Loan Agreement
This Loan
Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the Parties
below as of the 20th day of
December, 2007 in Jinan, the People’s Republic of China (“China” or the
“PRC”):
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(1)
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Trunkbow Asia Pacific(Shandong)
Co., Ltd (“Lender”), a Company organized and existing under the
laws of the PRC, with its address at the sixth floor, mainbuilding, Xxxxxx
Technology Industrial Zone, Yingxiu Road, Hi-tech Development District,
Jinan;
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(2)
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Xxxxxxx XXX(“Borrower”),
a Chinese citizen with Chinese Identification No.:
000000000000000000.
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Each of
Lender and Borrower shall be hereinafter referred to as a “Party” respectively,
and as the “Parties” collectively.
Whereas,
Borrower
holds 40% of equity interests (“Borrower Equity Interest”) in Trunkbow
Technologies (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (“Borrower Company”), Borrower Company is a
limited company duly registered in Shenzhen, China with its registered capital
of RMB 5,000,000.
Lender
intends to provide Borrower with a loan to be used under this Agreement. After
friendly consultation, the Parties agree as follows:
1.
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Loan
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1.1
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In
accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Lender agrees
to provide a loan in the amount of RMB 2,000,000 (the “Loan”) to Borrower.
The term of the Loan shall be 10 years from the date of this Agreement,
which may be extended upon mutual written consent of the Parties. During
the term of the Loan or the extended term of the Loan, Borrower shall
immediately repay the full amount of the Loan in the event any one or more
of the following circumstances
occur:
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1.1.1
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30
days elapse after Borrower receives written notice from Lender requesting
repayment of the Loan;
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1.1.2
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Borrower’s
death, lack or limitation of civil
capacity;
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1.1.3
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Borrower
ceases (for any reason) to be an Shareholder of Borrower
Company;
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1.1.4
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Borrower
engages in criminal act or is involved in criminal
activities;
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1.1.5
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Any
third party filed a claim against Borrower that exceeds RMB500,000;
or
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1.1.6
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According
to the applicable laws of China, foreign investors are permitted to invest
in value-added telecommunication service businesses in China with a
controlling stake or in the form of wholly-foreign-owned enterprises, the
relevant competent authorities of China begin to approve such investments,
and Lender exercises the exclusive option under the Exclusive Option
Agreement (the “Exclusive Option Agreement”) described in Sections 2.4 of
this Agreement.
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1.2
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Lender
agrees to remit the total amount of the Loan to the account designated by
Borrower within 20 days after receiving a written notification from the
Borrower regarding the same, provided that all the conditions precedent in
Section 2 are fulfilled. Borrower shall provide Lender with a written
receipt for the Loan upon receiving the Loan. The Loan provided by Lender
under this Agreement shall inure to Borrower’s benefit only and not to
Borrower’s successors or assigns.
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1.3
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Borrower
agrees to accept the aforementioned Loan provided by Lender, and hereby
agrees and warrants using the Loan to provide capital for Borrower Company
to develop the business of Borrower Company. Without Lender’s prior
written consent, Borrower shall not use the Loan for any purpose other
than as set forth herein.
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1.4
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Lender
and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that Borrower’s method of
repayment may at Lender’s option take the form of Borrower’s transferring
the Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated persons
(legal or natural persons) pursuant to the Lender’s exercise of its right
to acquire the Borrower Equity Interest under the Exclusive Option
Agreement.
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1.5
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Lender
and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that any proceeds from the
transfer of the Borrower Equity Interest (to the extent permissible) shall
be used to repay the Loan to Lender, in accordance with this Agreement in
the manner designated by Lender.
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1.6
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Lender
and Borrower hereby agree and acknowledge that to the extent permitted by
applicable laws, Lender shall have the right but not the obligation to
purchase or designate other persons (legal or natural persons) to purchase
Borrower Equity Interest in part or in whole at any time, at the price
stipulated in the Exclusive Option
Agreement.
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1.7
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Borrower
also undertakes to execute an irrevocable Power of Attorney (the “Power of
Attorney”), which authorizes a legal or natural person designated by
Lender to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder of Borrower
Company.
