:
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Xx.
00, Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxxxx County, Wulanchabu, Inner Mongolia,
PRC
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Legal
Representative:
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Xx.
Xxx Aihu
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Party
B:
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Xinghe
Xingyong Carbon Co., Ltd. (兴和兴永碳素有榰公司)
|
Address:
|
Xicheng
Wai, Chengguan town,
Xinghe County, Inner Mongolia, PRC
|
Legal
Representative:
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Xx.
Xxx Dengyong
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WHEREAS,
1.
|
Party
A is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise incorporated and existing
in the
PRC, Whose main business is to conduct the manufacture of the carbon
products, transfer the related technology, and provide consulting
services;
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2.
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Party
B is a limited liability company incorporated and registered in
the PRC;
and
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3.
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Party
A agrees to provide technical consulting and relevant services
to Party B
and Party B agrees to accept such technical consulting and
services.
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THEREFORE,
Party A and Party B, through friendly negotiation and based on equality and
mutual benefit, enter into the Agreement as follows:
1.
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Technical
Consulting and Services; Ownership and Exclusive
Interests
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1.1
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During
the term of this Agreement, Party A agrees to provide relevant
technical
consulting and services to Party B (the content is specified in
Appendix
1) in accordance with terms and conditions under the
Agreement.
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1
1.2
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Party
B hereby agrees to accept such technical consulting and services.
In
consideration of the value of technical consulting and services
and the
good cooperation relationship, Party B further agrees that, during
the
term of this Agreement, it shall not accept technical consulting
and
services for above-mentioned business provided by any third party
without
the prior written consent of Party
A.
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1.3
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Party
A shall be the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, interests
and intellectual property rights arising from the performance of
this
Agreement (including but not limited to, any copyrights, patent,
know-how,
commercial secrets and otherwise), regardless developed independently
by
Party A or by Party B based on Party A’s intellectual property or by Party
A based on Party B’s intellectual property. Party B shall not claim
against Party A on any rights, ownership, interests or intellectual
property.
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If
such
development is conducted on the basis of Party B’s intellectual property, Party
B shall ensure that such intellectual property is clear and free from any
lien
or encumbrance or license, or Party B shall indemnify Party A any and all
damages incurred thereby. In case Party A shall be liable to any third party
by
reason thereof, Party A shall be compensated in full by Party B as long as
Party
A has compensated the third party.
1.4
|
Party
B promises that under the same conditions, Party A has the priority
on
cooperation with party B in respect of any business. Subject to
Party A’s
written consent, Party B can cooperate with other enterprises under
the
same conditions.
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2.
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Calculation
and Payment of the Fee for Technical Consulting and Services (the
“Service
Fees”)
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2.1
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The
parties agree that the Fees under this Agreement shall be determined
according to Appendix 2.
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2
2.2
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In
the event Party B fails to make payment for the Service Fees and
other
fees, Party B shall pay to Party A 0.05% of the delayed payment
per day as
liquidated damages.
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2.3
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Party
A has the right to appoint its employee or an accountant
registered in PRC or any other country (“Party A’s Authorized
Representative”), at its own expenses, to inspect and audit the accounting
books of Party B for the purpose of determining the amount or calculation
method of services. Party B shall provide Party A with documents,
accounting books, recordation and data required by Party A in order
to
enable Party A’s Authorized Representative to audit the accounting books
and determine the amount of Service Fee. Unless an error of more
than 5%
shall occur in the income of Party B, the amount determined by
Party A’s
Authorized Representative shall be the amount of the Service Fee.
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2.4
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Unless
otherwise agreed upon by the Parties, the Service Fee paid by Party
B in
accordance with this Agreement shall not subject to any deduction
or
offset (e.g. bank service charge).
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2.5
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In
addition to the Service Fee, Party B shall pay Party A any and
all actual
expenses incurred by Party A arising out of provision of the technical
consulting and services under this agreement, including but not
limited to
expenses relating to travel, traffic, printing and postage and
other
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Party A.
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2.6
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Both
Parties agree that any losses incurred during the performance of
this
Agreement shall be jointly burden by both
Parties.
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3.
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Representations
and Warranties
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3.1
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Party
A hereby represents and warrants as
follows:
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3.1.1
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Party
A is a company duly registered and validly
existing under PRC laws.
