Amendment No. 3 to Form F-1

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29, 2007

Registration No. 333-146605


SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


AMENDMENT NO. 3

TO

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


CNINSURE INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)


Cayman Islands   6411   Not Applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

19/F, Yinhai Building

No. 299 Yanjiang Zhong Road

Guangzhou, Guangdong 510110

People’s Republic of China

(8620) 6122-2777

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)


CT Corporation System

111 Eighth Avenue

New York, New York 10011

(212) 664-1666

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)


Copies to:

David T. Zhang, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

41st Floor, One Exchange Square

8 Connaught Place, Central

Hong Kong

(852) 2912-2503

 

Leiming Chen

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

35th Floor, ICBC Tower

3 Garden Road, Central

Hong Kong

(852) 2514-7600


Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.   ¨

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨                      

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earliest effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨                      

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.   ¨                      


CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


Title of each class of securities to be registered   

Proposed maximum aggregate

offering price (1)(2)

   Amount of registration fee  

Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.001 per share(3)

   US$ 184,000,000    US$ 5,649 (4)

(1)   Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933.
(2)   Includes ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first offered to the public, and also includes ordinary shares that may be purchased by the underwriters pursuant to an over-allotment option. These ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.
(3)   American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of the ordinary shares registered hereby will be registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No.333-146765). Each American depositary share represents 20 ordinary shares.
(4)   Previously paid.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.



Explanatory Note

 

The sole purpose of this amendment is to amend the exhibit index and to file Exhibit 1.1 to the registration statement and re-file Exhibit 3.1 to the registration statement (in order to correct a clerical error in the Exhibit 3.1 initially filed on October 10, 2007). No other changes have been made to the registration statement. Accordingly, this amendment consists only of the facing page, this explanatory note and Part II of the registration statement.

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

 

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. We intend to adopt an amended and restated articles of association that will provide for indemnification of officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by him in connection with the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions as a director or officer of our company, to the fullest extent permissible under the Companies Law.

 

Pursuant to indemnification agreements, the form of which was filed as Exhibit 10.3 to this Registration Statement, we will agree to indemnify our directors and officers against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director or officer.

 

The Underwriting Agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, will also provide for indemnification of us and our officers will be and directors.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

ITEM 7. RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.

 

During the past three years, we have issued the following securities (including options to acquire our ordinary shares). We believe that each of the following issuances was exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act or pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act regarding transactions not involving a public offering.

 

Purchaser


  

Date of Sale or
Issuance


  

Number of
Securities


  

Consideration


  

Underwriting
Discount and
Commission


China United Financial Services

  

June 2004

   20,820 CISG shares    (i) RMB10.0 million and (ii) all of its rights and interests in certain agreements that established its control of five PRC insurance intermediary companies   

Not applicable

Cathay Auto Services Limited

  

June 2004

   8,008 CISG shares    RMB25.0 million   

Not applicable

Kingsford Resources Limited

  

December 2004

   12,357 CISG shares    RMB1,235.7   

Not applicable

 

II-1


Purchaser


  

Date of Sale or
Issuance


  

Number of Securities


  

Consideration


  

Underwriting
Discount and
Commission


Kingsford Resources Limited

  

January 2005

   6,655 CISG shares    RMB665.5   

Not applicable

CDH Inservice Limited

  

December 2005

   17,160 CISG shares    US$18.6 million   

Not applicable

David Tang

  

February 2007

   Options to purchase 0.8% of the total outstanding number of shares of CISG on a fully diluted basis    Exercise price is the fair value per CISG share as of January 31, 2007   

Not applicable

14 employees (including 4 executive officers)

  

July 2007

   3,421 CISG shares    RMB29.9 million   

Not applicable

Bestcheer International Limited

  

July 2007

   478,400,000 ordinary shares    47,840 CISG shares   

Not applicable

CDH Inservice Limited

  

July 2007

   171,600,000 ordinary shares    17,160 CISG shares   

Not applicable

                     

Kingsford Resources Limited

  

July 2007

   34,210,526    3,421 CISG shares   

Not applicable

Directors, officers, and employees

  

October 2007

   Options to purchase 42,000,000 ordinary shares    Past and future services to our company   

Not applicable

 

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

 

  (a)   Exhibits

 

See Exhibit Index beginning on page II-5 of this registration statement.

 

(b) Financial Statement Schedules

 

Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the Consolidated Financial Statements or the Notes thereto.

 

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS.

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described in Item 6, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form

 

II-2


of prospectus filed by the registrant under Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

(3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

 

(4) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1993 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

II-3


SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-1 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York, New York, on October 29, 2007.

 

CNINSURE INC.

By:

 

/s/ YINAN HU


Name:   Yinan Hu
Title:   Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature


  

Title


 

Date


/S/    YINAN HU        


Yinan Hu

  

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer)

 

October 29, 2007

/S/    DAVID WEI TANG        


David Wei Tang

  

Chief Financial Officer
(principal financial officer)

 

October 29, 2007

/S/    QIUPING LAI        


Qiuping Lai

  

Director

 

October 29, 2007

/S/ *


Peng Ge

  

Director and Finance Manager (principal accounting officer)

  October 29, 2007

/S/ *


Paul Wolansky

  

Director

  October 29, 2007

/S/ *


Shangzhi Wu

  

Director

  October 29, 2007

/s/ *


Stephen Markscheid

  

Independent Director

  October 29, 2007

/s/ *


Allen Warren Lueth

  

Independent Director

  October 29, 2007

/s/ *


Donald J. Puglisi, Managing Director,

Puglisi & Associates

  

Authorized U.S. Representative

  October 29, 2007

 

*By:

 

/s/ YINAN HU


   

Yinan Hu

Attorney-in-fact

 

II-4


CNINSURE INC.

 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Number

  

Description of Document


1.1   

Form of Underwriting Agreement

3.1   

Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant, as currently in effect

3.2*   

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Registrant

4.1*   

Registrant’s Form of American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 4.3)

4.2*   

Registrant’s Specimen Certificate for Ordinary Shares

4.3*   

Form of Deposit Agreement among the Registrant, the depositary and owners and beneficial owners of the American Depositary Receipts

4.4*   

Subscription Agreement, dated June 19, 2004, relating to the subscription of ordinary shares of CISG by China United Financial Services and Cathay Auto Services Limited

4.5*   

Subscription Agreement, dated December 22, 2005, relating to the subscription of ordinary shares of CISG Holdings Ltd. by CDH Inservice Limited

4.6*   

Shareholders Agreement, dated December 22, 2005, relating to CISG

4.7*   

Agreement for Sale and Purchase of the Entire Issued Share Capital in CISG, dated July 31, 2007, relating to the exchange of CISG shares for shares of the Registrant

4.8*   

Shareholders Agreement, dated July 31, 2007, relating to the Registrant

4.9*   

Registration Rights Agreement, dated October 10, 2007, relating to the Registrant

5.1*   

Opinion of Maples and Calder regarding the validity of the ordinary shares being registered

8.1*   

Opinion of Maples and Calder regarding certain Cayman Islands Tax matters (included in Exhibit 5.1)

8.2*   

Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP regarding certain U.S. tax matters

10.1*   

English translation of 2006 Share Option Plan of CISG

10.2*   

2007 Share Incentive Plan

10.3*   

Form of Indemnification Agreement with the Registrant’s directors and officers

10.4*   

Form of Director Agreement with Independent Directors of the Registrant

10.5*   

Form of Employment Agreement between the Registrant and an Executive Officer of the Registrant

10.6*   

English translation of Form of Loan Agreement between Yiqiman Management and each shareholder of Meidiya Investment and Yihe Investment

10.7*   

English translation of Form of Equity Pledge Agreement among Yiqiman Management, each shareholder of Meidiya Investment (or Yihe Investment) and Meidiya Investment (or Yihe Investment)

10.8*   

English translation of Form of Irrevocable Power of Attorney issued by each shareholder of Meidiya Investment and Yihe Investment

10.9*   

English translation of Form of Exclusive Purchase Option Agreement among Yiqiman Management, each shareholder of Meidiya Investment (or Yihe Management), and Meidiya Investment (or Yihe Management)

10.10*   

English translation of Form of Technology Consulting and Service Agreement between Ruisike Consulting and some of the insurance agency and brokerage subsidiaries of Meidiya Investment and Yihe Investment

10.11*   

English translation of Form of Technology Consulting and Service Agreement between Zhongqi Consulting and some of the insurance agency and brokerage subsidiaries of Meidiya Investment and Yihe Investment

 

II-5


Exhibit Number

  

Description of Document


10.12*   

English translation of Form of Trademark Licensing Agreement between Ruisike Consulting and some of the insurance agency and brokerage subsidiaries of Meidiya Investment and Yihe Investment

10.13*   

English translation of Form of Employment Agreement between an acquired Company and its founder

21.1*   

Subsidiaries of the Registrant

23.1*   

Consent of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

23.2*   

Consent of Maples and Calder (included in Exhibit 5.1)

23.3*   

Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 8.2)

23.4*   

Consent of Commerce & Finance Law Offices

23.5*   

Consent of American Appraisal China Limited

24.1*   

Powers of Attorney (included on signature page)

99.1*   

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Registrant


  *   Filed previously.

 

II-6

Underwriting Agreement

Exhibit 1.1

232,881,600 Ordinary Shares

CNINSURE INC.

ORDINARY SHARES, PAR VALUE US$0.001 PER SHARE

in the form of American Depositary Shares

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

October [·], 2007

 


October [·], 2007

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf

London E14 4QA

United Kingdom

Ladies and Gentlemen:

CNinsure Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule II hereto (the “Underwriters”), and certain shareholders of the Company (the “Selling Shareholders”) named in Schedule I hereto severally propose to sell to the several Underwriters, an aggregate of 232,881,600 ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Firm Shares”), of which 193,000,000 shares are to be issued and sold by the Company and 39,881,600 shares are to be sold by the Selling Shareholders, each Selling Shareholder selling the amount set forth opposite such Selling Shareholder’s name in Schedule I hereto.

The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 34,932,240 ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share (the “Additional Shares”), if and to the extent that you, as representative of the Underwriters (the “Representative”), shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such ordinary shares granted to the Underwriters in Section 3 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Shares.” The ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 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 Company and the Selling Shareholders are hereinafter sometimes collectively referred to as the “Sellers.”

The Underwriters will take delivery of the Shares in the form of American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”). The ADSs are to be issued pursuant to a Deposit Agreement to be dated on or about [•], 2007 (the “Deposit Agreement”) among the Company, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Depositary (the “Depositary”), and the holders from time to time of the American Depositary Receipts (the “ADRs”) issued by the Depositary and evidencing the ADSs. Each ADS will initially represent the right to receive 20 Ordinary Shares deposited pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement, including a prospectus, relating to the Shares and a registration statement relating to the ADSs corresponding to the Shares. The registration


statement relating to the Shares 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 Shares (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.” The registration statement relating to the ADSs, as amended at the time it becomes effective, is hereinafter referred to as the “ADS Registration Statement.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional Ordinary Shares and 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” and the term “ADS Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include the corresponding Rule 462 Registration Statement.

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 free writing prospectuses, if any, each identified in Schedule III 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,” “ADS Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein.

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (“Morgan Stanley”) has agreed to reserve a portion of the Shares 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 “Underwriters” (the “Directed Share Program”). The Shares to be sold by Morgan Stanley and its affiliates pursuant to the Directed Share Program 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.

The Company conducts substantially all of its operations and generates substantially all of its revenue through (i) the subsidiaries incorporated outside the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) as identified in Schedule IV hereto (collectively the “Overseas Subsidiaries” and each an “Overseas Subsidiary”), (ii) the subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC, as identified in Schedule V hereto (each a “PRC Subsidiary” and collectively the “PRC Subsidiaries”, and, together with the Overseas Subsidiaries, the “Subsidiaries”), (iii) Sichuan Yihe Investment Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Meidiya Investment co., Ltd. (each a “PRC Affiliated Company” and together the “PRC Affiliated Companies”), each of which is directly or indirectly owned by

 

2


citizens of the PRC and established in the PRC, all as described in the Prospectus, and (iv) the insurance agencies and brokerages and entities identified in Schedule VI hereto (collectively, the “PRC Brokerages”, and, together with the Company, the Subsidiaries and the PRC Affiliated Companies, each, a “Group Company” and collectively the “Group Companies”). In addition, the Company has completed a series of transactions (the “Reorganization”) as described in the Prospectus and in connection therewith the Company and its Subsidiaries have entered into a series of contractual arrangements and agreements with the PRC Affiliated Companies, certain respective shareholders of the PRC Affiliated Companies and/or the PRC Brokerages, as set out in Schedule VII hereto (each a “Reorganization Agreement” and collectively the “Reorganization Agreements”).

1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:

(a) The Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement have each become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission.

(b)(i) Each of the Registration Statement and the ADS 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) the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 5), 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 necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iv) 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 (v) 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 ADS Registration Statement, the Time of Sale

 

3


Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein.

(c) The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) in connection with the offering for purposes of Rules 164 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. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule III hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to you before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.

(d) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as an exempted limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands, has the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the 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 condition, financial or otherwise, earnings, business or operations, or on the business prospects of the Group Companies, taken as a whole (“Material Adverse Effect”). The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company comply with the requirements of applicable Cayman Islands law and are in full force and effect.

(e) Other than the Subsidiaries, the PRC Affiliated Companies and the PRC Brokerages, the Company has no other direct or indirect subsidiaries or any other company over which it has direct or indirect effective control. Each Subsidiary has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation 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 the 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. Each Subsidiary’s business license is in full force and effect. All of the issued shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are

 

4


owned directly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (each, a “Lien”). None of the outstanding shares of capital stock or equity interest in any Subsidiary was issued in violation of preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary. The memorandum and articles of association or other constitutive or organizational documents of each Subsidiary comply with the requirements of applicable law in their respective jurisdictions of incorporation and are in full force and effect.

(f) Each of the PRC Affiliated Companies and PRC Brokerages has been duly established and is validly existing under the laws of the PRC, and its business license is in full force and effect. Each of the PRC Affiliated Companies and PRC Brokerages has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as it is currently being conducted and as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, and to own, lease and operate its property. The articles of association and other constitutive documents of each of the PRC Affiliated Companies and the PRC Brokerages comply with the requirements of applicable PRC law and are in full force and effect. All of the registered capital of or equity interests in the PRC Affiliated Companies and the PRC Brokerages have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly, in the case of the PRC Affiliated Companies, by Mr. Jianguo Cui, Mr. Zhenyu Wang and Mr. Qiuping Lai and, in the case of the PRC Brokerages, by the PRC Affiliated Companies, as the case may be, in the amount set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, and are free and clear of any Lien, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Each of Mr. Jianguo Cui, Mr. Zhenyu Wang and Mr. Qiuping Lai is a citizen of the PRC, excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, and no application is pending in any other jurisdiction by him or on his behalf for naturalization or citizenship thereof.