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2
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1.8
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When
Borrower transfers Borrower Equity Interest to Lender or Lender’s
designated person, in the event that the transfer price of such equity
interest equals or is lower than the principal of the Loan under this
Agreement, the Loan under this Agreement shall be deemed an interest-free
loan. In the event that the transfer price of such equity interest exceeds
the principal of the Loan under this Agreement, the excess over the
principal shall be deemed the interest of the Loan under this Agreement
payable by Borrower to Lender.
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2.
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Conditions
Precedent
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The
obligation of Lender to provide the Loan to Borrower contemplated in Section 1.1
shall be subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions, unless waived
in writing by Lender.
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2.1
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Lender
receives the written notification for drawdown under the Loan sent by
Borrower according to Section 1.2.
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2.2
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Borrower
Company and Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural
persons) have officially executed an Exclusive Business Cooperation
Agreement (“Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement”), under which Lender
or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural persons), as an exclusive
service provider, will provide Borrower Company with technical service and
business consulting service.
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2.3
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Borrower,
Borrower Company and Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or
natural persons) have executed a Share Pledge Agreement (“Share Pledge
Agreement”), the contents of which have been confirmed, and according to
the Share Pledge Agreement, Borrower agrees to pledge Borrower Equity
Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural
persons).
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2.4
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Borrower,
Lender and Borrower Company have officially executed an Exclusive Option
Agreement, the contents of which have been confirmed, and under which
Borrower shall irrevocably grant Lender an exclusive option to purchase
all of the Borrower Equity
Interest.
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2.5
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Borrower
has executed an irrevocable Power of Attorney (“Power of Attorney”), which
authorizes Lender or Lender’s designated persons (legal or natural
persons) to exercise all of Borrower’s rights as a shareholder in Borrower
Company.
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2.6
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The
aforementioned Share Pledge Agreement, Power of Attorney, Exclusive Option
Agreement and Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement have been entered
into before or on the date of execution of this Agreement and shall have
full legal validity without any default or encumbrance related to these
agreements or contracts, and all the related filing procedures, approvals,
authorization, registrations and government procedures have been completed
(as applicable).
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2.7
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All
the representations and warranties by Borrower in Section 3.2 are true,
complete, correct and not
misleading.
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3
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2.8
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Borrower
has not violated the covenants in Section 4 of this Agreement, and no
event which may affect Borrower’s performance of its obligations under
this Agreement has occurred or is expected to
occur.
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3.
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Representations and
Warranties
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3.1
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Between
the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement,
Lender hereby makes the following representations and warranties to
Borrower:
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3.1.1
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Lender
is a company duly organized and legally existing in accordance with the
laws of the PRC;
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3.1.2
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Lender
has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. The
execution and performance by Lender of this Agreement is consistent with
Lender’s scope of business and the provisions of Lender’s corporate bylaws
and other organizational documents, and Lender has obtained all necessary
and proper approvals and authorizations for the execution and performance
of this Agreement; and
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3.1.3
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This
Agreement constitutes Lender’s legal, valid and binding obligations
enforceable in accordance with its
terms.
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3.2
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Between
the date of this Agreement and the date of termination of this Agreement,
Borrower hereby makes the following representations and
warranties:
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3.2.1
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Borrower
has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement. Borrower has
obtained all necessary and proper approvals and authorizations for the
execution and performance of this
Agreement;
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3.2.2
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This
Agreement constitutes Borrower’s legal, valid and binding obligations
enforceable in accordance with its terms;
and
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3.2.3
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There
are no disputes, litigation, arbitrations, administrative proceedings or
any other legal proceedings relating to Borrower, nor are there any
potential disputes, litigations, arbitrations, administrative proceedings
or any other legal proceedings relating to
Borrower.
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4.
