EXCLUSIVE OPTION AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT
10.17
This
Exclusive Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of
September 28, 2010, by and between the following parties in Guangzhou, the
People’s Republic of China (“China” or the “PRC”).
Party
A: Guangdong Hopsun Polypeptide Biological Technology Co.,
Ltd.
Party
B: Guangdong Xinpu Polypeptide Research Co., Ltd.
Party
C: Xxxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx Xxx
Each of
Party A and Party B and Party C shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party”
respectively, and as the “Parties” collectively.
RECITALS
(1)
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Party
A is a limited liability company duly incorporated under the laws of China
which has the expertise in the business of polypeptide-related health
product development, sales and marketing, related technical consultation,
etc.
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(2)
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Party
B is a limited liability company duly incorporated under the laws of China
which has the expertise in the business of polypeptide-related health
product development, related real estate development, related technical
consultation, etc (the “Business”).
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(2)
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The
Company is a limited liability company duly incorporated under the laws of
China which has the expertise in the business of polypeptide-related
health product development, related real estate development, related
technical consultation, etc.
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(3)
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Party
C is the sole shareholder of Party
B.
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(4)
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A
series of agreements such as the Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement
(the “Cooperation Agreement”) and Equity Pledge Agreement (the “Equity
Pledge Agreement”) have been entered into by the Parties on September28,
2010;
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(5)
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The
Parties are entering into this Exclusive Option Agreement in conjunction
with the Pledge Agreement, Cooperation Agreement and related
agreements.
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NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties to
this Agreement hereby agree as follows:
1.
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Purchase
and Sale of Equity Interest
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1
1.1
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Grant
of Rights. Party C (hereafter the “Transferor”) hereby irrevocably grants
to Party A or its designated representative (the “Designated Persons”) an
exclusive option to purchase, to the extent permitted under PRC Law,
according to the steps determined by Party A, at the price specified in
Section l.3 of this Agreement, at any time from the Transferor a portion
or all of the equity interests held, by Transferor in Party B (the
“Option”). No Option shall be granted to any third party other than Party
A and/or the Designated Persons. Party B hereby agrees to the granting of
the Option by Party C to Party A and/or the Designated Persons. The
“person” set forth in this clause and this Agreement means an individual
person, corporation, joint venture, partnership, enterprise, trust or a
non-corporation organization.
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1.2
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Exercise
of Rights. According to the stipulations of the PRC laws and
regulations, Party A and/or the Designated Persons may exercise Option by
issuing a written notice (the “Notice”) to the Transferor and specifying
the equity interest purchased from Transferor (the “Purchased Equity
Interest”) and the manner of
purchase.
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1.3
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Purchase
Price.
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1.3.1
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For
Party A to exercise the Option, the purchase price of the Purchased Equity
Interest (“Purchase Price”) shall be Renminbi One Thousand (RMB1,000),
unless the applicable PRC laws and regulations require appraisal of the
equity interests or stipulate other restrictions on the purchase price of
equity interests.
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1.3.2
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If
the applicable PRC laws require appraisal of the equity interests or
stipulates other restrictions on the purchase price of the Equity Interest
at the time that Party A exercises the Option, the Parties agree that the
Purchase Price shall be set at the lowest price permissible under the
applicable laws.
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1.4
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Transfer
of the Purchased Equity Interest. Up on each exercise of the Option rights
under this Agreement:
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1.4.1
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The
Transferor shall ask Party C to convene a shareholder/owner’s meeting.
During the meeting, the resolutions shall be proposed, approving the
transfer of the appropriate Equity Interest to Party A and/or the
Designated Persons;
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1.4.2
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The
Transferor shall, upon the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the
Notice related to the Purchased Equity Interest, enter into Equity
Interest purchase agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to Party A,
with Party A and/or the Designated Persons (as
applicable);
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1.4.3
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The
related parties shall execute all other requisite contracts, agreements or
documents, obtain all requisite approval and consent of the government,
conduct all necessary actions, without any security interest, transfer the
valid ownership of the Purchased Equity Interest to Party A and/or the
Designated Persons, and cause Party A and/or the Designated Persons to be
the registered owner of the purchased Equity Interest. In this clause and
this Agreement, “Security Interest” means any mortgage, pledge, the right
or interest of the third party, any purchase right of equity interest,
right of acquisition, right of first refusal, right of set-off, ownership
detainment or other security arrangements, however, it does not include
any security interest created under the Equity Pledge
Agreement.
