CLWT Euro Tech Holdings Company Ltd New

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

 A. [RESERVED]

B. CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

This item does not apply to annual reports on Form 20-F.

C. REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

This item does not apply to annual reports on Form 20-F.

D. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our shares involves a high degree of risk. Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information included in this annual report, before making an investment decision. The risks below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not currently known by us or that we deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. If any of the following and other risks actually occurs, our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations could suffer. In that case, the trading price of our shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This annual report also contains forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our results could materially differ from those anticipated in these forward looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks we face as described below and elsewhere. See – “Forward Looking Statements.”

Certain Risks Relating to Doing Business in Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC” or “China”).

PRC Sovereignty over Hong Kong is Still Developing.

The Company’s executive and principal offices are located in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China (or “SAR;” Hong Kong is sometimes herein referred to as the “Hong Kong SAR”).

As provided in the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong (the “Joint Declaration”) and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR of China (the “Basic Law”), the Hong Kong SAR is provided a high degree of autonomy except in foreign and defense affairs. The formula for the preservation of Hong Kong’s independent legal and economic system under Chinese sovereignty has been referred to as “one country, two systems.” Under this principle of “one country, two systems,” the PRC’s political system and policies are not practiced in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong maintains a legal system that is based on common law and is different from that of the PRC.

There is friction between Hong Kong residents pressing for greater democracy and the PRC government. There appears to be a suspicion that Hong Kong’s democracy advocates are being manipulated by the United States to cause difficulties at China’s doorstep as regional tensions rise. The foregoing is raising concerns that civil liberties in Hong Kong may be eroded in the years to come.

At this point in time it is not possible to predict if this trend will continue and what effect it will have on the Company, if any. However, there can be no assurance that changes in political or economic conditions in Hong Kong and the PRC will not affect the Company adversely. The Company’s results of operations and financial condition may be influenced by the political situation in Hong Kong and by the general state of the Hong Kong economy. See — “Economic Stability Uncertain.”

Economic Stability in the Far East is Uncertain.

Some economies in the Far East have suffered from an economic instability. There can be no assurance that there will be a recovery, most especially in light of the recent global economic downturn. Continued growth in the PRC depends on an adequate supply of energy. There is no assurance that adequate supplies of energy can be developed or found to fuel the PRC’s continued economic growth.

All of our operations are located in China through our subsidiaries. Our ability to operate in China may be impaired by changes in Chinese laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulation, restrictions on foreign investment, and other matters.

We conduct a substantial portion of our business in China through our subsidiaries. The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in China may be impaired by changes in laws and regulations in the PRC. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future further release regulations or policies regarding our industry that could require us to seek permission from PRC authorities to continue to operate our business, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Further, it is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. exchanges in the future, and even if such permission is obtained, whether it will be later denied or rescinded. No entity in our organization is currently (i) required to obtain permission from any Chinese authorities to list on any U.S. exchange or issue our ordinary shares to foreign investors or (ii) subject to permission requirements from the CSRC, the CAC, or any other entity that is required to approve of our PRC subsidiaries’ operations, and no entity in our organization has received any such permissions or any notice of denial of such permissions. However, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, particularly in the event permission to list on U.S. exchanges becomes required, or if such permission may be withheld or rescinded once granted.

Governmental actions in China, including any decision to intervene or influence our operations at any time or to exert control over an offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to our operations, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and/or may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Changes in the economic and political policies of the PRC government could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.

We conduct a substantial portion of our business in China through our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are to a significant extent affected by economic and political developments in China. In particular, the PRC government continues to exercise significant control over the economic growth of the PRC through allocating resources, controlling payments of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatments to particular industries or companies. In recent years, the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces in reforming the economy. These economic reform measures may be adjusted or modified or applied inconsistently from industry to industry, or across different regions of the country. As a result, some of these measures may benefit the overall economy of the PRC, but may have an adverse effect on us.

The PRC has been one of the world’s fastest growing economies as measured by GDP in recent years. However, economic activity in the PRC has slowed down recently and it may not return to levels of previous years. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s real GDP growth rate decreased from 6.6% in 2018 to 6.1% in 2019, and, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, further to 2.3% in 2020, but it increased to 8.1% in 2021. Although past predictions have not always proven reliable, if these predictions prove accurate, they, as well as future actions and policies of the PRC government, could suffer a material adverse effect.