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Borrower’s
Covenants
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4.1
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As
and when she becomes, and for so long as she remains a shareholder of
Borrower Company, Borrower covenants that during the term of this
Agreement, Borrower shall cause Borrower
Company:
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4.1.1
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to
strictly abide by the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement and the
Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, and to refrain from any
action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of
the Exclusive Option Agreement and the Exclusive Business Cooperation
Agreement;
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4
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4.1.2
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at
the request of Lender (or a party designated by Lender), to execute
contracts/agreements on business cooperation with Lender (or a party
designated by Lender), and to strictly abide by such
contracts/agreements;
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4.1.3
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to
provide Lender (or a party designated by Lender) with all of the
information on Borrower Company’s business operations and financial
condition at Lender’s request;
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4.1.4
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to
immediately notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any
litigation, arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower
Company’s assets, business or
income;
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4.1.5
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at
the request of Lender, to appoint any persons designated by Lender as
directors of Borrower Company;
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4.1.6
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without
Lender’s prior written consent, not to supplement, change or amend its
articles of association in any manner, increase or decrease its registered
capital or change its share capital structure in any
manner;
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4.1.7
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to
maintain its corporate existence in accordance with good financial and
business standards and practices by prudently and effectively operating
its business and handling its
affairs;
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4.1.8
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without
Lender’s prior written consent, not to sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose
of in any other manner its legal or beneficial interest in any of its
assets, business or revenue at any time from the date of this Agreement,
or permit the encumbrance of any other security interest
thereon;
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4.1.9
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without
Lender’s prior written consent, not to incur, inherit, guarantee or
otherwise allow for the existence of any debt, except for (i) debt
incurred in the ordinary course of business other than through any loans;
and (ii) debt already disclosed to Lender for which Lender’s written
consent has been obtained;
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4.1.10
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to
operate its businesses in the ordinary course and to maintain the value
of its assets;
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4.1.11
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without
the prior written consent of Lender, not to execute any major contract,
except for contracts in the ordinary course of business (for purpose of
this subsection, a contract with a value exceeding RMB500,000 shall be
deemed a major contract);
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4.1.12
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without
the prior written consent of Lender, not to provide any person with any
loan, credit or security;
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5
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4.1.13
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to
procure and maintain insurance from an insurance carrier acceptable to
Lender, at an amount and type of coverage typical for companies that
operate similar businesses in the same
area;
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4.1.14
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without
the prior written consent of Lender, not to merge, consolidate with,
acquire, or invest in any party;
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4.1.15
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in
order to maintain the ownership of all of its assets, to execute all
necessary or appropriate documents, take all necessary or appropriate
actions and file all necessary or appropriate complaints or raise
necessary and appropriate defenses against all
claims;
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4.1.16
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without
the prior written consent of Lender, not to distribute dividends to
shareholders, provided that upon Lender’s written request, to distribute
the distributable profits in whole or in part to the respective
shareholders.
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4.2
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Borrower
covenants that during the term of this Agreement, she
shall:
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4.2.1
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endeavor
to keep Borrower Company to engage in its current value-added
telecommunication businesses;
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4.2.2
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abide
by the provisions of this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Share
Pledge Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, perform her
obligations under this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Share Pledge
Agreement and the Exclusive Option Agreement, and refrain from any
action/omission that may affect the effectiveness and enforceability of
this Agreement, the Power of Attorney, the Share Pledge Agreement and the
Exclusive Option Agreement;
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4.2.3
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not
sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of in any other manner the legal or
beneficial interest in Borrower Equity Interest, or allow the encumbrance
thereon of any security interest or the encumbrance, except in accordance
with the Share Pledge Agreement;
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4.2.4
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cause
any shareholders’ meeting and/or board of directors meeting of Borrower
Company not to approve the sale, transfer, mortgage or disposition in any
other manner of any legal or beneficial interest in Borrower Equity
Interest, or allow the encumbrance thereon of any security interest,
except to Lender or Lender’s designated
person;
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4.2.5
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cause
any shareholders’ meeting and/or board of directors of the Borrower
Company not to approve the merger or consolidation of Borrower Company
with any person, or its acquisition of or investment in any person,
without the prior written consent of
Lender;
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4.2.6
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immediately
notify Lender of the occurrence or possible occurrence of any litigation,
arbitration or administrative proceedings relating to Borrower Equity
Interest;
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6