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2
1.5
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Payment.
The payment of the Purchase Price shall be determined by the consultation
of Party A and/or the Designated Persons with the Transferor according to
the applicable laws at the time of exercise of the
Option.
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2.
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Promises
Relating Equity Interest.
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2.1
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Promises
Related to Party B. Party B, Party C hereby
promise:
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2.1.1
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Without
prior written consent by Party A, not, in any form, to supplement, change
or renew the Articles of Association of Party B, to increase or decrease
registered capital of the corporation, or to change the structure of the
registered capital in any other
forms;
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2.1.2
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According
to customary fiduciary standards applicable to managers with respect to
corporations and their shareholders/owners, to maintain the existence of
the corporation, prudently and effectively operate the
business;
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2.1.3
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Without
prior written consent by Party A, not, upon the execution of this
Agreement, to sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose, in any other form, any
asset, legitimate or beneficial interest of business or income of Party B,
or encumber or approve any encumbrance or imposition of any security
interest on Party A’s assets;
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2.1.4
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Without
prior written notice by Party A, not issue or provide any guarantee or
permit the existence of any debt, other than (i) the debt arising from
normal or daily business but not from borrowing; and (ii) the debt
disclosed to Party A and obtained the written consent from Party
A;
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2.1.5
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To
normally operate all business to maintain the asset value of Party B,
without taking any action or failing to take any action that would result
in a material adverse effect on the business or asset value of Party
B;
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2.1.6
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Without
prior written consent by Party A, not to enter into any material agreement
that exceeds USD500,000, other than agreements in the ordinary course of
business;
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2.1.7
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Without
prior written consent by Party A, not to provide loan or credit loan to
any others;
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2.1.8
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Upon the request of Party A, to provide all
materials of operation and finance relevant to Party B;
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2.1.9
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Purchases
and holds the insurance from the insurance company accepted by Party A,
the insurance amount and category shall be the same with those held by the
companies in the same industry or field, operating the similar business
and owning the similar properties and assets as Party
B;
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2.1.10
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Without
prior written consent by Party A, not to merge or associate with any
person, or acquire or invest in any
person:
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2.1.11
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To notify Party A of the occurrence or the
potential occurrence of the litigation, arbitration or administrative
procedure related to the assets, business and income of Party B;
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2.1.12
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In
order to keep the ownership of Party B to all its assets, to execute all
requisite or appropriate documents, take all requisite or appropriate
actions, and pursue all appropriate claims, or make requisite or
appropriate pleas for all
claims;
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2.1.13
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Without
prior written notice by Party A, not to assign equity interests to
shareholders/owners in any form; however, Party B shall distribute all or
part of its distributable profits to their own shareholders/owners upon
request by Party A;
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2.1.14
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According
to the request of Party A, to appoint any person designated by Party A to
be the directors of Party B.
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2.2
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Promises
Related to Transferor. Party C hereby
promise:
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2.2.1
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Without
prior written consent by Party A, not, upon the execution of this
Agreement, to sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose in any other form any
legitimate or beneficial interest of equity interest, or to approve any
other security interest set on it, with the exception of the pledge set on
the equity interest of the Transferor subject to Equity Pledge
Agreement;
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2.2.2
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Without
the prior written notice by Party A, not to decide or support or execute
any shareholder resolution at any shareholder meeting of Party B that
approves any sale, transfer, mortgage or dispose of any legitimate or
beneficial interest of equity interest, or allows any other security
interest set on it, other than the pledge on the equity interests of
Transferor pursuant to Equity Pledge
Agreement;
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2.2.3
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Without
prior written notice by Party A, any Party shall not agree or support or
execute any shareholders/owners resolution at any shareholder meeting of
Party B that approves Party B’s merger or association with any person,
acquisition of any person or investment in any
person;
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2.2.4
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To
notify Party A the occurrence or the potential occurrence of the
litigation, arbitration or administrative procedure related to the equity
interest owned by them;
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2.2.5
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To
cause the Board of Directors of Party B to approve the transfer of the
Purchased Equity Interest subject to this
Agreement;
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2.2.6
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In
order to keep its ownership of the equity interest, to execute all
requisite or appropriate documents, conduct all requisite or appropriate
actions, and make all requisite or appropriate claims, or make requisite
or appropriate defend against fall claims of
compensation;
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2.2.7
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Upon
the request of Party A, to appoint any person designated by Party A to be
the directors of Party B;
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2.2.8
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Upon
the request of Party A at any time, to transfer its Equity Interest
immediately to the representative designated by Party A unconditionally at
any time and abandon its prior right of first refusal of such equity
interest transferring to another available
shareholder;
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2.2.9
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To
prudently comply with the provisions of this Agreement and other
Agreements entered into collectively or respectively by the Transferor,
Party B and Party A and perform all obligations under these Agreements,
without taking any action or any nonfeasance that sufficiently affects the
validity and enforceability of these
Agreements;
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3.