(g) None of the Group Companies is (i) in breach of or in default under any applicable laws and regulations of the United States, the PRC, the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands, (ii) in violation of its respective memorandum and articles of association or business licenses or its other constitutive documents, (iii) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any Group Company is a party or by which any of them may be bound, or to which any of the properties or assets of any Group Company is subject, and (iv) none of the businesses, activities, agreements or commitments of any Group Company, current or past, is or has been, singly or in the aggregate, unauthorized or exceeds or has exceeded the business scope of its respective business licenses, except in the case of (i), (iii) and (iv) above as does not and would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(h) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company.

 

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(i) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(j) The Ordinary Shares (including the Shares to be sold by the Selling Shareholders) outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

(k) The Shares 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 Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.

(l) There are (i) no outstanding securities issued by the Company convertible into or exchangeable for, rights, warrants or options to acquire from the Company, or obligations of the Company to issue, Ordinary Shares or any of the capital stock of the Company, and (ii) no outstanding rights, warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or direct interest in any of the Company’s Subsidiaries, in each case except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(m) The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company and when executed and delivered by the Company, and assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, will be a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.

(n) The ADRs, when issued by the Depositary against the deposit of Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, will be duly authorized and validly issued, will have been issued in compliance with all applicable United States securities laws, and will be fully paid and non-assessable, and the persons in whose names such ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights of registered holders of ADRs specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement.

(o) The terms of the Deposit Agreement, the ADSs and the ADRs conform in all material respects as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(p) The Shares to be sold by the Company, when issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be free of any restriction upon the transfer thereof (whether by the Underwriters in the initial public offering contemplated by this Agreement or subsequently) pursuant to the Company’s constitutive documents or any agreement or other instrument to which the Company is a party.

 

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(q) The ADSs have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, subject to official notice of issuance.

(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 (i) contravene any provision of applicable laws and regulations, business license or the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, by-laws or other constitutive documents of the Company or any other Group Company or (ii) conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of, any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or other instrument to which the Company or any other Group Company is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject, or (iii) contravene, conflict with or result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any other Group Company, in the case of (ii) and (iii) above, that is material to the Group Companies, taken as a whole; and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any court or governmental body or agency (“Government Authorization”) is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states of the United States and applicable rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and the Nasdaq Global Market in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.

(s) 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 Group Companies, 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 any Group Company is a party or to which any of the properties of any Group Company is subject (i) other than proceedings disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and proceedings that would not have a Material Adverse Effect 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 and the 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 statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or 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 Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and 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) Each of the Group Companies is in compliance with any and all applicable local, domestic 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”), except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(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 potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(y) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, 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 Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.

(z) Subsequent to the date as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (i) none of the Group Companies have 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 capital stock, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its capital stock; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the capital stock, short-term debt or long-term debt of any Group Company, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(aa) The Group Companies each have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them which are material to the business of the Group Companies, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the 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 Group Companies; and any real property and buildings held under lease by each Group Company are held by it 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 Group Companies, in each case except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

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(bb) The Group Companies each own or possess, or otherwise have the right to use, 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, domain names and trade names currently employed by them in connection with the business now operated by them, and none of the Group Companies 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.

(cc) No material labor dispute with the employees of any Group Company exists, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent.

(dd) The Group Companies each 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; none of the Group Companies 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, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus .

(ee) Each Group Company possesses all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate domestic or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses; each of the Group Companies is in compliance in all material respects with the terms and conditions of all such certificates, authorizations and permits; all of such certificates, authorizations and permits are valid and in full force and effect; non of such certificates, authorizations and permits contains any materially burdensome restrictions or conditions not described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; and none of the Group Companies has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(ff) The Group Companies each maintain 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

 

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necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles 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. 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.

(gg) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the 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 Regulation 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.

(hh) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no material relationships, direct or indirect, or material transactions exist between any of the Group Companies on the one hand and their respective affiliates, officers and directors or their shareholders or customers on the other hand.

(ii) Under the current laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Ordinary Shares in cash may be freely transferred out of the Cayman Islands and may be 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 and the Prospectus, all such dividends and other distributions will not be subject to withholding, value added or other taxes under the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands.

(jj) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, none of the Company’s Subsidiaries is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from (i) paying any dividends or making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s equity interest, (ii) repaying to the Company any loan, (iii) making advances to the Company, or (iv) transferring any of its property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiaries of the Company; except as set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable upon the equity interests in the Company’s Subsidiaries may be converted into foreign currency that may be freely transferred out of the PRC or its jurisdiction of incorporation and all such dividends and other distributions are not and will not be subject to withholding or other taxes under the laws and regulations of the PRC or its jurisdiction

 

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of incorporation and otherwise free and clear of any other tax, withholding or deduction in the PRC or its jurisdiction of incorporation, in each case without the necessity of obtaining any Governmental Authorization in the PRC or its jurisdiction of incorporation.

(kk) No transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, transaction, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable in the PRC or the Cayman Islands by or on behalf of the Underwriters to any PRC or Cayman Islands taxing authority in connection with (i) the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters whether in the form of Ordinary Shares or ADSs, the issuance of the ADSs representing such Shares by the Depositary, and the delivery of such ADSs to or for the account of the Underwriters, (ii) the initial sale and delivery by the Underwriters of such ADSs to purchasers thereof, (iii) the deposit of the Shares with the Depositary and the Custodian and the issuance and delivery of the ADRs evidencing such ADSs, or (iv) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.

(ll) Based on the estimated value of the Company before this offering and the price of the ADSs in this offering, as well as the expected price of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares following this offering and the composition of its income and assets, the Company does not expect to be considered a Passive Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”) within the meaning of Section 1297 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, in its current taxable year; and the Company has no plans or intentions to become a PFIC in the future.

(mm) None of the issue and sale of the Shares, the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the consummation of any transaction contemplated hereby, or the provision of services with respect to the offering of the Shares or the facilitation of any of the foregoing will result in a violation by any person (including, without limitation, the Underwriters and the purchasers of the Shares) of any economic sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”).

(nn) Each of the Group Companies is currently in compliance with, and the commissions and fees received by the Group Companies for the provision of insurance agency and brokerage services do not contravene, conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any provision of, the 2002 Insurance Law (as defined in the Time of Sale Prospectus) and the regulations and rules of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, including, but not limited to, those related to the scope of its business activities, solvency margin, reserves, the use of its insurance funds, insurance products, insurance agents (including qualification thereof), insurance contracts, reinsurance and investments by foreign parties in PRC insurance companies, the geographic limitation and scope of business of foreign invested insurance companies, and all such other applicable laws, regulations and rules of the PRC, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and except in each case as does not have and would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(oo) The consolidated financial statements (and the notes thereto) of the Company included in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company on a consolidated basis as of the dates indicated, and the results of operations and the cash flows for the periods specified; and (i) such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles on a consistent basis throughout the period involved and (ii) to the best knowledge of the Company, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, who have expressed an opinion on the financial statements of the Company based on their audits, are independent auditors with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(pp) Each of the Group Companies has filed with all appropriate taxing authorities all income, franchise or other tax returns required to be filed through the date hereof, except for those tax returns the failure of which to file does not and would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to any of the Group Companies which has had (nor does any of the Group Companies have any knowledge of any tax deficiency which, if determined adversely to any of the Group Companies, might individually or in the aggregate have) a Material Adverse Effect.

(qq) None of the Group Companies nor any of their properties, assets or revenues are entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any court, from services of process, from attachment prior to or in aid of execution of judgment, or from other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment. The irrevocable and unconditional waiver and agreement of the Company in this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement not to plead or claim any such immunity in any legal action, suit or proceeding based on this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement is valid and binding under the laws of the PRC and the Cayman Islands.

(rr) None of the Group Companies 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 Shares and the ADSs.

(ss) The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

(tt) Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived, and the written consent for the use of such data from such sources has been obtained to the extent required.

 

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(uu) The description of the contractual arrangements and agreements with the PRC Affiliated Companies and PRC Brokerages (the “PRC Documents”) as set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus is true and correct in all material respects. The PRC Documents are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and constitute a valid and legally binding agreement, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity. None of the PRC Documents has been revoked and no such revocation is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened.

(vv) The performance of the PRC Documents by the relevant Group Company and the shareholders of the PRC Affiliated Companies, as contemplated thereby did not, do not and will not (i) contravene any business license or the certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles of association, by-laws or other constitutive documents of the Company or any other Group Company or (ii) conflict with, or result in a breach or violation of, any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or other instrument to which the Company or any other Group Company is a party or by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject, or (iii) contravene, conflict with or result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under any provision of applicable laws and regulations, any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any other Group Company, except in the case of (ii) and (iii) above as does not and would not be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(ww) The Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus accurately and fairly describe in all material respects (i) the accounting policies that the Company believes are the most important in the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments; (ii) the 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 an explanation thereof.

(xx) The description set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus of (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, including, without limitation, relationships with unconsolidated entities that are contractually limited to narrow activities that facilitate the transfer of or access to assets by the Company or its Subsidiaries such as structured finance entities and special purpose entities that

 

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are reasonably likely to have a material effect on the liquidity of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or the availability thereof or the requirements of the Company and its Subsidiaries for capital resources, is true and correct in all material respects. As used herein in this subsection, the phrase “reasonably likely” refers to a disclosure threshold lower than “more likely than not.”

(yy) None of the Group Companies, and to the best knowledge of the Company after due inquiry, any of its respective officers, directors, managers, agents or employees have, directly or indirectly, made or authorized any contribution, payment or gift of funds, or property to any official, employee or agent of any governmental agency, authority or instrumentality in the PRC or the Cayman Islands or any other jurisdiction where either the payment or gift or the purpose of such contribution, payment or gift was, is, or will, after the registration of the Shares and ADSs under the Exchange Act, be prohibited under applicable law, rule or regulation of any relevant locality, including but not limited to, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(zz) None of the Group Companies’ policies, practices and transactions related to the recognition of expenses for commissions or fees paid to any third party in exchange for customer referrals (A) has resulted or results in any violation of the business license, articles of association, other constitutional documents or Government Authorizations of any of the Group Companies; (B) has resulted or results in any violation of or penalty under any applicable laws and regulations; or (C) conflicts with or results in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitutes a default under, any other contract, license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of their property or assets is subject.

(aaa) The choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands and the PRC and will be honored by courts in the Cayman Islands and the PRC. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 15 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of each New York State and United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York (each, a “New York Court”) and has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court; and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and empower, and pursuant to Section 15 of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and empowered, an authorized agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the offering of the Shares or the ADSs in any New York Court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 15 hereof.

 

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(bbb) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus, any final judgment for a fixed sum of money rendered by a New York Court having jurisdiction under its own domestic laws in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement would be recognized and enforced by (A) Cayman Islands courts without re-examining the merits of the case under the common law doctrine of obligation; provided that provided that such judgment is final and conclusive, for a liquidated sum, not in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, is not inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, and was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands; and (B) PRC courts, subject to compliance with relevant provisions and requirements under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. It is not necessary that this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus or any other document be filed or recorded with any court or other authority in the Cayman Islands or the PRC.

(ccc) The Registration Statement, the 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 or any preliminary prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the Directed Share Program.

(ddd) 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.

(eee) The Company has not offered, or caused Morgan Stanley to offer, Shares 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, (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products, (iii) a governmental official for any purpose, or (iv) any person in violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or the rules and regulations thereunder, as well as applicable non-U.S. anti-bribery laws and regulations.

(fff) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, the Company has taken, or is in the process of taking, all 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)

 

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relating to overseas investment by PRC residents and citizens (the “PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations”), including, without limitation, requesting each shareholder, option holder, director, officer, employee and Participant 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 is aware of and has been advised as to the content of the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors (the “PRC Mergers and Acquisition Rules”) jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Tax Administration, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE”) of the PRC on August 8, 2006, including the relevant provisions thereof which purport to require offshore special purpose entities formed for listing purposes and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The Company has received legal advice specifically with respect to the PRC Mergers and Acquisitions Rules from its PRC counsel. The Company has fully communicated such legal advice from its PRC counsel to each of its directors who signed the Registration Statement. The issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the American Depositary Shares, the listing and trading of the American Depositary Shares on the Nasdaq Global Market or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement is not and will not be, as of the date hereof or at Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, adversely affected by the PRC Mergers and Acquisitions Rules or any official clarifications, guidance, interpretations or implementation rules in connection with or related to the PRC Mergers and Acquisitions Rules.

(hhh) The Company shall comply with the any applicable rules and regulations of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (the “SAFE Rules and Regulations”), and shall use its reasonable efforts to cause its directors, officers, option holders and shareholders named in the Company’s share register that are, or that are directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, PRC residents or PRC citizens, to comply with the SAFE Rules and Regulations applicable to them in connection with the Company, including, without limitation, requesting each shareholder named in the Company’s share register, option holder, director and officer 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.

(iii) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Group Companies and any person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Group Companies or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in

 

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connection with this offering or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuance with respect to the Group Companies or any of their officers, directors, shareholders, partners, employees or affiliates that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation as determined by the FINRA.

(jjj) There are no affiliations or associations between any member of the NASD and any of the Group.

(kkk) The Registration Rights Agreement described in Schedule VIII hereto (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, to the best knowledge of the Company, by the other parties thereto, and the Company has, to the extent applicable, taken all necessary corporate actions to authorize the performance thereof; and the Registration Rights Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

(lll) The execution, delivery and performance of the Registration Rights Agreement by the Company, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereunder, will not (A) result in any violation of the business license, articles of association or other constitutional documents of the Company; (B) result in any violation of or penalty under any applicable laws or regulations; or (C) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any other contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company is bound, except for such violation, breach or default under clauses (B) and (C) which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(mmm) The Ordinary Shares to be sold pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement and the purchase agreement described in Schedule VIII hereto (collectively, the “Investment Agreements”) may be sold in conformity with the Investment Agreements without registration under the Securities Act.

2. Representations and Warranties of the Selling Shareholders.

(a) Each Selling Shareholder represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:

(i) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder.