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3.1.2
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Party
A shall perform this Agreement within its corporation powers
and scope of
business with necessary corporation authorizations, and has gained
all
consents and approvals of any other third parties and government
authorities. The performance of this Agreement shall not be in
violation
of any binding or effective laws or contracts.
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3
3.1.3
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Once
the Agreement has been duly executed by both parties, it will
constitute a
legitimate, valid legal document binding upon and enforceable
against
Party A in accordance with its terms
upon its execution.
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3.2
|
Party
B hereby represents and warrants as
follows:
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3.2.1
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Party
B is a company duly registered and validly existing under PRC
laws.
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3.2.2
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Party
B shall perform this Agreement within its corporation powers
and scope of
business with necessary corporation authorization, and has
gained all
consents and approvals of any other third parties and government
authorities. The performance of this Agreement shall not be
in violation
of any effective laws or contracts binding upon Party B.
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3.2.3
|
Once
the Agreement has been duly executed by both parties, it will
constitute a
legitimate, valid legal document binding upon and enforceable
against
Party B in accordance with its terms
upon its execution.
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4.
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Confidentiality
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4.1
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The
Parties agree to take various reasonable measures to protect
and maintain
the confidentiality of the confidential data and information
(the
“Confidential
Information”,
the disclosing party shall explicitly inform the receiving
party of the
confidentiality of the disclosed documents and information
in writing)
disclosed to or acquired by them in the exclusive consulting
and services,
and shall not disclose, give or transfer any Confidential Information
(including but not limited to the receiving party being merged
or acquired
or controlled directly or indirectly by any third party) to
any third
party without prior written consent of the disclosing party.
Upon
termination or expiration of this Agreement, the Parties shall,
at the
request of either Party, return any documents, information
or software
containing any of such Confidential Information to the owner
or disclosing
party, or destroy such Confidential Information with the consent
of the
owner or disclosing party, including deleting any such Confidential
Information from any memory devices, and ceasing to use such
confidential
Information. The Parties shall take necessary measures to disclose
the
Confidential Information to the employees, agents or professional
consultants of Party B who need to know such information and
cause them to
observe the confidential obligations hereunder. Party B, Party
B’s
employees, agents or professional consultants shall enter into
confidential agreement with Party A for the purpose of protecting
confidential information.
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4
4.2
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The
restrictions stipulated in Article 4.1 shall not apply
to:
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4.2.1
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the
materials available to the public at the time of
disclosure;
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4.2.2
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the
materials that become available to the public after the disclosure
not due
to the fault of either
Party;
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4.2.3
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the
materials Party
A or Party B proves to have got the control neither directly
nor
indirectly from any other party before the disclosure;
and
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4.2.4
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each
Party is required by law to disclose to relevant government
authorities,
stock exchange institute, or necessarily discloses the above
confidential
information directly to the legal counsel and financial consultant
in
order to keep its usual
business.
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4.3
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Both
Parties agree that this article shall survive the modification,
recession
or termination of this Agreement.
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5.
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Indemnity
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5.1
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Unless
otherwise provided in this agreement, if Party B fails or
pauses to
perform its obligation under this Agreement, and fails to
correct the same
within thirty (30) days after receiving the other party’s notification,
which shall set forth in reasonable detail the basis for
the claim of
breach, or if any representation or warranty is found to
be inaccurate and
not cured within thirty (30) days, then Party B breaches
its obligation
under this agreement.
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5
5.2
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If
either party to this Agreement breaches this Agreement or
any
representations and warranties made in this Agreement, the
other party may
notify in writing the breaching party requesting it to correct
its
breaching acts, take relevant measures to effectively and
promptly avoid
the occurrence of any damages, and to resume the performance
of this
Agreement 30 days after receipt of the notice. The breaching
party shall
compensate any losses caused to the non-breaching party in
order to make
the non-breaching party obtain any and all the rights and
interests it
should have acquired if the contract had been soundly performed.
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5.3
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In
the event that either party’s breach of this agreement results in any fee,
liability or loss (including but not limited to loss of profits)
incurred
by the other, the breaching party shall indemnify the non-breaching
party
any of the aforesaid fee, liability or loss( including but
not limited to
any interest and attorney fee paid or incurred due to the
breach). The
total compensation paid by the breaching party to the non-breaching
party
shall be equal to the losses caused by the breach of this
Agreement, which
shall include the receivable interests by the non-breaching
party for the
performance of this Agreement, but shall not exceed the reasonable
expectations of the Parties.