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Representations
and Warranties. As of the execution date of this Agreement and
every transferring date, Party B, Party C hereby represent and warrant
collectively and respectively to Party A as
follows:
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3.1
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It
has the power and ability to enter into and deliver this Agreement, and
any equity interest transferring Agreement (“Transferring Agreement”,
respectively) having it as a party, for every single transfer of the
Purchased Equity Interest according to this Agreement, and to perform its
obligations under this Agreement and any Transferring Agreement. Upon
execution, this Agreement and the Transferring Agreements having it as a
party will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of it
enforceable against it in accordance with its
terms;
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3.2
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The
execution, delivery of this Agreement and any Transferring Agreement and
performance of the obligations under this Agreement and any Transferring
Agreement will not: (i) cause to violate any relevant laws and regulations
of PRC; (ii) constitute a conflict with its Articles of Association or
other organizational documents; (iii) cause to breach any Agreement or
instruments to which it is a party or having binding obligation on it, or
constitute the breach under any Agreement or instruments to which it is a
party or having binding obligation on it; (iv) cause to violate relevant
authorization of any consent or approval to it and/or any continuing valid
condition; or (v) cause any consent or approval authorized to it to be
suspended, removed, or into which other requests be
added;
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3.3
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The
shares of Party B are transferable, and Party B has not permitted or
caused any security interest to be imposed upon the shares of Party
B.
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3.4
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Party
B does not have any unpaid debt, other than (i) debt arising from its
normal business; and (ii) debt disclosed to Party A and obtained by
written consent of Party A;
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3.5
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Party
B has complied with all PRC laws and regulations applicable to the
acquisition of assets and securities in connection with this
Agreement;
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3.6
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No
litigation, arbitration or administrative procedure relevant to the Equity
Interests and assets of Party B or Party B itself is in process or to be
settled and the Parties have no knowledge of any pending or threatened
claim;
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3.7
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The
Transferor bears the fair and salable ownership of its Equity Interest
free of encumbrances of any kind, other than the security interest
pursuant to the Equity Pledge
Agreement.
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4.
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Assignment
of Agreement
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4.1
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Party
B and Party C shall not transfer their rights and obligations under this
Agreement to any third party without the prior written consent of the
Party A.
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4.2
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Party
B and Party C hereby agrees that Party A shall be able to transfer all of
its rights and obligation under this Agreement to any third party with its
needs, and such transfer shall only be subject to a written notice sent to
Party B, Party C by Party A, and no any further consent from Party B and
Party C will be required.
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5.
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Effective
Date
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5.1
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This
Agreement shall take effect on the date of execution of this Agreement.
The terms of this Agreement are 10 years. This agreement may be
extended with Party A's written confirmation prior to the expiration
date.
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6.
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Governing
Law and Jurisdiction
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6.1
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This
Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws
of the PRC.
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6
6.2
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Any
dispute arising from, out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be
settled through friendly consultations between the Parties. In the event
the Parties fail to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after
either Party's request to the other Parties for resolution of the dispute
through negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the
local competent arbitration committee for arbitration, in accordance with
its Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in Guangzhou,
and the language used in arbitration shall be Chinese. The arbitration
award shall be final and binding on all
Parties.
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7.