(ii) The execution and delivery by such Selling Shareholder of, and the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations under, this Agreement, the Custody Agreement signed by such Selling Shareholder and the Company, as Custodian, relating to the deposit of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder (the “Custody Agreement”) and the Power of Attorney

 

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appointing certain individuals as such Selling Shareholder’s attorneys-in-fact to the extent set forth therein, relating to the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement (the “Power of Attorney”) will not contravene any provision of applicable law, or the certificate of incorporation, by-laws or other constitutive documents of such Selling Shareholder (if such Selling Shareholder is a corporation), or any agreement or other instrument binding upon such Selling Shareholder or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the performance by such Selling Shareholder of its obligations under this Agreement or the Custody Agreement or Power of Attorney of such Selling Shareholder, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states of the United States in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares.

(iii) Such Selling Shareholder has, and on the Closing Date will have, valid title to, or a valid “security entitlement” within the meaning of Section 8-501 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code in respect of, the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder free and clear of all security interests, claims, liens, equities or other encumbrances and the legal right and power, and all authorization and approval required by law, to enter into this Agreement, the Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney and to sell, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder or a security entitlement in respect of such Shares.

(iv) The Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Shareholder and are valid and binding agreements of such Selling Shareholder.

(v) The Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder may be freely deposited by such Selling Shareholder with the Depositary or with [·] (the “Custodian”) as agent for the Depositary in accordance with the Deposit Agreement against the issuance of ADRs evidencing ADSs representing such Shares so deposited by such Selling Shareholder.

(vi) Delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder and payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement will pass valid title to such Shares, free and clear of any adverse claim within the meaning of Section 8-102 of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, to each Underwriter who has purchased such Shares without notice of an adverse claim.

(vii) Such Selling Shareholder has no reason to believe that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 are not true and correct. Such Selling Shareholder is not prompted by any information concerning any Group Company which is not set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus to sell its Shares pursuant to this Agreement.

 

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(viii) Such Selling Shareholder represents that it has not prepared or had prepared on its behalf or used or referred to, any free writing prospectus, and represents that it has not distributed any written materials in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares.

(ix) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney, the deposit of the Shares with the Depositary, the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder hereunder, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein by such Selling Shareholder will not result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any statute, any rule, regulation or order of any governmental agency or body or any court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder or any of its properties, or any agreement or instrument to which such Selling Shareholder is a party or by which the such Selling Shareholder is bound or to which any of the properties of such Selling Shareholder is subject, or if the Selling Shareholder is a corporate entity, the charter or by-laws of such Selling Shareholder.

(x) Neither the Selling Shareholder nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on its or their behalf has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action which is 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 Shares or the ADSs.

(xi) No transaction, stamp, capital or other issuance, registration, transaction, transfer or withholding taxes or duties are payable in the PRC or the Cayman Islands by or on behalf of the Underwriters to any PRC or Cayman Islands taxing authority in connection with (i) the sale and delivery of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Shareholder, the issuance of the ADSs representing such Shares by the Depositary, and the delivery of such ADSs to or for the account of the Underwriters, (ii) the initial sale and delivery by the Underwriters of such ADSs to purchasers thereof, (iii) the deposit of the Shares with the Depositary and the Custodian and the issuance and delivery of the ADRs evidencing such ADSs, or (iv) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.

(xiii) Such Selling Shareholder is not a FINRA broker-dealer or an affiliate of a FINRA broker-dealer.

(xiv) Any information provided by such Selling Shareholder for inclusion in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus filed with the Commission, including but not limited to the information pertaining to such Selling Shareholder under the caption “Principal and Selling Shareholders” in the Time of Sale Prospectus, is true and accurate.

 

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(xv) Such Selling Shareholder does not have, or has waived prior to the date hereof, any preemptive right, co-sale right or right of first refusal or other similar right to purchase any of the Shares that are to be sold by the Company or any other Selling Shareholder to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement; and such Selling Shareholder does not own any warrants, options or similar rights to acquire, and does not have any right or arrangement to acquire, any capital stock, right, warrants, options or other securities from the Company, other than those described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(xvi) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between such Selling Shareholder 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 like payment in connection with this offering or, to such Selling Shareholder’s knowledge, any other arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuance with respect to the Company or any of its officers, directors, shareholders, partners, employees, Subsidiaries or affiliates that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation as determined by the FINRA.

(b) Super Able Investments Limited (“Super Able”) represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:

(i) The purchase Agreement described in Schedule VIII hereto (the “Purchase Agreement”) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by Super Able and, to the best knowledge of Super Able, by the other parties thereto, and Super Able has, to the extent applicable, taken all necessary corporate actions to authorize the performance thereof; and the Purchase Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of Super Able, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms.

(ii) The execution, delivery and performance of the Purchase Agreement by Super Able, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereunder, will not (A) result in any violation of the business license, articles of association or other constitutional documents of Super Able; (B) result in any violation of or penalty under any applicable laws or regulations; or (C) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any other contract or other agreement or instrument to which Super Able is a party or by which Super Able is bound, except for such violation, breach or default under clauses (B) and (C) which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(iii) The Ordinary Shares to be sold pursuant to the Purchase Agreement may be sold in conformity with the Investment Agreements without registration under the Securities Act

 

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(c) Kingsford Resources Limited represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:(i) The 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) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Shares in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 5), 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 necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iv) 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 (v) 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 2(c) do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the ADS 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 Representative expressly for use therein.

3. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. Each Seller, severally and not jointly, 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 such Seller at a price of US$[·] per ADS (the “Purchase Price”) the number of Firm Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the number of Firm Shares to be sold by such Seller set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule II hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.

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 Shares, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 34,932,240 Additional Shares at the Purchase Price. You 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 Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be

 

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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 Shares nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 5 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares. On each day, if any, that Additional Shares are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule II hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares.

Each Seller hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Ordinary Shares, any ADSs, or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs 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 Ordinary Shares or ADSs, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs (other than a registration statement on Form S-8).

The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (a) the Shares to be sold in the form of ADSs hereunder, (b) the grant of options to purchase Shares that would not vest, restricted shares that would not become freely transferable, and restricted share units that would not vest, in each case during the time period in the previous paragraph, (c) the issuance by the Company of 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 or which is otherwise described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, (d) transactions by a Selling Shareholder relating to Ordinary Shares in the form of ADSs or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the offering of the Shares and the ADSs, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of Ordinary Shares or other securities acquired in such open market transactions, (e) transfers by a Selling Shareholder of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares as a bona fide gift, or (f) distributions by a Selling Shareholder of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares to limited partners or stockholders of the Selling

 

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Shareholder; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (e) or (f), (i) each donee or distributee shall enter into a written agreement accepting the restrictions set forth in the preceding paragraph and this paragraph as if it were a Selling Shareholder and (ii) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Ordinary Shares, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in respect of the transfer or distribution during the 180-day restricted period. In addition, each Selling Shareholder, agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares. Each Selling Shareholder consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of any Shares held by such Selling Shareholder except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) during the last 17 days of the 180-day restricted period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or (2) prior to the expiration of the 180-day restricted period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 180-day period, the restrictions imposed by this agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event. The Company shall promptly notify Morgan Stanley of any earnings release, news or event that may give rise to an extension of the initial 180-day restricted period.

Each Seller hereby agrees not to engage in any transaction that may be restricted by the restrictions in the two immediately preceding paragraphs during the 34-day period beginning on the last day of the initial 180 day restricted period unless it requests and receives prior written confirmation from the Company or Morgan Stanley that the restrictions imposed by the two immediately preceding paragraphs have expired.

4. Terms of Public Offering. The Sellers are advised by you that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Shares in the form of ADSs as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in your judgment is advisable. The Sellers are further advised by you that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at US$[·] per ADS (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by you at a price that represents a concession not in excess of US$[·] 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.

5. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares to be sold by each Seller shall be made to such Seller in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several

 

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Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on [·], 2007, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than [·], 2007, as shall be designated in writing by you. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”

Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Shares 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 3 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than [·], 2007, as shall be designated in writing by you.

ADRs evidencing the ADSs representing the Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as you 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. ADRs evidencing the ADSs representing the Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the transfer of the Shares or the corresponding ADSs to the Underwriters duly paid, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor.

6. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Sellers to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 p.m. (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 Group Companies, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your judgment, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.

(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 6(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.

 

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(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate in the form set forth in Exhibit B, dated the Closing Date and signed by each of the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer and the vice president and general manager of finance and accounting of the Company.

(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an Attorney-in-Fact of the Selling Shareholders, to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Selling Shareholders contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Selling Shareholders have complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on their part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.

(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit C.

(f) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Maples and Calder, outside Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit D.

(g) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Commerce & Finance Law Offices, outside PRC counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit E.

(h) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. counsel for the Selling Shareholders, dated the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit F.

(i) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of counsel from the jurisdiction of organization for each Selling Shareholder, dated the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit G.

(j) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.

(k) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Junhe Law Offices, PRC counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.

 

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(l) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Clifford Chance, counsel for the Depositary, dated the Closing Date, to the effect set forth in Exhibit H.

(m) 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 Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, 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 the date hereof.

(n) The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and the individuals and entities listed on Schedule IV hereto relating to sales and certain other dispositions of Ordinary Shares, ADSs or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.

(o) The ADSs representing the Shares have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, subject only to official notice of issuance.

(p) The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof.

(q) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file a Rule 462 Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 10:00 p.m., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for the Rule 462 Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Securities Act.

(r) 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.

(s) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the 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.

The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the applicable Option Closing Date of such documents as you may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares.

 

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7. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) To furnish to you, without charge, two signed copies of the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement (including in each case exhibits thereto) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement (in each case without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to you 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 7(e) or 7(f) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as you may reasonably request.

(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to you a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you 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.

(c) To furnish to you a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus 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 you reasonably object.

(d) Not to take any action that would result in 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 the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Shares 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 at that time, 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 and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of

 

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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 under which they were made, 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.

(f) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer but in no event exceeding nine months from the first date of the public offering, 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) under 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 and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses you will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by you 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) under the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

(g) To endeavor to qualify the Shares and the corresponding ADSs for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you shall reasonably request.

(h) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to you 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.

(i) That in connection with the Directed Share Program, the Company will, upon notification, ensure that the Directed Shares will be restricted to the extent required by the FINRA or the FINRA rules from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation for a period of three (3) months following the date of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. Morgan Stanley will notify the Company as to which Participants will need to be so restricted. The Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon such securities for such period of time. Furthermore, the Company covenants with Morgan Stanley that the

 

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Company will comply with all applicable securities and other applicable laws, rules and regulations in each foreign jurisdiction in which the Directed Shares are offered in connection with the Directed Share Program.

(j) To place stop transfer orders on any Directed Shares that have been sold to Participants subject to the three (3) month restriction on sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation imposed by NASD Regulation, Inc. under its Interpretive Material 2110-1 on free-riding and withholding to the extent necessary to ensure compliance with the three month restrictions.

(k) To comply with all securities and other laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Directed Share Program, in each jurisdiction in which the Directed Shares are offered in connection with the Directed Share Program.

(l) The Company and each Group Company will use the net proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Shares in the manner specified in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds” and, in this respect, will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the sale of the Shares to fund activities or business with any government, individual or entity that is the subject of any OFAC-administered sanctions, or in a manner that would otherwise cause any person (including, without limitation, the underwriters and purchasers of the Shares) to violate OFAC-administered sanctions or in a manner that would violate any Anti-Corruption Law.

8. Covenants of the Selling Shareholders. Each Selling Shareholder covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) In order to document the Underwriters’ compliance with the reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 and the Interest and Dividend Tax Compliance Act of 1983 with respect to the transactions herein contemplated, such Selling Shareholder will deliver to the Representative prior to or at the Closing Date a properly completed and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-8 or W-9 (or other applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations in lieu thereof).

(b) Such Selling Shareholder will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or that has constituted or might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.

(c) Such Selling Shareholder agrees that it will not prepare or have prepared on its behalf or use or refer to, any free writing prospectus, and agrees that it will not distribute any written materials in connection with the offer or sale of the Shares.

 

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(d) Such Selling Shareholder will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the sale of the Shares to fund activities or business with any government, individual or entity that is the subject of any OFAC-administered sanctions, or in a manner that would otherwise cause any person (including, without limitation, the underwriters and purchasers of the Shares) to violate OFAC-administered sanctions or in a manner that would violate any Anti-Corruption Law.

9. 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 reasonably incurred in relation to the offering of the Shares as contemplated in this Agreement. These expenses include, but are not limited to (i) fees of Underwriters’ legal counsel including out-of-pocket expenses (in an amount not to exceed US$700,000) and (ii) travel (including roadshow expenses of the Representatives team members), accommodation, document production and courier costs; provided that, the maximum reimbursement to the Representative other than with respect to fees of the Underwriters’ legal counsel shall be US$600,000. The Company shall bear all other expenses incurred in connection with the offering of the Shares, including, but not limited to, (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel, the Company’s accountants and counsel for the Selling Shareholders in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, the ADR 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 Shares 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 Shares or the related ADSs under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares and any related ADSs for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 7(g) 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 Shares and any related ADSs by the FINRA, (v) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the ADSs and all costs and expenses incident to listing the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Shares, (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 “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated

 

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with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic roadshow, 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 representatives and 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 11 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution”, Section 12 entitled “Directed Share Program Indemnification” and the last paragraph of Section 14 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.

The provisions of this Section shall not supersede or otherwise affect any agreement that the Sellers may otherwise have for the allocation of such expenses among themselves.

10. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in 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 such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.

11. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company and Kingsford Resources Limited, [jointly and severally], agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, 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 (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, the ADS Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any broadly available road show, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto, or (ii) any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary

 

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to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or action 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 you expressly for use therein.

(b) Each of Super Able and Gifted Time Investments Limited, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, 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 (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, the ADS Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any broadly available road show, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto, or any material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Participants in connection with the Directed Share Program or (ii) 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 Selling Shareholder furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, the ADR Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any broadly available road show, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act, or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto. The liability of each of Super Able Investments Limited and Gifted Time Investments Limited under the indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph shall be limited to an amount equal to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the ADSs sold by it under this Agreement.

(c) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Selling Shareholders, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company or any Selling Shareholder 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 (i) any untrue statement or

 

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alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, the ADS Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, 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) of the Securities Act or the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto) or (ii) 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 you expressly for use in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, the ADS Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto.

(d) 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 11(a), 11(c) or 11(c), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. 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, (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 and (iii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Selling Shareholders and all persons, if any, who control any Selling Shareholder within the meaning of either such Section, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control

 

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persons and affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by Morgan Stanley. 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. In the case of any such separate firm for the Selling Shareholders and such control persons of any Selling Shareholders, such firm shall be designated in writing by the persons named as attorneys-in-fact for the Selling Shareholders under the Powers of Attorney. 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 includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.