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5.4
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If
Party B fails to follow Party A’s instruction, or misuses the intellectual
property or conducts improper technical operations, and any
third party
claims damages due to Party B’s aforesaid activities, Party B shall assume
all the liabilities arising out thereof. If Party B finds
out that any
third party uses Party A’s intellectual property without legal
authorization, Party B shall notify Party A immediately and
assist Party A
to take any actions.
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5.5
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In
the event both Parties breach this Agreement, they shall
determine the
compensation payable according to the extent of their breach
respectively.
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6.
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Effective
Date and Term
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6.1
|
This
Agreement shall be executed as of the date indicated at the
head of this
Agreement, and shall take effect
simultaneously.
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6
6.2
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The
term of this Agreement is ten (10) years commencing upon
its execution,
unless earlier terminated by Party A. Prior to the expiration
of this
Agreement, if Party A intends to extend the term of this
Agreement, the
parties shall extend the term of this Agreement as per the
requirement of
Party A, and the parties shall enter into exclusive technical
consulting
and service agreement separately or continue to perform this
Agreement as
required by Party A.
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7.
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Termination
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7.1
|
During
the term of this Agreement, if Party B terminates this Agreement
in
advance without any due cause, Party B shall indemnify Party
A all losses
caused thereby to Party A, and pay the relevant fees for
the services
already provided.
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7.2
|
This
Agreement can be terminated by mutual consent of the parties.
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7.3
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The
rights and obligations of both Parties under Article 4 and
5 shall survive
the termination of this Agreement.
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8.
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Disputes
Resolution
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8.1
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The
parties shall strive to settle any dispute arising from the
interpretation
or performance in connection with this Agreement through
friendly
consultation. In case no settlement can be reached through
consultation,
each party may submit such dispute to China International
Economic and
Trade Arbitration Commission (the “CIETAC”).
The arbitration shall follow the current rules of CIETAC,
and the
arbitration proceedings shall be conducted in Chinese and
shall take place
in Beijing. The arbitration award shall be final and binding
upon both
Parties. This article shall survive the termination or recession
of this
Agreement.
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8.2
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Each
Party shall continue to perform its obligations in good faith
according to
the provisions of this Agreement except for the matters in
dispute.
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7
9.
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Force
Majeure
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9.1
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Force
Majeure, means any event that is beyond the party’s
reasonable control and cannot be prevented with reasonable
care, including
but not limited to acts of governments, including changes
in government
laws and policies, acts of nature, fire, explosion, typhoon,
flood,
earthquake, tide, lightning, war, shortages in raw materials,
insurrection, or labor disputes to which the delayed Party
is not a party.
However, any shortage of credit, capital or finance shall
not be regarded
as an event of Force Majeure. The affected party who is claiming
to be not
liable to its failure of fulfilling this Agreement by Force
Majeure shall
inform the other party, without delay, of the steps of the
performance of
this Agreement by the affected
party.
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9.2
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In
the event that the affected party is delayed in or prevented
from
performing its obligations under this Agreement by Force
Majeure, within
the scope of such delay or prevention, the affected party
will not be
responsible for any damage by reason of such a failure or
delay of
performance. The affected party shall take appropriate means
to mitigate
or eliminate the effects of Force Majeure and try to resume
performance of
the obligations delayed or prevented by the event of Force
Majeure. After
the event of Force Majeure is eliminated, both parties agree
to resume
performance of this Agreement with their best
efforts.
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10.
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Notices
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Notices
or other communications required to be given by any party pursuant
to this
Agreement shall be in writing and be delivered by personal delivery,
registered
mail or postage prepaid mail, recognized express
service or by facsimile transmission to the address of the relevant
party or
parties set forth below.
Party
A:
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Xinghe
Yongle Carbon Co., Ltd.
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Address:
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Xx.
00, Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxxxx County, Wulanchabu, Inner
Mongolia,
PRC
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Fax:
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0000-0000000
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Tel:
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0000-0000000
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Attention:
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Xx.
Xxx Aihu
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8
Party
B:
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Xinghe
Xingyong Carbon Co., Ltd.