Also, financial reporting suggests a real estate “bubble” exists in the PRC. If a real estate “bubble” truly exists in the PRC and it bursts, the PRC’s economy and the Company could suffer a material adverse effect.

The success of the Company’s activities in the PRC depends on the Company’s continued ability to overcome circumstances specifically effecting the industrial sector, including the relatively poor infrastructure, road transportation and communications network and an uncertain legal and regulatory environment.

Our failure to comply with cybersecurity and data protection laws and regulations could lead to government enforcement actions and significant penalties against us, and adversely impact our operating results.

The regulatory framework for the collection, use, safeguarding, sharing, transfer and other processing of personal information and important data worldwide is rapidly evolving and is likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. For example, regulatory authorities in China have implemented and are considering a number of legislative and regulatory proposals concerning cybersecurity and data protection.

The PRC Cyber Security Law, which took effect in June 2017, created China’s first national-level data protection regime for “network operators,” which may include all organizations in China that provide services over the internet or another information network. Specifically, the Cyber Security Law provides that China adopts a multi-level protection scheme, under which network operators are required to perform obligations of security protection to ensure that the network is free from interference, disruption or unauthorized access, and prevent network data from being disclosed, stolen or tampered.

In addition, the PRC Data Security Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on June 10, 2021 and took effect on September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law establishes a tiered system for data protection in terms of their importance, data categorized as “important data,” which will be determined by governmental authorities in the form of catalogs, are required to be treated with higher level of protection. Specifically, the Data Security Law provides that operators processing “important data” are required to appoint a “data security officer” and a “management department” to take charge of data security. In addition, such operator is required to evaluate the risk of its data activities periodically and file assessment reports with relevant regulatory authorities.

Numerous regulations, guidelines and other measures have been or are expected to be adopted under the umbrella of, or in addition to, the Cyber Security Law and Data Security Law. For example, Regulations on the Security Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, or the CII Protection Regulations, was promulgated by the State Council of the PRC on July 30, 2021 and became effective on September 1, 2021. According to the CII Protection Regulations, critical information infrastructure, or the CII, refers to any important network facilities or information systems of the important industry or field such as public communication and information service, energy, transportation, water conservancy, finance, public services, e-government affairs and national defense science, which may endanger national security, people’s livelihood and public interest in the case of damage, function loss or data leakage. Regulators supervising specific industries are required to formulate detailed guidance to recognize the CII in the respective sectors, and a critical information infrastructure operator, or a CIIO, must take the responsibility to protect the CII’s security by performing certain prescribed obligations. For example, CIIOs are required to conduct network security test and risk assessment, report the assessment results to relevant regulatory authorities, and timely rectify the issues identified at least once a year.

Additionally, in November 2021, the CAC issued the Cyber Data Security Administration Regulations (Draft for Comments), which, among other things, stipulates that a data processor that process “important data” or listed overseas must conduct an annual data security review by itself or by engaging a data security service provider and submit the annual data security review report for a given year to the relevant municipal counterpart of the CAC before January 31 of the following year. As of the date of this annual report, such administration regulations have not been adopted. In January 2022, the CAC and several other administrations also jointly promulgated the amended Cybersecurity Review Measures, or the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which became effective on February 15, 2022, and supersede and replace the current cybersecurity review measures that became effective since June 2020. Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Review Measures, a “critical information infrastructure operator”, or a CIIO, that purchases network products and services, or conducts data process activities, which affect or may affect national security will be subject to the cybersecurity review. The Cybersecurity Review Measures also expands the cybersecurity review to “internet platform operators” in possession of personal information of over one million users if such operators intend to list their securities in a foreign country. Alternatively, relevant governmental authorities in the PRC may initiate cybersecurity review if they determine an operator’s network products or services or data processing activities affect or may affect national security.

Furthermore, the recently issued Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities requires (i) speeding up the revision of the provisions on strengthening the confidentiality and archives management relating to overseas issuance and listing of securities and (ii) improving the laws and regulations relating to data security, cross-border data flow, and management of confidential information. The Personal Information Protection Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on August 20, 2021 and took effect on November 1, 2021, integrates the various rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection and applies to the processing of personal information within mainland China as well as certain personal information processing activities outside mainland China, including those for the provision of products and services to natural persons within China or for the analysis and assessment of acts of natural persons within China.