(e) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 11(a), 11(c) or 11(c) 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 Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 11(e)(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 11(e)(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 Sellers on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by each Seller 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

 

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Shares. The relative fault of the Sellers 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 Sellers 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 11 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint. The liability of each Selling Shareholder under the contribution agreement contained in this paragraph is several and shall be limited to an amount equal to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the ADSs representing the Shares sold by such Selling Shareholder under this Agreement.

(f) The Sellers and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 11 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 11(e). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 11(e) 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 11, 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 11 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies that may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.

(g) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 11 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the Selling Shareholders 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, any Selling Shareholder or any person controlling any Selling Shareholder, or the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares.

 

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12. Directed Share Program Indemnification. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Morgan Stanley, each person, if any, who controls Morgan Stanley within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of Morgan Stanley within the meaning of Rule 405 of the Securities Act (“Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley Entities.

(b) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any Morgan Stanley Entity in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 12(a), the Morgan Stanley Entity seeking indemnity, shall promptly notify the Company in writing and the Company, upon request of the Morgan Stanley Entity, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Morgan Stanley Entity to represent the Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley Entities. Any such separate firm for the Morgan Stanley Entities shall be designated in writing by Morgan Stanley. 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 Morgan Stanley Entities from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time a Morgan Stanley 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

 

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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 Morgan Stanley Entity in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Morgan Stanley Entity is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Morgan Stanley Entity, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of the Morgan Stanley Entities from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.

(c) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 12(a) is unavailable to a Morgan Stanley Entity or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then the Company in lieu of indemnifying the Morgan Stanley Entity thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley Entities on the other hand from the offering of the Directed Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 12(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 12(c)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley Entities agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 12 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Morgan Stanley 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 12(c). The amount paid or payable by the Morgan Stanley 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

 

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incurred by the Morgan Stanley Entities in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 12, no Morgan Stanley 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 Morgan Stanley Entity has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. The remedies provided for in this Section 12 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies that may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.

(e) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 12 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 Morgan Stanley 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.

13. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by you to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) 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 Nasdaq Global Market, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange or the Shanghai Stock Exchange, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States, the PRC, Hong Kong or the Cayman Islands shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by U.S. Federal or New York State or PRC, Hong Kong or Cayman Islands authorities or (v) 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 your judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in your judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.

14. 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 Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of

 

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the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule II bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as you may specify, to purchase the Shares 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 Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 14 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to you, the Company and the Selling Shareholders for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter, the Company or the Selling Shareholders. In any such case either you or the relevant Sellers 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 Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares 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 Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares 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.

If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of any Seller to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason any Seller shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Sellers 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, subject to a maximum reimbursement of US$700,000 for fees and out-of-pocket expenses of underwriters’ counsel and a maximum reimbursement of US$600,000 for all other expenses.

15. Submission To Jurisdiction; Appointment Of Agent For Service. (a) Each of the Sellers irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the

 

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ADS Registration Statement or the offering of the Shares or the ADSs. The Company and each Selling Shareholder 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 such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. To the extent that any Seller 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, each of the Sellers irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such immunity in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding.

(b) Each of the Sellers hereby irrevocably appoints CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10011, as its agent for service of process in any suit, action or proceeding described in the preceding paragraph and agrees that service of process in any such suit, action or proceeding may be made upon it at the office of such agent. Each of the Sellers waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. Each of the Sellers represents and warrants that such agent has agreed to act as its agent for service of process, and each of the Sellers agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents and instruments and the paying of its own fees and expenses, that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect, in the case of the Company, for a period of seven (7) years from the date of this Agreement and, in the case of the Selling Shareholders, for a period of five (5) years from the date of this Agreement.

16. 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 each of the Sellers 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, each of the Sellers 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 or such Selling Shareholder, as applicable, 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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17. Foreign Taxes. All payments made by the Company and each Selling Shareholder under this Agreement, if any, will be made without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature imposed or levied by or on behalf of the Cayman Islands, the PRC or any political subdivision or any taxing authority thereof or therein unless the Company or such Selling Shareholder is or becomes required by law to withhold or deduct such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges. In such event, the Company or such Selling Shareholder, severally and not jointly, will pay such additional amounts as will result, after such withholding or deduction, in the receipt by each Underwriter and each person controlling any Underwriter, as the case may be, of the amounts that would otherwise have been receivable in respect thereof, except to the extent such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges are imposed or levied by reason of such Underwriter’s or controlling person’s being connected with the Cayman Islands or the PRC other than by reason of its being an Underwriter or a person controlling any Underwriter under this Agreement.

18. 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 Shares, represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Selling Shareholders, 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 Shares.

(b) The Company and each of the Selling Shareholders acknowledge that in connection with the offering of the Shares: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arms length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company, the Selling Shareholders or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company and the Selling Shareholders 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 and the Selling Shareholders. The Company and each of the Selling Shareholders waive 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 ADSs representing the Shares.

19. 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.

 

41


20. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.

21. 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.

22. 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 Representative at 25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 4QA, United Kingdom, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to 19/F, Yinhai Building, No. 299 Yanjiang Zhong Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510110, PRC, Attention: Chief Financial Officer; and if to the Selling Shareholders shall be delivered, mailed or sent to [·].

 

Very truly yours,
CNINSURE INC.
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

42


The Selling Shareholders named in

    Schedule I hereto, acting severally

By:  

 

  Attorney-in Fact

Accepted as of the date hereof

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

 

Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the several Underwriters named in Schedule II hereto

By:   Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

 

43


SCHEDULE I

 

Selling Shareholder

  

Number of Firm Shares
To Be Sold

Kingsford Resources Limited

  

Gifted Time Investments Limited

  

Super Able Investments Limited

  
    

Total:

  
    

 

I-1


SCHEDULE II

 

Underwriter

   Number of Firm Shares
To Be Purchased

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

  

[·]

  

[·]

  
    

Total:

  
    

 

II-1


SCHEDULE III

Time of Sale Prospectus

 

1. Preliminary Prospectus dated [·]

 

2. [identify all free writing prospectuses filed by the Company under Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act]

 

3. [the pricing information below:

CNinsure Inc.

$[            ]

[            ] American Depositary Shares Representing [    ] Ordinary Shares

The information below assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

Issuer:    CNinsure Inc.
Symbol:    NYSE/CNG
Size:    $[            ]
Shares offered:    [            ] ADSs
Secondary shares:    [            ] ADSs by the Selling Shareholders
Price to public:    $[            ] per ADS
Proceeds to the Company, net of underwriting discounts and commissions:   
Proceeds to the Selling Shareholders, net of underwriting discounts and commissions:   
Trade date:    [                    ], 2007
Closing date:    [                    ], 2007
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions:   
CUSIP:    [            ]
Underwriters:   

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

[             ]

A copy of the prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained by contacting Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, 180 Varick Street, New York, New York 10014; Attention: Prospectus Department or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com.]

 

III-1


SCHEDULE IV

Overseas Subsidiaries

CISG Holdings Ltd.

CNinsure Holdings Ltd.

Intense Rise Limited

 

IV-1


SCHEDULE V

PRC Subsidiaries

Haidileji Enterprise Image Planning (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Yiqiman Enterprise Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Shenzhen Fanhua Nanfeng Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou Zhongqi Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

Beijing Ruisike Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

Beijing Fanlian Investment Co., Ltd.

 

V-1


SCHEDULE VI

PRC Brokerages

Guangdong Nanfeng Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou Yian Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou Xiangxing Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Dongguan Nanfeng Jiayu Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Foshan Tuohua Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Shenzhen Nanfeng Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Beijing Fanlian Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Beijing Fanhua Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Beijing Fumin Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Sichuan Fanhua Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Sichuan Xintai Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Fujian Xinheng Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Hebei Anxin Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Shandong Fanhua Xintai Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Fanhua Guosheng Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Hunan Fanhua Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

Guangdong Kafusi Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.

Guangdong Qicheng Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.

Guangzhou Desheng Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.

Sichuan Bocheng Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.

Fuzhou Fanhua Lianxin Insurance Agency Co., Ltd.

 

IV-1


SCHEDULE VII

Reorganization Agreements

 

VIII-1


SCHEDULE VIII

Investment Agreements

Purchase Agreement, dated October 10, 2007, between Super Able Investments Limited and Cephei Investment Holding Limited

Registration Rights Agreement, dated October 10, 2007, between CNinsure Inc. and Cephei Investment Holding Limited

 

VIII-1


EXHIBIT A

FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER

[·], 2007

Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc

25 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf

London E14 4QA

United Kingdom

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned understands that Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (“Morgan Stanley”) proposes to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with CNinsure Inc., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters, including Morgan Stanley (the “Underwriters”), of [·] shares (the “Shares”) of the ordinary shares, par value US$0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”).

To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus relating to the Public Offering (the “Prospectus”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Ordinary Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for 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 Ordinary Shares, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to [(a)] transactions relating to Ordinary Shares or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of Ordinary Shares or other securities acquired in such open market transactions, (b) transfers of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares as a bona fide gift, or (c) distributions of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares to limited partners or stockholders of the undersigned; provided that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (b) or (c), (i) each donee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up letter

 

A-1


substantially in the form of this letter and (ii) no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Ordinary Shares, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the restricted period referred to in the foregoing sentence. In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s Ordinary Shares except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

If:

(1) during the last 17 days of the restricted period the Company issues an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to the Company occurs; or

(2) prior to the expiration of the restricted period, the Company announces that it will release earnings results during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the restricted period;

the restrictions imposed by this agreement shall continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or material event.

The undersigned shall not engage in any transaction that may be restricted by this agreement during the 34-day period beginning on the last day of the initial restricted period unless the undersigned requests and receives prior written confirmation from the Company or Morgan Stanley that the restrictions imposed by this agreement have expired.

The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.

 

A-2


Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters.

 

Very truly yours,

 

(Name)

 

(Address)

 

A-3


EXHIBIT B

OFFICERS’ CERTIFICATE

Each of the undersigned, Yinan Hu, chief executive officer and chairman of CNinsure Inc., a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), David Tang, chief financial officer of the Company, and Peng Ge, vice president, general manager of the finance and accounting department and director of the Company, hereby certifies that he has performed the following procedures on the financial data identified and circled by you under “Recent Developments” in the free writing prospectus dated October [25], 2007 (the “Free Writing Prospectus”) attached hereto as Annex A and the final prospectus dated October [·], 2007 (the “Final Prospectus”) attached hereto as Annex B. Each of the undersigned further certifies each of the circled financial data in the attached annexes was, as of the respective dates of the Free Writing Prospectus and the Final Prospectus, and is, as of the date hereof, true and accurate and has:

 

  (A) compared the amount to the corresponding amount in an analysis prepared by the Company’s accounting personnel or recalculated the amount from the corresponding information in the Company’s general ledger and found them to be in agreement; and

 

  (B) recalculated the US dollar amount based on the corresponding RMB amount and the rate of RMB7.6120 to $1.00 as specified in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Free Writing Prospectus and Final Prospectus and found them to be in agreement.

 

B-1


EXHIBIT C

Form of Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Company

[1. The Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

2. The Deposit Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, and is the legally valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.

3. Upon due execution, issuance and delivery by the Depositary of ADRs evidencing ADSs against the deposit of Ordinary Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement and payment therefor in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and will entitle the holders thereof to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement.

4. The execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement by the Company, the deposit of the Ordinary Shares with the Depositary against issuance of the ADSs, and the issuance and sale of the ADSs by the Company to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement on the date hereof do not:

(i) result in the breach of or default under any of the material contracts which are governed by the laws of the State of New York and to which the Company is a party;

(ii) violate any United States federal or New York statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company; or

(iii) require any consents, approvals, or authorizations to be obtained by the Company from, or any registrations, declarations or filings to be made by the Company with, any governmental authority under any United States federal or New York statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company on or prior to the date hereof that have not been obtained or made.

5. The registration statement on Form F-1 (“F-1 Registration Statement”) and the registration statement on form F-6 (“F-6 Registration Statement”) have been declared effective under the Act. With your consent, based solely on a telephonic confirmation by a member of the Staff of the Commission on [            ], 2007, we confirm that no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statements has been issued under the Act and no proceedings have been initiated or are pending or contemplated by the Commission. Any required filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act has been made in accordance with Rule 424 under the Act.

 

C-1


6. The F-1 Registration Statement, including the information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A under the Act, as of the date it was declared effective, and the Prospectus, as of its date, each appeared on their face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements for registration statements on Form F-1 under the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; it being understood, however, that we express no view with respect to Regulation S-T or the financial statements, schedules, or other financial data, included in, or omitted from, the F-1 Registration Statement or the Prospectus; and the F-6 Registration Statement, as of the date it was declared effective, appeared on its face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements for registration statements on Form F-6 under the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. For purpose of this paragraph, we have assumed that the statements made in the Registration Statements and the Prospectus are correct and complete.

7. The statements in the Prospectus under the caption “Description of American Depositary Shares,” insofar as they purport to describe or summarize provisions of the Deposit Agreement and the ADSs, and under the caption “Shares Eligible for Future Sale,” insofar as they purport to describe or summarize certain provisions of the documents or U.S. federal laws referred to therein, are accurate descriptions or summaries in all material respects.

8. To the best of our knowledge, there are no contracts or documents of a character required to be described in the Registration Statements or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statements that are not described or filed.

9. The Company is not, and immediately 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” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

10. Pursuant to Section [            ] of the Underwriting Agreement and Section [            ] of the Deposit Agreement, under the laws of the State of New York the Company has validly (i) chosen New York law to govern its rights and duties under the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, (ii) submitted to the personal jurisdiction of any state or federal court located in the State of New York, County of New York in any action arising out of or relating to the Underwriting Agreement or the Deposit Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, (iii) to the extent permitted by law, waived any objection to the venue of a proceeding in any such court, and (iv) appointed [            ] as its authorized agent for the purpose described in Section [            ]

 

C-2


of the Underwriting Agreement and Section [            ] of the Deposit Agreement. Service of process in the manner set forth in Section [            ] of the Underwriting Agreement and Section [            ] of the Deposit Agreement is effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over the Company in connection with an action or proceeding arising out of or related to the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement in any such court.

11. The statements in the Prospectus under the caption “Taxation – United States Federal Income Taxation,” insofar as they purport to summarize certain provisions of the statutes and regulations referred to therein, are accurate summaries in all material respects.