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4.2.7
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to
the extent necessary to maintain her ownership of the Borrower Equity
Interest, execute all necessary or appropriate documents, take all
necessary or appropriate actions and file all necessary or appropriate
complaints or raise necessary and appropriate defense against all
claims;
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4.2.8
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without
the prior written consent of Lender, refrain from any action / omission
that may have a material impact on the assets, business and liabilities of
Borrower Company;
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4.2.9
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appoint
any designee of Lender as director of Borrower Company, at the request of
Lender;
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4.2.10
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to
the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any
time, promptly and unconditionally transfer all of Borrower Equity
Interest to Lender or Lender’s designated representative at any time, and
cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to waive their right of
first refusal with respect to the share transfer described in this
section;
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4.2.11
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to
the extent permitted by the laws of China, at the request of Lender at any
time, cause the other shareholders of Borrower Company to promptly and
unconditionally transfer all of their equity interests to Lender or
Lender’s designated representative at any time, and Borrower hereby waives
her right of first refusal (if any) with respect to the share transfer
described in this section;
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4.2.12
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in
the event that Lender purchases Borrower Equity Interest from Borrower in
accordance with the provisions of the Exclusive Option Agreement, use such
purchase price obtained thereby to repay the Loan to Lender;
and
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4.2.13
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without
the prior written consent of Lender, not to cause Borrower Company to
supplement, change, or amend its articles of association in any manner,
increase or decreases its registered capital or change its share capital
structure in any manner.
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5.
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Liability for
Default
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5.1
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In
the event either Party breaches this Agreement or otherwise
causes the non-performance of this Agreement in part or in whole, the
Party shall be liable for such breach and shall compensate all damages
(including litigation and attorneys fees) resulting therefrom. In the
event that both Parties breach this Agreement, each Party shall be liable
for its respective breach.
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5.2
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In
the event that Borrower fails to perform the repayment obligations set
forth in this Agreement, Borrower shall pay overdue interest of 0.01% per
day for the outstanding payment, until the day Borrower repays the full
principal of the Loan, overdue interests and other payable
amounts.
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7
6.
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Notices
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6.1
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All
notices and other communications required or permitted to be given
pursuant to this Agreement shall be delivered personally or sent by
registered mail, postage prepaid, by a commercial courier service or by
facsimile transmission to the address of such Party set forth below.
A confirmation copy of each notice shall also be sent by email. The
dates on which notices shall be deemed to have been effectively given
shall be determined as follows:
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6.1.1
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Notices
given by personal delivery, by courier service or by registered mail,
postage prepaid, shall be deemed effectively given on the date of
delivery.
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6.1.2
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Notices
given by facsimile transmission shall be deemed effectively given on the
date of successful transmission (as evidenced by an automatically
generated confirmation of
transmission).
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6.2
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For
the purpose of notices, the addresses of the Parties are as
follows:
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Lender:
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Trunkbow
Asia Pacific(Shandong) Co., Ltd.
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Address:
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The
sixth floor, mainbuilding, Xxxxxx
Technology
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Industrial
Zone, Yingxiu Road,
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Hi-tech
Development District, Jinan
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Attn:
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Xxxx
XXX
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Phone:
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0000-000-00000000
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Facsimile:
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0000-000-00000000
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E-mail:
xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxx.xxx
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Borrower:Xxxxxxx
XXX
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Address:
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the
sixth floor, Mainbuilding, Xxxxxx Technology Industrial Zone, Yingxiu
Road, Hi-tech Development District, Jinan
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Phone:
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0000-000-00000000
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6.3
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Any
Party may at any time change its address for notices by a notice delivered
to the other Party in accordance with the terms
hereof.
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7.
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Duty to Maintain
Confidentiality
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The
Parties acknowledge that any oral or written information exchanged among them
with respect to this Agreement is confidential information. The Parties shall
maintain the confidentiality of all such information, and without the written
consent of other Party, either Party shall not disclose any relevant information
to any third party, except in the following circumstances: (a) such information
is or will be in the public domain (provided that this is not the result of a
public disclosure by the receiving party); (b) information disclosed as required
by applicable laws or rules or regulations of any stock exchange; or (c)
information required to be disclosed by any Party to its legal counsel or
financial advisor regarding the transaction contemplated hereunder, and such
legal counsel or financial advisor are also bound by confidentiality duties
similar to the duties in this section. Disclosure of any confidential
information by the staff members or agency hired by any Party shall be deemed
disclosure of such confidential information by such Party, which Party shall be
held liable for breach of this Agreement. This section shall survive the
termination of this Agreement for any reason.