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Address:
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Xxxxx
Xxxx Zhe Xi Xxxxx Xxx, Xing He county, Nei Meng Gu, P.
R.
China
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Fax:
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0000-0000000
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Telephone:
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0000-0000000
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Attention:
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Xx.
Xxx
Dengyong
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Any
notice by facsimile transmission or e-mail shall be effective only if the
recipient acknowledges receipt.
11.
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Assignment
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Party
B
shall not assign its rights or obligations under this Agreement to any third
party without the prior written consent of Party A. Party A may assign its
rights or obligations under this Agreement to any third party without the
consent of Party B, but shall inform Party B of the above
assignment.
12.
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Severability
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All
parties confirm that this Agreement is fair and reasonable on the basis of
equality and mutual benefits. Any provision of this Agreement that is invalid
or
unenforceable because of any inconsistency with relevant law shall be
ineffective or unenforceable within such jurisdiction where the relevant
law
governs, without affecting in any way the remaining provisions
hereof.
13.
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Amendment
and Supplement
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Any
amendment to and supplement of this Agreement shall come into force only
after a
written agreement with respect thereto is signed by both parties. The amendment
and supplement duly executed by both parties shall be part of this Agreement
and
shall have the same legal effect as this Agreement.
14.
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Governing
Law
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The
execution, validity, performance and interpretation of this Agreement and
dispute resolution shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the PRC
laws.
9
IN
WITNESS THEREOF the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed on their behalf by duly authorized representatives as of the date
first
set forth above.
Party
A: :
Xinghe Yongle Carbon Co., Ltd.
(Stamp)
/s/
Wei Aihu
Authorized
Representative: Xx. Xxx
Aihu
Party
B: Xinghe
Xingyong Carbon Co., Ltd.
(Stamp)
/s/
Jin Dengyong
Authorized
Representative: Xx. Xxx
Dengyong
10
Appendix
1: The list of Technical Consulting and Services
Party
A
shall provide technical and consulting services as follows:
1.
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Providing
the development and research on the technologies of carbon
production;
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2.
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Providing
the training services to the staff;
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3.
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Providing
the services on the development and transfer of the related technologies;
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4.
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Providing
the market investigation, research and consulting
services;
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5.
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Providing
the middle and long term market development strategy, and market
plan
services;
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6.
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Providing
carbon related technologies
services;
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7.
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Providing
the related technologies
consultation;
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8.
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Providing
the services on the sale of self-manufactured
products.
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11
Appendix
2: Calculation and Payment of the Service
Fee for Technical Consulting and Services
I.
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The
Service
Fee hereunder shall be calculated by 80% to 100% of the total business
income of Party B, the specific percentage of the Service Fee (with
limitation to the scope from 80 % to 100% ) shall be determined
by both
parties on the basis of actual situation of provision of services,
and the
Service Fee shall be calculated and paid on a quarterly
basis.
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II.
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The
amount of the Service Fee shall be determined by both parties on
the basis
of the following factors:
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1.
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the
technical difficulty and complexity of technical consulting and
services;
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2.
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the
time taken by Party’s
employees for the technical consulting and
services;
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3.
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the
specific content and commercial value of the technical consulting
and
services;
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4.
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the
market reference price of technical consulting and services of
the same
category.
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III.
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Party
A shall collect the Service Fee on a quarterly basis, and shall
issue to
Party B the xxxx for the previous quarter within thirty (30)
days upon the
commencement of a quarter, and shall notify Party B thereof.
Party B shall
pay the Service Fee into the bank account designated by Party
A within ten
(10) working days after receiving the notification from Party
A, and Party
B shall fax or post the copy of the payment certificate to Party
A within
ten (10) working days after accomplishment of the
payment.
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IV.
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If
Party A regards the Service Fee pricing mechanism agreed upon
hereunder as
not applicable due to certain reasons, Party B shall actively
negotiate
with Party A in good faith within ten (10) working days after
receiving
the written request of Party A with a view to reach a new pricing
mechanism. If Party B has no response after receiving the notification
with respect to adjustment of pricing mechanism, Party B shall
be deemed
to have accepted the proposed adjustment of pricing mechanism.
In response
to Party B’s request, Party A shall enter into negotiation with Party B
for the adjustment of pricing mechanism.
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12