12. No facts came to our attention that caused us to believe that:

 

 

either the F-1 Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, including the information deemed to be a part of the F-1 Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A under the Act, or the F-6 Registration Statement, at the time it became effective, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;

 

 

the preliminary prospectus as of [            ], when taken together with the [specified Issuer’s Free Writing Prospectus], contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or

 

 

the Prospectus, as of its date or as of the date hereof, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

13. The Ordinary Shares to be sold pursuant to the Investment Agreements may be sold in conformity with the Investment Agreements without registration under the Securities Act.]

 

C-3


EXHIBIT D

Form of Opinion of Cayman Islands Counsel for the Company

1. The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands, with full corporate power and authority to own its property and assets and to carry on its business in accordance with the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association and as described in the Registration Statement and to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement (the “Agreements”).

2. The Company is in good standing with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.

3. The Company has the authorized and issued capital as set forth in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares in the capital of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable, are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights under Cayman Islands law or the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association and conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus.

4. The execution and delivery of each Agreement by the Company and the performance of its obligations thereunder, the Registration Statement, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the filing of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus have been duly authorized and approved by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and the execution and delivery of the Agreements by the Company and the performance of its obligations thereunder do not violate, conflict with or result in a breach of any of the terms or provisions of the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association or any law, public rule or regulation applicable to the Company in the Cayman Islands currently in force and do not violate, conflict with or result in a breach of any existing order or decree of any governmental authority or agency or any official body in the Cayman Islands.

5. Each Agreement has been duly executed and delivered for and on behalf of the Company and constitutes legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in the Cayman Islands in accordance with its terms except and in so far as such enforcement may be limited as hereinafter set forth.

6. The Registration Statement has been duly executed by and on behalf of the Company.

7. No authorizations, consents, orders, permissions or approvals are required from any governmental or judicial authorities or agencies or other official bodies in the Cayman Islands and no notice to or other filing with or action by any Cayman Islands governmental authority, judicial or regulatory body is required in connection with:

 

  7.1 the execution and delivery of the Agreements;

 

D-1


  7.2 the performance of any obligation under the Agreements; and

 

  7.3 the payment of any amount under the Agreements.

8. It is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of the Agreements that any document be filed, recorded or enrolled with any governmental department, agency or other authority in the Cayman Islands.

9. The statements in the Prospectus under “Risk Factors”, “Dividend Policy”, “Capitalization”, “Management”, “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities”, “Description of Share Capital” and “Taxation — Cayman Islands Taxation” and the statements in the Registration Statement under Item 6, insofar as such statements constitute summaries of the legal matters, documents or proceedings referred to therein, in each case to the extent, and only to the extent, governed by the laws of the Cayman Islands, are true and correct in all respects and nothing has been omitted from such statements which would make them misleading in any material respect.

10. No stamp duties or other similar taxes or charges are payable under the laws of the Cayman Islands in respect of:

 

  (a) the execution or delivery of the Agreements or the performance by any of the parties of their respective obligations or enforcement of the Agreements unless they are executed in or thereafter brought within the jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands (e.g. for the purposes of enforcement) in which case stamp duty of CI$[    ] (US$[    ]) for each of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement will be payable; or

 

  (b) the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company of their shares pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement; or

 

  (c) the sale by Selling Shareholders of their respective shares pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement; or

 

  (d) the entering of the Custodian as the registered holder of the Shares; or

 

D-2


  (e) the issue to the Custodian on behalf of the Depositary of the Shares against the issuance of ADSs for the account of the Underwriters; or

 

  (f) the sale and delivery outside of the Cayman Islands by the Underwriters of the ADSs to the initial purchasers thereof.

11. There are currently no taxes or other charges or deductions payable (by withholding or otherwise) to the Cayman Islands government or any taxing authority thereof on or by virtue of:

 

  (a) the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of each Agreement;

 

  (b) any payment of any nature to be made by the Company under each Agreement;

 

  (c) the issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company; or

 

  (d) the payment of dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Shares, and the payment of such dividends and other distributions by the Depositary or its nominee to holders of ADSs pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.

The Cayman Islands currently have no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.

12. The Company can sue and be sued in its own name under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The choice of the laws of New York to govern each Agreement will be upheld as a valid choice of law under the laws of the Cayman Islands and the courts of the Cayman Islands would uphold such choice of law in a suit on any of the Agreements brought in the courts of the Cayman Islands, assuming it is so pleaded. An action against the Company in the Cayman Islands under any of the Agreements could be instituted in the Grand Court, which has jurisdiction over the Company, without first having to obtain a judgment in respect of the Agreements in a court of New York or any other relevant jurisdiction. In the event of any proceedings being brought in the Cayman Islands courts in respect of a monetary obligation expressed to be payable in a currency other than Cayman Islands dollars, a Cayman Islands court would give judgment expressed as an order to pay such currency or its Cayman Islands dollar equivalent at the time of payment or enforcement of the judgment.

13. The submission to the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal or state courts sitting in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York, the appointment of [    ] to accept service of process in such jurisdiction and the waiver by the Company of any objection to the venue of a proceeding in a New York court, pursuant to the Agreements, is legal, valid and binding on the Company.

 

D-3


14. No approvals are currently required from any governmental department, agency or other authority in the Cayman Islands in order for the Company to pay dividends declared by the Company to the holders of Shares, including the Depositary.

15. Although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in New York, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction in respect of any legal suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to any of the Agreements without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided that such judgment is final and conclusive, for a liquidated sum, not in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, is not inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, and was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands. A Cayman Islands court may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. A foreign judgment may be final and conclusive even if subject to appeal. However, if appealable, a Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement until such appeal has been heard.

16. Based solely on our inspection of the Register of Writs and Other Originating Process in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands from the date of incorporation of the Company, there were no actions or petitions pending against the Company in the courts of the Cayman Islands as at close of business in the Cayman Islands on [__], 2007. A search at the Companies Registry in the Cayman Islands would not reveal any order or resolution for the winding up of the Company because under Cayman Islands law the records kept by the Registrar of Companies are not documents of public record. The enquiries referred to above which we have made at the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands have revealed no record of the presentation of any winding up petition in respect of the Company. We assume that there has been no change in this position since the date on which the enquiries were made.

17. There is no exchange control legislation under Cayman Islands law and accordingly there are no exchange control regulations imposed under Cayman Islands law.

18. The Company is not entitled to any immunity under the laws of the Cayman Islands whether characterized as sovereign immunity or otherwise for any legal proceedings in the Cayman Islands to enforce or to collect upon the Agreements and the

 

D-4


Company is subject to civil and commercial law with respect to its obligations under the Agreements, which obligations constitute private and commercial acts rather than governmental or public acts.

19. So far as the law of the Cayman Islands is concerned, each Agreement is in proper form under the laws of the Cayman Islands for the enforcement thereof against the Company, subject in so far as such enforcement may be limited as more particularly set forth below.

20. We have reviewed the register of members of the Company. As of the date hereof there are no entries or notations indicating any third party interests, including any security interest, on the register of members of the Company.

21. Neither the Underwriters nor the Depositary will be treated as resident, domiciled or carrying on or transacting business or subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands or in violation of any law thereof solely by reason of the negotiation, preparation or execution or delivery of the Agreements or the entering into of or the exercise of their rights or the performance of their obligations under the Agreements.

22. Neither the Underwriters nor the Depositary will be required to be licensed, qualified or otherwise entitled to carry on business in the Cayman Islands in order to enforce their rights under, or as a consequence of the execution, delivery and performance of the Agreements.

23. The summaries of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company and of relevant Cayman Islands company law contained in the Prospectus are true, accurate and complete in the context in which they appear.

24. The form of certificate used to evidence the Shares complies in all material respects with applicable statutory requirements of the Cayman Islands and the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association.

25. There are no restrictions under Cayman Islands law which would prevent the Company from paying dividends to shareholders in U.S. Dollars or any other currency, nor is it necessary under the laws of the Cayman Islands that any of the Agreements or any document relating thereto be registered or recorded in any public office or elsewhere in the Cayman Islands in order for the Company to pay dividends to shareholders in U.S. Dollars or any other currency.

 

D-5


EXHIBIT E

Form of Opinion of PRC Counsel for the Company

(i) Incorporation of PRC Subsidiaries. Each of Haidileji Enterprise Image Planning (Shenzhen) Limited (“Haidileji”), Yiqiman Enterprise Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Company Limited (“Yiqiman”), Shenzhen Fanhua Nanfeng Enterprise Management Consulting Company Limited (“Shenzhen Fanhua”), Guangzhou Zhongqi Enterprise Management Consulting Company Limited (“Guangzhou Zhongqi”), Beijing Ruisike Management Consulting Company Limited (“Beijing Ruisike”) and Beijing Fanlian Investment Company Limited (“Beijing Fanlian”) (collectively, the “PRC Subsidiaries”, and each a “PRC Subsidiary”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a wholly foreign owned enterprise with limited liability or as a domestic company with limited liability, as the case may be, with full legal person status under the laws of the PRC and its business license is in full force and effect. Each of the PRC Subsidiaries has been duly qualified as a foreign invested enterprise or a domestic company under the laws of the PRC; the equity interest of Haidileji is wholly owned directly or beneficially by CNinsure Holdings Ltd., a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (“CNinsure Holdings”), which is wholly owned by CISG Holdings Ltd, a company incorporated under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, which is wholly owned by the Company; the equity interest of Yiqiman is wholly owned directly or beneficially by CNinsure Holdings; a 40% equity interest of Shenzhen Fanhua is owned directly or beneficially by Haidileji and a 60% equity interest of Shenzhen Fanhua is owned directly or beneficially by Yiqiman; a 90% equity interest of Guangzhou Zhongqi is owned directly or beneficially by Shenzhen Fanhua; a 10% equity interest of Beijing Ruisike is owned directly or beneficially by Guangzhou Zhongqi and a 90% equity interest of Beijing Ruisike is owned directly or beneficially by Shenzhen Fanhua; a 5% equity interest of Beijing Fanlian is owned directly or beneficially by Beijing Ruisike and a 95% equity interest of Beijing Fanlian is owned directly or beneficially by Shenzhen Fanhua. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiries, such equity interests as each described in the preceding paragraph are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.

(ii) Incorporation of PRC Operating Companies. Each of Guangdong Meidiya Investment Company Limited (“Meidiya”) and Sichuan Yihe Investment Company Limited (“Yihe”, and collectively with Meidiya, the “PRC Operating Companies”, and each a “PRC Operating Company”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a domestic enterprise with legal person status or a company with limited liability with legal person status, as the case may be, with full legal person status under the laws of the PRC and its business license is in full force and effect; each PRC Operating Company has been duly qualified as a domestic enterprise under the laws of the PRC; the equity interest of each PRC Operating Company is owned [·]% by Jianguo Cui,[·]% by Zhengyu Wang and [·]% by Qiuping Lai. Each of Jianguo Cui, Zhengyu Wang and Qiuping Lai (collectively, the “PRC Individuals”) is a PRC citizen. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiries, such equity interests as each described in the preceding paragraph are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.

 

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(iii) Incorporation of PRC Agencies and Brokerages. Each of the insurance agencies and brokerages listed in Annex [A] to this opinion (collectively, the “PRC Brokerages”, and each a “PRC Brokerage”, and collectively with the PRC Subsidiaries and PRC Operating Companies, the “PRC Group Companies” and each a “PRC Group Company”) has been duly organized and is validly existing as a domestic enterprise with legal person status or a company with limited liability with legal person status, as the case may be, with full legal person status under the laws of the PRC and its business license is in full force and effect; each PRC Brokerage has been duly qualified as a domestic enterprise under the laws of the PRC; the equity interest of each PRC Brokerage is owned by the PRC Operating Companies in the percentages set forth hereto as Annex [A]. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiries, such equity interests as each described in the preceding paragraph are free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims.

(iv) Legal Compliance and Efficacy of Constitutive Documents. The Articles of Association, business license and other constituent documents of each PRC Group Company comply with the requirements of applicable PRC law and are in full force and effect.

(v) Business. Each of the PRC Group Companies has full legal right, power and authority (corporate and other) to own, use, lease and operate its assets and to conduct its business in the manner presently conducted and as described in the General Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or uses or leases properties, conducts any business or in which such qualification is required. Except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, each of the PRC Group Companies has all necessary licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates and permits of and from, and has made all declarations and filings (collectively, “Governmental Authorizations”) with any governmental or regulatory agency or any court in the PRC (“Governmental Agencies”) to own, lease, license and use its properties, assets and conduct its business in the manner described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and such licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates or permits contain no materially burdensome restrictions or conditions not described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no PRC Group Company has any reason to believe that any regulatory body is considering modifying, suspending or revoking any such licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates or permits, and each of the PRC Group Companies is in compliance with the provisions of all such licenses, consents, authorizations, approvals, orders, certificates or permits in all material respects.

 

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(vi) Capitalization. All of the equity interests in each PRC Group Company have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are legally owned as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, free and clear of all liens, charges, restrictions upon voting or transfer or any other encumbrances, equities or claims; each of the PRC Group Companies has obtained all approvals, authorizations, consents and orders, and has made all filings, which are required under PRC law and regulations for the ownership interest by its respective holders; there are no outstanding rights, warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, nor any agreements or other obligations to issue or other rights to convert any obligation into, any equity interest in any of the PRC Group Companies.

(vii) Use of Proceeds. The application of the net proceeds to be received by the Company from the Offering as contemplated by the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not contravene any provision of applicable PRC law, rule or regulation, or the Articles of Association, other constitutive documents or the business license or other constitutive documents of any PRC Group Company or contravene the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument binding upon any PRC Group Company, or any judgment, order or decree of any Governmental Agency in the PRC.

(viii) Title to Property and Leased Assets. Each PRC Group Company has valid title to all of its properties and assets, in each case, free and clear of all liens, charges, encumbrances, equities, claims, defects, options or restrictions; each lease agreement to which such PRC Group Company is a party is legally executed; the leasehold interests of each PRC Group Company are fully protected by the terms of the lease agreements, which are valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their respective terms under PRC law; and neither the Company nor any PRC Group Company owns, operates, manages or has any other right or interest in any other material real property of any kind, except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(ix) Guarantees. There are no outstanding guarantees or contingent payment obligations of any of the PRC Group Companies in respect of indebtedness of third parties except as disclosed in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

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(x) No Violation. Except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, none of the PRC Group Companies is and, in the case of clause (D) of this paragraph, none of the Company, PRC Group Companies, directors, executive officers, employees or agents of the Company and the PRC Group Companies is in breach or violation of or in default, as the case may be, under (A) its articles of association, business licenses or any other constituent documents, (B) any material obligation, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness governed by PRC laws, (C) any obligation, license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument governed by PRC laws to which the Company or any of the PRC Group Companies is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties may be bound or affected, except for such breach or violation or default that, as the case may be, would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect or a prospectus material adverse effect on the general affairs, management, shareholders’ equity, results or operations or position, financial or otherwise, of the PRC Group Companies (“Material Adverse Effect”), or (D) any law, regulation or rule of the PRC, or any decree, judgment or order of any court in the PRC, applicable to the Company or any of the PRC Group Companies, including any law or regulation related to bribery, anti-corruption or similar law (nor has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time, or both would result in any breach of, or constitute a default under or give the holder of any indebtedness (or a person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a part of such indebtedness under).