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Taxes
and Expenses. Each Party shall, according to the PRC laws, bear any and
all registering taxes, costs and expenses for equity transfer arising from
the preparation and execution of this Agreement and all Transferring
Agreements, and the completion of the transactions under this Agreement
and all Transferring Agreements.
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8.
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Notices.
Notices or other communications required to be given by any party pursuant
to this Agreement shall be written in English and Chinese and delivered
personally or sent by registered mail or postage prepaid mail or by a
recognized courier service or by facsimile transmission to the address of
relevant each party or both parties set forth below or other address of
the party or of the other addressees specified by such party from time to
time. The date when the notice is deemed to be duly served shall be
determined as the follows: (a) a notice delivered personally is deemed
duly served upon the delivery; (b)a notice sent by mail is deemed duly
served the tenth(10th)day after the date when the air registered mail with
postage prepaid has been sent out (as is shown on the postmark),or
the fourth(4th)day after the delivery date to the internationally
recognized courier service agency; and(c)a notice sent by facsimile
transmission is deemed duly served upon the receipt time as is shown on
the transmission confirmation of relevant
documents.
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9.
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Confidentiality. The
Parties acknowledge and confirm any oral or written materials exchanged by
the Parties in connection with this Agreement are confidential. The
Parties shall maintain the secrecy and confidentiality of all such
materials. Without the written approval by the other Parties, any Party
shall not disclose to any third party any relevant materials, but the
following circumstances shall be
excluded:
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a.
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The
materials that is known or may be known by the general public (but not
include the materials disclosed by each party receiving the
materials);
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b.
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The
materials required to be disclosed subject to the applicable laws or the
rules or provisions of stock exchange;
or
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c.
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The
materials disclosed by each Party to its legal or financial consultant
relating the transaction of this Agreement, and this legal or financial
consultant shall comply with the confidentiality set forth in this
Section. The disclosure of the confidential materials by staff or employed
institution of any Party shall be deemed as the disclosure of such
materials by such Party, and such Party shall bear the liabilities for
breaching the contract. This clause shall survive whatever this Agreement
is invalid, amended, revoked, terminated or unable to implement by any
reason.
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7
10.
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Further
Warranties. The Parties agree to promptly execute documents
reasonably required to perform the provisions and the aim of this
Agreement or documents beneficial to it, and to take actions reasonably
required to perform the provisions and the aim of this Agreement or
actions beneficial to it.
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11.
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Miscellaneous.
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11.1
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Amendment,
Modification and Supplement. Any amendment and supplement to
this Agreement shall only be effective is made by the Parties in
writing.
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11.2
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Entire
Agreement. The Parties acknowledge that this Agreement constitutes the
entire agreement of the Parties with respect to the subject matters
therein and supersede and replace all prior or contemporaneous agreements
and understandings in verb or/and in
writing.
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11.3
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Severability.
If any provision of this Agreement is judged as invalid or non-enforceable
according to relevant Laws, the provision shall be deemed invalid only
within the applicable laws and regulations of the PRC, and the validity,
legality and enforceability of the other provisions hereof shall not be
affected or impaired in any way. The Parties shall, through fairly
consultation, replace those invalid, illegal or non-enforceable provisions
with valid provisions that may bring the similar economic effects with the
effects caused by those invalid, illegal or non-enforceable
provisions.
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11.4
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Headings.
The headings contained in this Agreement are for the convenience of
reference only and shall not affect the interpretation, explanation or in
any other way the meaning of the provisions of this
Agreement.
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11.5
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Language
and Copies. This Agreement has been executed in English and
Chinese in three (3) duplicate originals; each Party holds one (1)
original and each duplicate original shall have the same legal
effect.
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[SIGNATURE
PAGE FOLLOWS]
8
SIGNATURE
PAGE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF each party
hereto has caused this Agreement duly executed by their duly authorized
representatives as of the date first written above.
PARTY A: Guangdong Hopsun
Polypeptide Biological Technology Co., Ltd.
Legal/Authorized
Representative:_________________________
Name:
PARTY B: Guangdong Xinpu
Polypeptide Research Co. Ltd.
Legal/Authorized
Representative:_________________________
Name:
PARTY C: Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxx
By:
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PARTY C: Shengfan
Yan
By:
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