We may have access to confidential or personal information in certain of our businesses. Although we endeavor to comply with our privacy policies and other documentation regarding the protection of personal information, we may at times fail to do so or may be perceived to have failed to do so. Moreover, despite our efforts, we may not be successful in achieving compliance if our employees or contractors fail to comply with these policies and documentation.

Moreover, the Cyber Security Law, Data Security Law and relevant regulations are relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to their interpretation and implementation. Any change in laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and information security and any enhanced and scrutinized governmental enforcement action of such laws and regulations could greatly increase our cost in providing our products and services, limit their use or adoption or require certain changes to be made to our operations. We cannot assure you that we will be compliant with these new laws and regulations described above in all respects, and we may be ordered to rectify and terminate any actions that are deemed illegal by the government authorities and become subject to fines and other government sanctions, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Specifically, given the uncertainties surrounding the interpretation and implementation of the Cyber Security Law, Data Security Law and relevant regulations, we cannot rule out the possibility that we, or certain of our customers or suppliers may be deemed as a CIIO, or an operator processing “important data.” First, if we are deemed as a CIIO, our purchase of network products or services, if deemed to be affecting or may affect national security, will need to be subject to cybersecurity review, before we can enter into agreements with relevant customers or suppliers, and before the conclusion of such procedure, these customers will not be allowed to use our products or services, and we are not allowed to purchase products or services from our suppliers. There can be no assurance that we would be able to complete the applicable cybersecurity review procedures in a timely manner, or at all, if we are required to follow such procedures. Any failure or delay in the completion of the cybersecurity review procedures may prevent us from using certain network products and services, and may result in fines of up to ten times the purchase price of such network products and services being imposed upon us, if we are deemed a CIIO using network products or services without having completed the required cybersecurity review procedures. If the reviewing authority is of the view that the use of such network products or services by us, or by certain of our customers or suppliers, involves risk of disruption, is vulnerable to external attacks, or may negatively affect, compromise, or weaken the protection of national security, we may not be able to provide such products or services to relevant customers, or purchase products or services from relevant suppliers. This could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and business prospects. Second, the notion of “important data” is not clearly defined by the Cyber Security Law or the Data Security Law. In order to comply with the statutory requirements, we will need to determine whether we possess important data, monitor the important data catalogs that are expected to be published by local governments and departments, perform risk assessments and ensure we are complying with reporting obligations to applicable regulators. We may also be required to disclose to regulators business-sensitive or network security-sensitive details regarding our processing of important data, and may need to pass the government security review or obtain government approval in order to share important data with offshore recipients, which can include foreign licensors, or share data stored in China with judicial and law enforcement authorities outside of China. If judicial and law enforcement authorities outside China require us to provide data stored in China, and we are not able to pass any required government security review or obtain any required government approval to do so, we may not be able to meet the foreign authorities’ requirements. The potential conflicts in legal obligations could have adverse impact on our operations in and outside of China.

Economic Reforms May Not Continue or Impact Positively On the Company; Changing Business Environment.

Over the past several years, the PRC’s government has pursued economic reform policies including encouraging private economic activities and decentralization of economic deregulation. It appears that the PRC government may not continue to pursue these policies or may significantly alter them to our detriment from time to time without notice. Changes in policies by the PRC government resulting in changes in laws, regulations, or their interpretation, or the imposition of confiscatory taxes, restrictions on currency conversion and imports could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. The nationalization or other expropriations of private enterprises by the PRC government could result in a loss of our investments in actual funds and time and effort, in China.

The Company’s results at times may also be adversely effected by: (1) changes in political, economic and social conditions in the PRC; (2) changes in government policies such as changes in laws and regulations (or their interpretation); (3) the introduction of additional measures to control inflation; (4) changes in the rate or method of taxation; (5) imposition of additional restrictions on currency conversion remittances abroad; (6) reduction in tariff protection and other import restrictions; and (7) a return to the more centrally-planned economy that existed previously.

We Are Subject To International Economic And Political Risks, Over Which We Have Little Or No Control.

Doing business entirely outside the United States subjects us to various risks, including changing economic and political conditions, exchange controls, currency fluctuations, armed conflicts and unexpected changes in United States and foreign laws relating to tariffs, trade restrictions, transportation regulations, foreign investments and taxation. We have no control over most of these risks and other unforeseeable risks and may be unable to anticipate changes in international economic and political conditions and, therefore, unable to alter our business practice in time to avoid the adverse effect of any of these changes.