(xi) No Proceedings. There are no legal, governmental, administrative or arbitrative proceedings before any court of the PRC or before or by any Governmental Agency pending or threatened against, or involving the properties or business of, the Company or any PRC Group Company or to which any of the properties of any PRC Group Company is subject.

(xii) Dividends. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on CNinsure Holdings’ equity interest in Haidileji and Yiqiman in Renminbi may under the current laws and regulations of PRC be payable in foreign currency and may be freely transferred out of the PRC, and all such dividends will not be subject to withholding or other taxes under the laws and regulations of PRC and are otherwise free and clear of any other tax, withholding or deduction in the PRC and may be paid without the necessity of obtaining any Government Authorization from any Governmental Agency in the PRC.

(xiii) Validity of Revenue Recognition Policies. Based upon the assumptions and facts described in Annex [B] hereto, none of the Company’s or any of the PRC Group Companies’ policies, practices and transactions related to revenue recognition of insurance

 

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policy commissions or consulting fees paid to any PRC Group Company (A) has resulted or results in any violation of the business license, articles of association, other constitutional documents or Government Authorizations of any of the PRC Group Companies; (B) has resulted or results in any violation of or penalty under any PRC Laws; or (C) to the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, conflicts with or results in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any other contract, license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of their property or assets is subject, except for such violation, breach or default under clause (C) which would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(xiv) PRC Law. All matters of PRC law and practice relating to the Company, each PRC Group Company and their respective businesses and other statements with respect to or involving PRC law set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are correctly set forth therein, and nothing has been omitted from such statements which would make the same misleading in any material respect.

(xv) PRC Taxation. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, (A) the PRC tax laws and regulations and other PRC laws and regulations applicable to the activities of the PRC Group Companies (including income tax, business tax, value-added tax, regulatory fees, capital gain, sales, withholding or other taxes and stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties to which the PRC Group Companies may become subject due to the conduct of activities in the PRC) are assessed or apply to the PRC Group Companies in substantially the same manner as are currently applicable to any company incorporated under the PRC Company Law, which is engaged in the life insurance business, property casualty insurance business, and insurance agency and brokerage business in the PRC and (B) there are no material PRC fees or taxes that are or will become applicable to the PRC Group Companies as a consequence of completion of the Offering that have not been described in the General Disclosure Package.

(xvi) No Violation of the Insurance Law. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, each of the PRC Group Companies is currently in compliance with, and neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Offered Securities nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the General Disclosure Package, will conflict with or result in a breach or violation of, the provisions of the Insurance Law (as defined in the General Disclosure Package) and the regulations and rules of the CIRC (as defined in the General Disclosure Package), including, but not limited to, those related to the scope of its business activities, solvency margin, reserves, the use of its insurance funds, insurance products, insurance agents (including qualification thereof), insurance contracts, reinsurance and investments by foreign parties in PRC insurance companies, the geographic limitation and scope of business of foreign invested insurance companies, and all such other applicable laws, regulations and rules of the PRC.

 

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(xvii) Material Contracts. Each of the material agreements governed by PRC laws and listed in Annex [C] hereto (the “Agreements”) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the relevant PRC Group Company or PRC Individual, and each such company has, to the extent applicable, taken all necessary corporate actions to authorize the performance thereof; each such PRC Group Company or PRC Individual had the corporate power and capacity to enter into and to perform its obligations under such Agreement; each of the Agreements to which the Company, a PRC Group Company or a PRC Individual is a party constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the such party, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms; to the extent applicable, such Agreement has been properly transferred, amended or assigned such that the Company is the obligor and beneficiary under such Agreement and such transfers, amendments or assignments were duly authorized, executed and delivered by the parties to the applicable Agreement; all Governmental Authorizations required in the PRC for such transfers, amendments or assignments, to the extent applicable, have been duly obtained and are in full force and effect; and all necessary steps for such transfers, amendments or assignments have been taken and all consents required from all counter parties to such Material Contract have been duly obtained and are in full force and effect. [NOTE: ANNEX C IS TO INCLUDE ALL STRUCTURE AGREEMENTS (LOAN AGREEMENTS, EQUITY PLEDGE AGREEMENTS, IRREVOCABLE POWERS OF ATTORNEY, EXCLUSIVE PURCHASE OPTION AGREEMENTS, TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING AND SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND TRADEMARK LICENSING AGREEMENTS) DESCRIBED IN “CORPORATE STRUCTURE” ) AS WELL AS ACQUISITION AGREEMENTS, PLACEMENT AGREEMENTS AND OTHER MATERIAL AGREEMENTS GOVERNED BY PRC LAW.]

(xviii) No Violation of Agreements. The execution, delivery and performance of each of the Agreements by the parties thereto, and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereunder, will not (A) result in any violation of the business license, articles of association, other constitutional documents (if any ) or Government Authorizations of any of the PRC Group Companies; (B) result in any violation of or penalty under any PRC Laws; or (C) to the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any other contract, license, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by which any of them is bound or to which any of their property or assets is subject, except for such violation, breach or default under clauses (B) and (C) which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, and no such Agreement has been amended or revoked or is liable to be set aside under any existing PRC law, regulation or public policy.

 

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(xix) Corporate Structure. The description of the corporate structure of the PRC Group Companies and the Agreements set forth in the “Corporate Structure”, “Related Party Transactions—Contractual Arrangements with Meidiya Investment, Yihe Investment and their Subsidiaries and Shareholders” sections of the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are true and accurate in all material respects and nothing has been omitted from such description which would make the same misleading in any material respects; all necessary steps for transactions contemplated in the restructuring documents, insofar as PRC laws and regulations are concerned, have being taken and all consents required from respective parties have been obtained and are in full force and effect; all governmental approvals, consents, registrations, filings and all necessary steps required in the PRC for the transactions contemplated therein have been obtained, made and taken and are in full force and effect. Each of the Control Agreements described in Section 1 of Annex C hereto is legal, valid, enforceable and admissible as evidence under the laws, regulations and public policy of the PRC and is binding on the relevant PRC Group Company or PRC Individual that are parties to it. No provisions in any of the Control Agreements (taken both individually and together as a whole) contravene in any way any applicable law, regulation or public policy of the PRC (including without limitation the legal and corporate structure of the PRC Group Companies governed by the Control Agreements), and no such Control Agreement has been amended or revoked or is liable to be set aside under any existing PRC law, regulation or public policy.

(xx) Trademarks. Each PRC Group Company owns or otherwise has the legal right to use, or can acquire on reasonable terms, trademarks, service marks and trade names currently employed by it in connection with the business currently operated by it; except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, no PRC Group Company has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in any Material Adverse Effect.

(xxi) Intellectual Property. To the best of our knowledge after due inquiry and except as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, none of the PRC Group Companies possesses any other registered intellectual property, and each of the PRC Group Companies possesses valid licenses in full force and effect or otherwise has the legal right to use, 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

 

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and trade names currently employed by them in the ordinary course of business, and none of the PRC Subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing.

(xxii) No Violation. The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated herein and therein, and the conduct of the business and operations of the Company and its subsidiaries as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, including the issue and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the Offered ADSs under the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement (A) do not and will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument and to which the Company or any PRC Group Company is a party or by which the Company or any such PRC Group Company is bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company or a PRC Group Company is bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company or any PRC Group Company is subject, except for such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (B) do not and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the articles of association, business licenses or any other constituent documents of any PRC Group Company, (C) do not and will not result in any violation of any provision of PRC law or statute or any PRC regulations and (D) do not and will not result in a violation of any order, rule or regulation of any governmental or regulatory agency or any court in the PRC.

(xxiii) Absence of Further Action. No Governmental Authorizations from any Governmental Agency is required for (A) the issue and sale of the Offered Securities and the Ordinary Shares represented thereof at such Closing Date to be sold by the Company under the Underwriting Agreement, (B) the deposit of the Ordinary Shares represented by the Offered Securities with the Depositary or its nominee, and (C) the consummation by the Company and the Depositary of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, as applicable.

(xxiv) Absence of Reporting Obligations. There are no reporting obligations under PRC law on non-PRC holders of the Offered Securities or the Ordinary Shares.

 

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(xxv) No Deemed Residence. As a matter of PRC law, no holder of the Offered Securities or Ordinary Shares who is not a PRC resident will be subject to any personal liability, or be subject to a requirement to be licensed or otherwise qualified to do business or be deemed domiciled or resident in the PRC, by virtue only of holding such Offered Securities or Ordinary Shares. There are no limitations under PRC law on the rights of holders of the Offered Securities or Ordinary Shares who are not PRC residents to hold, vote or transfer their securities nor are there any statutory pre-emptive rights or transfer restrictions applicable to the Ordinary Shares.

(xxvi) Accurate Description of Law and Documents. The statements set forth in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the captions “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,” “Corporate Structure,” “Business,” “Regulation,” “Management,” “Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Share Capital” and “Taxation,” [drafting note – to include other sections as applicable] insofar as such statements describe or summarize PRC legal or regulatory matters, or documents, agreements or proceedings governed by PRC law, are true and accurate, and fairly present or fairly summarize the PRC legal and regulatory matters, documents, agreements or proceedings referred to therein; and such statements did not contain and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact, and did not omit and will not omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(xxvii) Submission to Jurisdiction. The submission of the Company to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the New York Courts, the waiver by the Company of any objection to the venue of a proceeding in a New York Court, the waiver and agreement of the Company not to plead an inconvenient forum, and the agreement of the Company that the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York will be recognized by PRC courts; service of process effected in the manner set forth in the Underwriting Agreement will be effective to confer jurisdiction over the subsidiaries, assets and property of the Company in the PRC, subject to compliance with relevant civil procedural requirements (which do not involve a re-examination of the merits of the claim) in the PRC; and any judgment obtained in a New York Court arising out of or in relation to the obligations of the Company under this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement will be recognized by PRC courts, subject to compliance with relevant civil procedural requirements (which do not involve a re-examination of the merits of the claim) in the PRC.

(xxviii) Validity of Indemnification Provisions. The indemnification and contribution provisions set forth in the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement do not contravene the public policy or laws of the PRC, and insofar as matters of PRC law are concerned, constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with the terms therein,

 

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subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights; each of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement is in proper legal form under PRC law for the enforcement thereof against the Company, subject to compliance with relevant civil procedural requirements; and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility in evidence of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement in the PRC, it is not necessary that any such document be filed or recorded with any court or other authority in the PRC or that any stamp or similar tax be paid on or in respect of any such document.

(xxix) No Stamp Tax. No stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties and no capital gains, income, withholding or other taxes are payable by or on behalf of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, any Underwriter or the Depositary to the PRC government or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with (A) the creation, issuance, sale and delivery of the Offered Securities and Ordinary Shares, (B) the deposit with the Depositary of Ordinary Shares by the Company pursuant to the Deposit Agreement against issuances of the Offered Securities, (C) the sale and delivery by the Company of the Offered Securities to or for the accounts of the Underwriters in the manner contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, (D) the execution, delivery and performance of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement by the Company, or (E) the sale and delivery by the Underwriters of the Offered Securities to the initial purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

(xxx) No Licensing Requirement. The entry into, and performance or enforcement of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement in accordance with its respective terms will not subject any of the Underwriters or the Depositary to any requirement to be licensed or otherwise qualified to do business in the PRC, nor will any Underwriter or the Depositary be deemed to be resident, domiciled, carrying on business through an establishment or place in the PRC or in breach of any laws or regulations in the PRC by reason of entry into, performance or enforcement of the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement.

(xxxi) No PRC Liability of Depositary. The Depositary will not (absent negligence, bad faith or breach of contract and general principle of agency) be subject to any potential liability under PRC laws for taking any action contemplated in the Deposit Agreement.

(xxxii) No Sovereign Immunity. Under the laws of the PRC, none of the Company or its subsidiaries, or any of their respective properties, assets or revenues, is entitled to any right of immunity on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise from any legal action, suit or proceeding, set-off or counterclaim, the jurisdiction of any court in the PRC, service of process, attachment prior to or in aid of execution of judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the granting of any relief or the enforcement of any judgment.

 

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(xxxiii) SAFE Compliance. The Company has completed all relevant registration and other procedures required under the applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations; to the best of our knowledge after due inquiry, each of the directors, officers, shareholders and option holders of the Company who are PRC citizens and residents, including shareholders and option holders of the Company that are directly or indirectly owned or controlled by PRC citizens and residents, has completed all relevant registration and other procedures required under applicable SAFE Rules and Regulations, but only insofar as such relevant registration and other procedures required arose from such person’s ownership interest in the Company or by being the Company’s directors or officers.

(xxxiv) Compliance with PRC Law. Each of the Company and the PRC Subsidiaries is currently materially in compliance with all applicable PRC laws and regulations, including the Insurance Law and all PRC laws and regulations relating to bribery, anti-corruption or similar areas. The issuance, sale and delivery of the Offered Securities by the Company as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of the provisions of any applicable PRC law and regulations.

(xxxv) M&A Rules.

(a) The establishment and restructuring of the Company and the PRC Group Companies complied with all PRC laws, rules and regulations that are applicable to the Company and the PRC Group Companies, including the Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Administration of Taxation, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC on August 8, 2006 (the “M&A Rules”).

(b) The issuance and sale of the ADSs and the Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs, the [listing/quotation] and trading of the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement does not and will not conflict with the M&A Rules or any official clarifications, guidance, interpretations or implementation rules in connection with or related to the M&A Rules, including the guidance and notices issued by the CSRC on September 8, 2006 and September 21, 2006 (collectively, the “M&A Rules and Related Clarifications”).

 

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(c) As of the date of the Underwriting Agreement and as of the Closing Date, the Company was not and is not required under the M&A Rules and Related Clarifications to obtain the approval of the CSRC for the issuance and sale of the Ordinary Shares and the ADSs, the [listing/quotation] and trading of the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Market, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement and the Deposit Agreement.