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8.
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Force
Majeure
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8.1
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“An
Event of Force Majeure” means an event which is unforeseen, unavoidable
and insurmountable, and includes, but is not limited to, acts by
government, natural force, fire, explosions, geographic changes, storm,
flood, earthquake, tide, lightning or wars. However, the deficiencies of
qualifications, funds or financing can not be deemed an event beyond one
party’s reasonable control. The party that is affected by “An Event of
Force Majeure” and seeks to exempt the performance of responsibilities
under the provisions of this Agreement shall notify the other party the
exemption of responsibility as soon as
possible.
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8.2
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When
performance of this Agreement is delayed or prevented by “An Event of
Force Majeure” defined hereinbefore, the affected party need not assume
any responsibilities set forth in this Agreement only to the part of the
delayed or prevented performance, and only if the affected party uses
reasonable and practical endeavors to perform this Agreement, the party
that seeks to exempt his responsibilities may get the exemption of
performance which is limited in the delayed or prevented part. Once the
reasons of this exemption are rectified and remedied, the parties agree to
make the greatest efforts to resume performance of this
Agreement.
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9.
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Governing Law and
Resolution of Disputes
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9.1
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The
execution, effectiveness, construction, performance, amendment and
termination of this Agreement and the resolution of disputes shall be
governed by the laws of China.
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9.2
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In
the event of any dispute with respect to the construction and
performance of this Agreement, the Parties shall first resolve
the dispute through friendly negotiations. In the event the Parties fail
to reach an agreement on the dispute within 30 days after either Party’s
request to the other Party for resolution of the dispute through
negotiations, either Party may submit the relevant dispute to the China
International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission for arbitration,
in accordance with its then effective arbitration rules. The arbitration
shall be conducted in Beijing, and the language used in arbitration shall
be Chinese. The arbitration award shall be final and binding on all
Parties.
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9.3
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Upon
the occurrence of any disputes arising from the construction and
performance of this Agreement or during the pending arbitration of any
dispute, except for the matters under dispute, the Parties to this
Agreement shall continue to exercise their respective rights under this
Agreement and perform their respective obligations under this
Agreement.
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9
10.
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Miscellaneous
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10.1
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This
Agreement shall become effective on the date thereof, and shall expire
upon the date of full performance by the Parties of their respective
obligations under this Agreement.
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10.2
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This
Agreement shall be written in both Chinese and English language in two
copies, each Party having one copy with equal legal validity. In case
there is any conflict between the Chinese version and the English version,
the Chinese version shall prevail.
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10.3
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This
Agreement may be amended or supplemented through written agreement by and
between Lender and Borrower. Such written amendment agreement and/or
supplementary agreement executed by and between Lender and Borrower are an
integral part of this Agreement, and shall have the same legal validity as
this Agreement.
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10.4
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In
the event that one or several of the provisions of this Agreement are
found to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any aspect in accordance
with any laws or regulations, the validity, legality or enforceability of
the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall not be affected or
compromised in any respect. The Parties shall strive in good faith to
replace such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with effective
provisions that accomplish to the greatest extent permitted by law the
intentions of the Parties, and the economic effect of such effective
provisions shall be as close as possible to the economic effect of those
invalid, illegal or unenforceable
provisions.
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10.5
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The
attachments (if any) to this Agreement shall be an integral part of this
Agreement and shall have the same legal validity as this
Agreement.
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The
Remainder of this page is intentionally left blank
10
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused their authorized representatives to
execute this Loan Agreement as of the date first above written.
Lender: Trunkbow
Asia Pacific(Shandong) Co., Ltd.
By:
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/s/ Xxxxxxx
XXX
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Name:
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Xxxxxxx
XXX
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Title:
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Legal
Representative
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Borrower:Xxxxxxx
XXX
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By:
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/s/
Xxxxxxx XXX
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11