The International Financial Crisis and Economic Conditions May Have A Material Adverse Impact on Our Business and Financial Conditions.

With deteriorating worldwide economies, global markets have experienced significant turmoil and upheavals characterized by extreme volatility and the volatility in prices and securities and commodities, diminished credit availability, inability to access capital markets, waves of bankruptcies, high unemployment and declining consumer and business confidence. It appears that international economic deterioration has negatively impacted our revenue and other results of operation. We cannot predict the short and long-term impact of these events on our business and financial condition that may be materially and adversely affected in the future.

Our Revenue and Net Income may be Materially and Adversely Affected by any Economic Slowdown in China.

The PRC government has in recent years implemented a number of measures to control the rate of economic growth, including by raising interest rates and adjusting deposit reserve ratios for commercial banks as well as by implementing other measures designed to tighten credit and liquidity. These measures have contributed to a slowdown of the PRC economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s real GDP growth rate decreased from 6.6% in 2018 to 6.1% in 2019, and, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, further to 2.3% in 2020, but it increased to 8.1% in 2021. Any continuing or worsening slowdown could significantly reduce domestic commerce in China. An economic downturn, whether actual or perceived, a further decrease in economic growth rates or an otherwise uncertain economic outlook in China or any other market in which we may operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We May be Impacted by Inflation in PRC.

In recent years, the PRC has not experienced significant inflation, and thus inflation has not had a significant effect on our business historically. In response to the increased inflation rate during 2004, the Chinese government announced measures to restrict lending and investment in the PRC in order to reduce inflationary pressure on the PRC’s economy; more recently, the average inflation rate has increased by 1.6%, 2.1%, 2.9%, 2.5% and 0.9% in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Efforts by the PRC to curb inflation may also curb economic growth, increase our overhead costs and adversely affect our revenues. Inflationary increases cause a corresponding increase in our general overhead. If the PRC rate of inflation continues to increases, the Chinese government may introduce further measures intended to reduce the inflation rate in the PRC. Any such measures adopted by the Chinese government may not be successful in reducing or slowing the increase in the PRC’s inflation rate. A sustained or increased inflation in the PRC may have an adverse impact on the PRC’s economy and may materially and adversely affect our business and financial results.

The PRC legal system embodies uncertainties which could limit the available legal protections and expand the government’s power.

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike common law systems, it is a system in which decided legal cases have little precedential value. In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past three decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. However, these laws, regulations and legal requirements change frequently, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties. For example, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protection that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. In addition, such uncertainties, including the inability to enforce our contracts, could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all) that may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Furthermore, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. Accordingly, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, particularly with regard to the media, ecommerce, education, advertising and retail industries, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of local regulations by national laws. These uncertainties could limit the legal protections available to us, and our foreign investors, including you.

You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in China based on United States or other foreign laws against us, our management or the experts named in the annual report.

We conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, our principal offices are located in Hong Kong and all of our directors and executive officers reside within Hong Kong and China. As a result, it may not be possible to effect service of process within the United States or elsewhere outside China upon some of our directors and senior executive officers, including with respect to matters arising under U.S. federal securities laws or applicable state securities laws. Moreover, we understand that the PRC currently does not have treaties with the United States or many other countries providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgment of courts.

Regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may increase the administrative burden we face and create regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activity, and a failure by our shareholders who are PRC residents to make any required applications and filings pursuant to such regulations may prevent us from being able to distribute profits and could expose our PRC resident shareholders to liability under PRC law.

China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, in July 2014. SAFE Circular No. 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular No.37 as a “special purpose vehicle.” The term “control” under SAFE Circular No. 37 is broadly defined as the operation rights, beneficiary rights or decision-making rights acquired by the PRC residents in the offshore special purpose vehicles or PRC companies by such means as acquisition, trust, proxy, voting rights, repurchase, convertible bonds or other arrangements. SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any changes with respect to the basic information of the special purpose vehicle, such as changes in a PRC resident individual shareholder, name or operation period; or any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event.