(xxxvi) Disclosure. Each Registration Statement and the prospectus included therein, and each amendment or supplement thereto, as of their respective effective or issue dates, complied as to form in all material aspects with the requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations; we have no reason to believe that any part of a Registration Statement or any amendment thereto (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein to which we express no opinion), as of its effective date or as of such Closing Date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that the Final Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein to which we express no opinion), as of its issue date or as of such Closing Date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; we have no reason to believe that the General Disclosure Package (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein to which we express no opinion), and the Prospectus as of the Applicable Time or as of such Closing Date, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

Annex A – PRC Brokerages and Agencies

Annex B – Revenue Recognition Policies and Process Description

Annex C – Agreements

Section 1. Control Agreements

Section 2. Acquisition Agreements

Section 3. [TBD]

 

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EXHIBIT F

Form of Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, U.S. Counsel for the Selling Shareholders

[1. Each of the Custody Agreements and the Powers of Attorney has been duly executed and delivered by the Selling Shareholders in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

2. We have assumed, with your consent, that (A) each Selling Shareholder has the capacity, power and authority, as applicable, to execute, deliver and perform the Power of Attorney, the Custody Agreement and the Underwriting Agreement, (B) each Selling Shareholder, as applicable, has duly authorized the execution, delivery and performance of the Power of Attorney, the Custody Agreement, and the Underwriting Agreement, (C) each Selling Shareholder has duly executed and delivered the Power of Attorney and the Custody Agreement (other than with respect to the execution and delivery thereof under the laws of the State of New York), and (D) such execution, delivery and performance of the Power of Attorney, the Custody Agreement, and the Underwriting Agreement do not (i) except as expressly addressed in paragraph 3 below, breach any agreement or instrument to which the Selling Shareholder is a party or, (ii) except as expressly addressed in paragraph 3 below, violate any law, rule or regulation applicable to such Selling Shareholder, and (iii) require by or on behalf of such Selling Shareholder any consent, approval or authorization to be obtained from, or filing, registration or declaration to be made with, any governmental authority which has not been duly obtained or made. On the basis of such assumptions, each of the Powers of Attorney and the Custody Agreements constitutes a legally valid and binding obligation of such Selling Shareholder, enforceable against the Selling Shareholder in accordance with its terms; and the Underwriting Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by an Attorney-in-Fact under the Powers of Attorney on behalf of the Selling Shareholders.

3. The execution and delivery of the Custody Agreements and the Powers of Attorney by the Selling Shareholders do not, the execution and delivery of the Underwriting Agreement by an Attorney-in-Fact under the Powers of Attorney on behalf of the Selling Shareholders do not, and the deposit of the Ordinary Shares with the Depositary by the Selling Shareholders against issuance of the ADRs evidencing the ADSs and the sale of the ADSs by the Selling Shareholders to you and the other underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement do not:

(i) violate any United States federal or New York statute, rule or regulation applicable to such Selling Shareholder;

(ii) require any consents, approvals, or authorizations to be obtained by such Selling Shareholder from, or any registrations,

 

F-1


declarations or filings to be made by such Selling Shareholder with, any governmental authority under any United States federal or New York statute, rule or regulation applicable to such Selling Shareholder on or prior to the date hereof that have not been obtained or made; or

(iii) result in the breach of or default under any of the agreements which are governed by the laws of the State of New York and to which any of the Selling Shareholders is a party or by which such Selling Shareholder is bound and which has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

4. Pursuant to Section 16 of the Underwriting Agreement, under the laws of the State of New York each of the Selling Shareholders has validly (i) chosen New York law to govern its respective rights and duties under the Underwriting Agreement, the Custody Agreement and the Power of Attorney, (ii) submitted to the personal jurisdiction of the state or federal courts located in The City of New York in connection with any action or proceeding arising out of or related to the Underwriting Agreement, (iii) to the extent permitted by law, waived any objection to the venue of a proceeding in any such court and (iv) appointed CT Corporation System as its initial authorized agent for the purpose described in Section 15 of the Underwriting Agreement. Service of process in the manner described in Section 16 of the Underwriting Agreement will be effective to confer valid personal jurisdiction over such Selling Shareholder in connection with an action or proceeding arising out of or related to the Underwriting Agreement in any such court.

5. Upon indication by book entry that the ADSs have been credited to a securities account maintained by the Representative at the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”‘) and payment therefor in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, the Representative will acquire a securities entitlement on behalf of the several Underwriters with respect to the ADSs and, under the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect on the date hereof in the State of New York (the “NY UCC”), an action based on an adverse claim to such securities entitlement, whether framed in conversion, replevin, constructive trust, equitable lien or other theory, may not be asserted against the Representative.]

 

F-2


EXHIBIT G

Form of Opinion of Local Counsel for each Selling Shareholder

 

G-1


EXHIBIT H

Form of Opinion of Counsel for the Depositary

1. The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Depositary and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Depositary enforceable against the Depositary in accordance with its terms, except as enforcement of it may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws of general application relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and by general principles of equity.

2. The Depositary has full power and authority and legal right to execute and deliver the Deposit Agreement and to perform its obligations thereunder.

3. Upon execution and delivery by the Depositary of ADRs evidencing the ADSs against the deposit of Shares in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, the ADSs will be validly issued and will entitle the holders of the ADSs to the rights specified in those ADRs and in the Deposit Agreement.

4. The legal entity for the issuance of ADRs filed a registration statement for the ADSs on Form F-6 (the “ADS Registration Statement”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) has informed us that the Commission declared the ADS Registration Statement effective, and, to the best of our knowledge, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the ADS Registration Statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or contemplated under the Act and the ADS Registration Statement as of its effective date complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

H-1

Memorandum and Articles of Association

Exhibit 3.1

THE COMPANIES LAW (2004 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES

OF

ASSOCIATION

OF

 


CNINSURE INC.

 



THE COMPANIES LAW (2004 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

OF

CNINSURE INC.

 

1 The name of the Company is CNinsure Inc.

 

2 The registered office of the Company shall be at the offices of M&C Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309GT, Ugland House, South Church Street, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, or at such other place as the Directors may from time to time decide.

 

3 The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the Companies Law (2004 Revision) or as the same may be revised from time to time, or any other law of the Cayman Islands.

 

4 The liability of each Member is limited to the amount from time to time unpaid on such Member’s shares.

 

5 The share capital of the Company is US$1,000,000 divided into 1,000,000,000 shares of a par value of US$0.001 each.

 

6 The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

7 Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the same meaning as those given in the Articles of Association of the Company.


WE, the subscriber to this Memorandum of Association, wish to be formed into a company pursuant to this Memorandum of Association, and we agree to take the number of shares shown opposite our name.

DATED this 10th day of April 2007.

 

SIGNATURE and ADDRESS OF SUBSCRIBER

 

NUMBER OF SHARES TAKEN

Mapcal Limited   One
of PO Box 309GT, Ugland House  
South Church Street, George Town  
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands  
Acting by:  

 

/s/

/s/

Witness to the above signature

I, Neydis Taveras, Asst. Registrar of Companies in and for the Cayman Islands DO HEREBY CERTIFY that this is a true and correct copy of the Memorandum of Association of this Company duly incorporated on the 10th day of April 2007.

 

/s/

[Asst.] REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES

 

2


THE COMPANIES LAW (2004 REVISION)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

CNINSURE INC.

INTERPRETATION

 

1 In these Articles Table A in the First Schedule to the Statute does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith:

 

Articles    means these articles of association of the Company.
Auditor    means the person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company (if any).
Company    means the above named company.
Directors    means the directors for the time being of the Company.
Dividend    includes an interim dividend.
Electronic Record    has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision).
Member    has the same meaning as in the Statute.
Memorandum    means the memorandum of association of the Company.
Ordinary Resolution    means a resolution passed by a simple majority of the Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting, and includes a unanimous written resolution. In computing the majority when a poll is demanded regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled by the Articles.
Register of Members    means the register maintained in accordance with the Statute and includes (except where otherwise stated) any duplicate Register of Members.
Registered Office    means the registered office for the time being of the Company.


Seal    means the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal.
Share” and “Shares    means a share or shares in the Company and includes a fraction of a share.
Special Resolution    has the same meaning as in the Statute, and includes a unanimous written resolution.
Statute    means the Companies Law (2004 Revision) of the Cayman Islands.

 

2 In the Articles:

 

2.1 words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice versa;

 

2.2 words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender;

 

2.3 words importing persons include corporations;

 

2.4 “written” and “in writing” include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record;

 

2.5 references to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced from time to time;

 

2.6 any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include”, “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms;

 

2.7 headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing these Articles; and

 

2.8 in these Articles Section 8 of the Electronic Transactions Law (2003 Revision) shall not apply.

COMMENCEMENT OF BUSINESS

 

3 The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation as the Directors shall see fit.

 

4 The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company, including the expenses of registration.

 

2


ISSUE OF SHARES

 

5 Subject to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum (and to any direction that may be given by the Company in general meeting) and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing Shares, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other rights or restrictions, whether in regard to Dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper.

 

6 The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.

REGISTER OF MEMBERS

 

7 The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained the Register of Members in accordance with the Statute.

CLOSING REGISTER OF MEMBERS OR FIXING RECORD DATE

 

8 For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty days. If the Register of Members shall be closed for the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members the Register of Members shall be closed for at least ten days immediately preceding the meeting.

 

9 In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of the Members or any adjournment thereof, or for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose.

 

10 If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a Dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such Dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES

 

11

A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process.

 

3


 

All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and subject to these Articles no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled.

 

12 The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by more than one person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them.

 

13 If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and on the payment of such expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) upon delivery of the old certificate.

TRANSFER OF SHARES

 

14 Shares are transferable subject to the consent of the Directors who may, in their absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of Shares without giving any reason. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall notify the transferee within two months of such refusal.

 

15 The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if the Directors so require, signed by the transferee). The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members.

REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE OF SHARES

 

16 Subject to the provisions of the Statute the Company may issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Member or the Company. The redemption of such Shares shall be effected in such manner as the Company may, by Special Resolution, determine before the issue of the Shares.

 

17 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) provided that the Members shall have approved the manner of purchase by Ordinary Resolution.

 

18 The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Statute, including out of capital.

VARIATION OF RIGHTS OF SHARES

 

19 If at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of three-quarters of the issued Shares of that class, or with the sanction of a Special Resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the Shares of that class.

 

4


20 The provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings shall apply to every class meeting of the holders of one class of Shares except that the necessary quorum shall be one person holding or representing by proxy at least one third of the issued Shares of the class and that any holder of Shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll.

 

21 The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu therewith.

COMMISSION ON SALE OF SHARES

 

22 The Company may, in so far as the Statute permits, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares of the Company. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash and/or the issue of fully or partly paid-up Shares. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.

NON RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS

 

23 The Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when notified) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by these Articles or the Statute) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the registered holder.

LIEN ON SHARES

 

24 The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether fully paid-up or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others) for all debts, liabilities or engagements to or with the Company (whether presently payable or not) by such Member or his estate, either alone or jointly with any other person, whether a Member or not, but the Directors may at any time declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The registration of a transfer of any such Share shall operate as a waiver of the Company’s lien thereon. The Company’s lien on a Share shall also extend to any amount payable in respect of that Share.

 

25 The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares on which the Company has a lien, if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, and is not paid within fourteen clear days after notice has been given to the holder of the Shares, or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold.

 

26

To give effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the

 

5


 

purchaser. The purchaser or his nominee shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale or the exercise of the Company’s power of sale under these Articles.

 

27 The net proceeds of such sale after payment of costs, shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable and any residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale.

CALL ON SHARES

 

28 Subject to the terms of the allotment the Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether in respect of par value or premium), and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen days notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on the Shares. A call may be revoked or postponed as the Directors may determine. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made.

 

29 A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.

 

30 The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.

 

31 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the person from whom it is due shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at such rate as the Directors may determine, but the Directors may waive payment of the interest wholly or in part.

 

32 An amount payable in respect of a Share on allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the par value of the Share or premium or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a call and if it is not paid all the provisions of these Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

33 The Directors may issue Shares with different terms as to the amount and times of payment of calls, or the interest to be paid.

 

34 The Directors may, if they think fit, receive an amount from any Member willing to advance all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by him, and may (until the amount would otherwise become payable) pay interest at such rate as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Member paying such amount in advance.

 

6


35 No such amount paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such amount to any portion of a Dividend declared in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such amount would, but for such payment, become payable.

FORFEITURE OF SHARES

 

36 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen clear days notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest, which may have accrued. The notice shall specify where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

37 If the notice is not complied with any Share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors. Such forfeiture shall include all Dividends or other monies declared payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture.

 

38 A forfeited Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited Share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share in favour of that person.

 

39 A person any of whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the Shares forfeited and shall remain liable to pay to the Company all monies which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares together with interest, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies due and payable by him in respect of those Shares.

 

40 A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or officer of the Company that a Share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the fact as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The certificate shall (subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer) constitute a good title to the Share and the person to whom the Share is disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the Share.

 

41 The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the par value of the Share or by way of premium as if it had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

TRANSMISSION OF SHARES

 

42

If a Member dies the survivor or survivors where he was a joint holder, and his legal personal representatives where he was a sole holder, shall be the only persons recognised

 

7


 

by the Company as having any title to his interest. The estate of a deceased Member is not thereby released from any liability in respect of any Share, which had been jointly held by him.

 

43 Any person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other way than by transfer) may, upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, elect either to become the holder of the Share or to have some person nominated by him as the transferee. If he elects to become the holder he shall give notice to the Company to that effect, but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by that Member before his death or bankruptcy, as the case may be.

 

44 If the person so becoming entitled shall elect to be registered himself as holder he shall deliver or send to the Company a notice in writing signed by him stating that he so elects.

 

45 A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of the holder (or in any other case than by transfer) shall be entitled to the same Dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered holder of the Share. However, he shall not, before being registered as a Member in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company and the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to transfer the Share. If the notice is not complied with within ninety days the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all Dividends, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.

AMENDMENTS OF MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION AND

ALTERATION OF CAPITAL

 

46 The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

46.1 increase the share capital by such sum as the resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine;

 

46.2 consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

46.3 by subdivision of its existing Shares or any of them divide the whole or any part of its Share capital into Shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the Memorandum or into Shares without par value; and

 

46.4 cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person.

 

47 All new Shares created in accordance with the provisions of the preceding Article shall be subject to the same provisions of the Articles with reference to the payment of calls, liens, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the Shares in the original share capital.

 

8


48 Subject to the provisions of the Statute and the provisions of these Articles as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution, the Company may by Special Resolution:

 

48.1 change its name;

 

48.2 alter or add to these Articles;

 

48.3 alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and

 

48.4 reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve fund.

REGISTERED OFFICE

 

49 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office.

GENERAL MEETINGS

 

50 All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

51 The Company shall, if required by the Statute, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint and if no other time and place is prescribed by them, it shall be held at the Registered Office on the second Wednesday in December of each year at ten o’clock in the morning. At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented.

 

52 The Company may hold an annual general meeting, but shall not (unless required by Statute) be obliged to hold an annual general meeting.

 

53 The Directors may call general meetings, and they shall on a Members requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.

 

54 A Members requisition is a requisition of Members of the Company holding at the date of deposit of the requisition not less than ten per cent. in par value of the capital of the Company as at that date carries the right of voting at general meetings of the Company.

 

55 The requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists.

 

56

If the Directors do not within twenty-one days from the date of the deposit of the requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one

 

9


 

days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall not be held after the expiration of three months after the expiration of the said twenty-one days.

 

57 A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors.

NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS

 

58 At least five days’ notice shall be given of any general meeting. Every notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is given or deemed to be given and of the day for which it is given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business and shall be given in manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this regulation has been given and whether or not the provisions of the Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed:

 

58.1 in the case of an annual general meeting, by all the Members (or their proxies) entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

58.2 in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority in number of the Members (or their proxies) having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, being a majority together holding not less than ninety five per cent. in par value of the Shares giving that right.

 

59 The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non receipt of notice of a meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that meeting.

PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS

 

60 No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. Two Members being individuals present in person or by proxy or if a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy shall be a quorum unless the Company has only one Member entitled to vote at such general meeting in which case the quorum shall be that one Member present in person or by proxy or (in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person) by a duly authorised representative or proxy.

 

61 A person may participate at a general meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation by a person in a general meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting.

 

62 A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or, being corporations, signed by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.

 

10


63 If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Members, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place or to such other day, time or such other place as the Directors may determine, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the Members present shall be a quorum.

 

64 The chairman, if any, of the board of Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company, or if there is no such chairman, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the holding of the meeting, or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

65 If no Director is willing to act as chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

66 The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present, (and shall if so directed by the meeting), adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a general meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice.

 

67 A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before, or on the declaration of the result of, the show of hands, the chairman demands a poll, or any other Member or Members collectively present in person or by proxy and holding at least ten per cent. in par value of the Shares giving a right to attend and vote at the meeting demand a poll.

 

68 Unless a poll is duly demanded a declaration by the chairman that a resolution has been carried or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost or not carried by a particular majority, an entry to that effect in the minutes of the proceedings of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of that fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution.

 

69 The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.

 

70 Except on a poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment, a poll shall be taken as the chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the general meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

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71 A poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the general meeting directs, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded or is contingent thereon may proceed pending the taking of the poll.

 

72 In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

VOTES OF MEMBERS

 

73 Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any Shares, on a show of hands every Member who (being an individual) is present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person is present by its duly authorised representative or proxy, shall have one vote and on a poll every Member shall have one vote for every Share of which he is the holder.

 

74 In the case of joint holders of record the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members.

 

75 A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court, having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, receiver, curator bonis, or other person on such Member’s behalf appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy.

 

76 No person shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting or at any separate meeting of the holders of a class of Shares unless he is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting nor unless all calls or other monies then payable by him in respect of Shares have been paid.

 

77 No objection shall be raised to the qualification of any voter except at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

78 On a poll or on a show of hands votes may be cast either personally or by proxy. A Member may appoint more than one proxy or the same proxy under one or more instruments to attend and vote at a meeting. Where a Member appoints more than one proxy the instrument of proxy shall state which proxy is entitled to vote on a show of hands.

 

79

A Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of his Shares in the same way on any resolution and therefore may vote a Share or some or all such Shares either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares and, subject to the terms of the instrument appointing him, a proxy

 

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appointed under one or more instruments may vote a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting.

PROXIES

 

80 The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing, be executed under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing, or, if the appointor is a corporation under the hand of an officer or attorney duly authorised for that purpose. A proxy need not be a Member of the Company.

 

81 The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company:

 

81.1 not less than 48 hours before the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote; or

 

81.2 in the case of a poll taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, be deposited as aforesaid after the poll has been demanded and not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the taking of the poll; or

 

81.3 where the poll is not taken forthwith but is taken not more than 48 hours after it was demanded be delivered at the meeting at which the poll was demanded to the chairman or to the secretary or to any director;

provided that the Directors may in the notice convening the meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, direct that the instrument appointing a proxy may be deposited (no later than the time for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting) at the Registered Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting, or in any instrument of proxy sent out by the Company. The chairman may in any event at his discretion direct that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted shall be invalid.

 

82 The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or generally until revoked. An instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to include the power to demand or join or concur in demanding a poll.

 

83 Votes given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed, or the transfer of the Share in respect of which the proxy is given unless notice in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer was received by the Company at the Registered Office before the commencement of the general meeting, or adjourned meeting at which it is sought to use the proxy.

 

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CORPORATE MEMBERS

 

84 Any corporation or other non-natural person which is a Member may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of Members, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member.

SHARES THAT MAY NOT BE VOTED

 

85 Shares in the Company that are beneficially owned by the Company shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding Shares at any given time.

DIRECTORS

 

86 There shall be a board of Directors consisting of not less than one person (exclusive of alternate Directors) provided however that the Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase or reduce the limits in the number of Directors. The first Directors of the Company shall be determined in writing by, or appointed by a resolution of, the subscriber(s) to the Memorandum.

POWERS OF DIRECTORS

 

87 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Memorandum and the Articles and to any directions given by Special Resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors.

 

88 All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable instruments and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed as the case may be in such manner as the Directors shall determine by resolution.

 

89 The Directors on behalf of the Company may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his widow or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance.

 

90 The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and other such securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

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APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS

 

91 The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution remove any Director.

 

92 The Directors may appoint any person to be a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with the Articles as the maximum number of Directors.

VACATION OF OFFICE OF DIRECTOR

 

93 The office of a Director shall be vacated if:

 

93.1 he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; or

 

93.2 if he absents himself (without being represented by proxy or an alternate Director appointed by him) from three consecutive meetings of the board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and they pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or

 

93.3 if he dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or

 

93.4 if he is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or

 

93.5 if all the other Directors of the Company (being not less than two in number) resolve that he should be removed as a Director.

PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS

 

94 The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be two if there are two or more Directors, and shall be one if there is only one Director. A person who holds office as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, be counted in the quorum. A Director who also acts as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, count twice towards the quorum.

 

95 Subject to the provisions of the Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director who is also an alternate Director shall be entitled in the absence of his appointor to a separate vote on behalf of his appointor in addition to his own vote.

 

96 A person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or committee of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is at the start of the meeting.

 

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97 A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors (an alternate Director being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointor) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held.

 

98 A Director or alternate Director may, or other officer of the Company on the requisition of a Director or alternate Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least two days’ notice in writing to every Director and alternate Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors (or their alternates) either at, before or after the meeting is held.

 

99 The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to that number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

100 The Directors may elect a chairman of their board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for holding the same, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

101 All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors (including any person acting as an alternate Director) shall, notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and qualified to be a Director or alternate Director as the case may be.

 

102 A Director but not an alternate Director may be represented at any meetings of the board of Directors by a proxy appointed in writing by him. The proxy shall count towards the quorum and the vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the appointing Director.

PRESUMPTION OF ASSENT

 

103 A Director of the Company who is present at a meeting of the board of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action.

 

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DIRECTORS’ INTERESTS

 

104 A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine.

 

105 A Director may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director or alternate Director.

 

106 A Director or alternate Director of the Company may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as shareholder or otherwise, and no such Director or alternate Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company.

 

107 No person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or alternate Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director or alternate Director shall be in any way interested be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director or alternate Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director holding office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director (or his alternate Director in his absence) shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of the interest of any Director or alternate Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon.

 

108 A general notice that a Director or alternate Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.

MINUTES

 

109 The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of all appointments of officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any class of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of Directors including the names of the Directors or alternate Directors present at each meeting.

DELEGATION OF DIRECTORS’ POWERS

 

110

The Directors may delegate any of their powers to any committee consisting of one or more Directors. They may also delegate to any managing director or any Director holding

 

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any other executive office such of their powers as they consider desirable to be exercised by him provided that an alternate Director may not act as managing director and the appointment of a managing director shall be revoked forthwith if he ceases to be a Director. Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked or altered. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

111 The Directors may establish any committees, local boards or agencies or appoint any person to be a manager or agent for managing the affairs of the Company and may appoint any person to be a member of such committees or local boards. Any such appointment may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked or altered. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of any such committee, local board or agency shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

112 The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any person to be the agent of the Company on such conditions as the Directors may determine, provided that the delegation is not to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked by the Directors at any time.

 

113 The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.

 

114 The Directors may appoint such officers as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of his appointment an officer may be removed by resolution of the Directors or Members.

ALTERNATE DIRECTORS

 

115 Any Director (other than an alternate Director) may by writing appoint any other Director, or any other person willing to act, to be an alternate Director and by writing may remove from office an alternate Director so appointed by him.

 

116

An alternate Director shall be entitled to receive notice of all meetings of Directors and of all meetings of committees of Directors of which his appointor is a member, to attend and

 

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vote at every such meeting at which the Director appointing him is not personally present, and generally to perform all the functions of his appointor as a Director in his absence.

 

117 An alternate Director shall cease to be an alternate Director if his appointor ceases to be a Director.

 

118 Any appointment or removal of an alternate Director shall be by notice to the Company signed by the Director making or revoking the appointment or in any other manner approved by the Directors.

 

119 An alternate Director shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall alone be responsible for his own acts and defaults and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him.

NO MINIMUM SHAREHOLDING

 

120 The Company in general meeting may fix a minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director, but unless and until such a shareholding qualification is fixed a Director is not required to hold Shares.

REMUNERATION OF DIRECTORS

 

121 The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine. The Directors shall also be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other.

 

122 The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services other than his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director.

SEAL

 

123 The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors. Every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one person who shall be either a Director or some officer or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose.

 

124 The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the common Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used.

 

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125 A Director or officer, representative or attorney of the Company may without further authority of the Directors affix the Seal over his signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated by him under seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever.

DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND RESERVE

 

126 Subject to the Statute and this Article, the Directors may declare Dividends and distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the Dividends or distributions out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. No Dividend or distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, or out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by the Statute.

 

127 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to Shares, all Dividends shall be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares that a Member holds. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for Dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for Dividend accordingly.

 

128 The Directors may deduct from any Dividend or distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) then payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise.

 

129 The Directors may declare that any Dividend or distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular of shares, debentures, or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees as may seem expedient to the Directors.

 

130 Any Dividend, distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by wire transfer to the holder or by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the holder who is first named on the Register of Members or to such person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any Dividends, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders.

 

131 No Dividend or distribution shall bear interest against the Company.

 

132 Any Dividend which cannot be paid to a Member and/or which remains unclaimed after six months from the date of declaration of such Dividend may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company’s name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the Dividend shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any Dividend which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date of declaration of such Dividend shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company.

 

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CAPITALISATION

 

133 The Directors may capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution and to appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst them had the same been a distribution of profits by way of Dividend and to apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for allotment and distribution credited as fully paid-up to and amongst them in the proportion aforesaid. In such event the Directors shall do all acts and things required to give effect to such capitalisation, with full power to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit for the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Members concerned). The Directors may authorise any person to enter on behalf of all of the Members interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalisation and matters incidental thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all concerned.

BOOKS OF ACCOUNT

 

134 The Directors shall cause proper books of account to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs and to explain its transactions.

 

135 The Directors shall from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by Statute or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting.

 

136 The Directors may from time to time cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law.

AUDIT

 

137 The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office until removed from office by a resolution of the Directors, and may fix his or their remuneration.

 

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138 Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Auditor.

 

139 Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an ordinary company, and at the next extraordinary general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an exempted company, and at any other time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.

NOTICES

 

140 Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by courier, post, cable, telex, fax or e-mail to him or to his address as shown in the Register of Members (or where the notice is given by e-mail by sending it to the e-mail address provided by such Member). Any notice, if posted from one country to another, is to be sent airmail.

 

141 Where a notice is sent by courier, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by delivery of the notice to a courier company, and shall be deemed to have been received on the third day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was delivered to the courier. Where a notice is sent by post, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre paying and posting a letter containing the notice, and shall be deemed to have been received on the fifth day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was posted. Where a notice is sent by cable, telex or fax, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing and sending such notice and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was transmitted. Where a notice is given by e-mail service shall be deemed to be effected by transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the intended recipient and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was sent, and it shall not be necessary for the receipt of the e-mail to be acknowledged by the recipient.

 

142 A notice may be given by the Company to the person or persons which the Company has been advised are entitled to a Share or Shares in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member in the same manner as other notices which are required to be given under these Articles and shall be addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt, or by any like description at the address supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled, or at the option of the Company by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

143

Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner hereinbefore authorised to every person shown as a Member in the Register of Members on the record date for such

 

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meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members and every person upon whom the ownership of a Share devolves by reason of his being a legal personal representative or a trustee in bankruptcy of a Member of record where the Member of record but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting, and no other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

WINDING UP

 

144 If the Company shall be wound up, and the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them. If in a winding up the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up subject to a deduction from those Shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of the holders of Shares issued upon special terms and conditions.

 

145 If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, with the sanction of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other sanction required by the Statute, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like sanction, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability.

INDEMNITY

 

146 Every Director, agent or officer of the Company shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability incurred by him as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out his functions other than such liability (if any) that he may incur by his own actual fraud or wilful default. No such Director, agent or officer shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage in carrying out his functions unless that liability arises through the actual fraud or wilful default of such Director, agent or officer. References in this Article to actual fraud or wilful default mean a finding to such effect by a competent court in relation to the conduct of the relevant party.

FINANCIAL YEAR

 

147 Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1st January in each year.

 

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TRANSFER BY WAY OF CONTINUATION

 

148 If the Company is exempted as defined in the Statute, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Statute and with the approval of a Special Resolution, have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

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DATED this 10th day of April 2007.

 

/s/

For and on behalf of

Mapcal Limited

of PO Box 309GT, Ugland House,

South Church Street, George Town,
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

/s/

Witness to the above signature

I, Neydis Taveras, Asst. Registrar of Companies in and for the Cayman Islands DO HEREBY CERTIFY that this is a true and correct copy of the Articles of Association of this Company duly incorporated on the 10th day of April 2007.

 

/s/ Neydis Taveras

ASST. REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES

 

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