If the shareholders of the offshore holding company who are PRC residents do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, the PRC subsidiaries may be prohibited from distributing their profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to the offshore company, and the offshore company may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital to its PRC subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with SAFE registration and amendment requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions. In February 2015, SAFE issued SAFE Circular No. 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015. SAFE Circular No. 13 has delegated to the qualified banks the authority to register all PRC residents’ investment in “special purpose vehicle” pursuant to the SAFE Circular No. 37, except that those PRC residents who have failed to comply with the SAFE Circular No. 37 will remain to fall into the jurisdiction of the local SAFE branch and must make their supplementary registration application with the local SAFE branch.

We have requested PRC residents who we know hold direct or indirect interest in our company to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under SAFE Circular No. 37 and other related rules. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and we cannot provide any assurance that these PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or comply with other requirements under SAFE Circular No. 37 or other related rules. The failure or inability of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject us to fines and legal sanctions, restrict our cross-border investment activities, limit the ability of our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China to distribute dividends and the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may also be prohibited from injecting additional capital into these subsidiaries. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions. As a result, our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.

If the custodians or authorized users of controlling non-tangible assets of our Company, including our corporate chops and seals, fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Under PRC law, legal documents for corporate transactions are executed using the chops or seals of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with the relevant branch of the Administration of Industry and Commerce.

Although we usually utilize chops to enter into contracts, the designated legal representatives of each of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities have the apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of such entities without chops and bind such entities. All designated legal representatives of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities are members of our senior management team who have signed employment agreements with us or our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities under which they agree to abide by various duties they owe to us. In order to maintain the physical security of our chops of our PRC entities, we generally store these items in secured locations accessible only by the authorized personnel in the legal or finance department of each of our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities. Although we monitor such authorized personnel, there is no assurance that such procedures will prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. Accordingly, if any of our authorized personnel misuse or misappropriate our corporate chops or seals, we could encounter difficulties in maintaining control over the relevant entities and experience significant disruption to our operations. If a designated legal representative obtains control of the chops in an effort to obtain control over any of our PRC subsidiaries or consolidated affiliated entities, we or our PRC subsidiary and consolidated affiliated entity would need to pass a new shareholder or board resolution to designate a new legal representative and we would need to take legal action to seek the return of the chops, apply for new chops with the relevant authorities, or otherwise seek legal redress for the violation of the representative’s fiduciary duties to us, which could involve significant time and resources and divert management attention away from our regular business. In addition, the affected entity may not be able to recover corporate assets that are sold or transferred out of our control in the event of such a misappropriation if a transferee relies on the apparent authority of the representative and acts in good faith.

The PRC Government Imposes Currency Controls.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantial part of our revenues in RMB. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future.

There is a Foreign Currency Risk.

The Company operates in Hong Kong, the PRC and trades with both local and overseas customers and suppliers, and is exposed to foreign exchange risk arising from various currency exposures, primarily with respect to purchases in, Hong Kong dollar, Renminbi, US dollars, the Japanese yen and Euro. Foreign exchange risk arises from committed and unmatched future commercial transactions, such as confirmed import purchase orders and sales orders, recognized assets and liabilities, and net investment in the PRC operations.

Because our revenues are generated in Renminbi and our results are reported in U.S. dollars, ongoing devaluation of the Renminbi could negatively impact our results of operations.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. Dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. In 2018, the value of the Renminbi depreciated by approximately 5.7% against the U.S. dollar. In 2019, the Renminbi further depreciated by approximately 1.3% against the U.S. dollar. In 2020, the value of the Renminbi appreciated by approximately 6.3% against the U.S. dollar. In 2021, the value of the Renminbi appreciated by approximately 2.3% against the U.S. dollar. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in greater fluctuations of the Renminbi against the U.S. Dollar. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and there is no guarantee that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. Dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. Dollar into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. Dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. Dollar for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares, repaying our U.S. Dollar denominated notes or other payment obligations or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. Dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. Dollar amount available to us. In addition, appreciation or depreciation in the value of the Renminbi relative to U.S. Dollar would affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollar terms regardless of any underlying change in our business or results of operations.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

The turbulent relations between the PRC and United States may adversely affect our business or the price of our capital stock

Recently, the United States and China have imposed new or higher tariffs on goods imported from the other’s country, and have threatened the imposition of additional tariffs in retaliation. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions and tariffs, quotas and embargoes, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies, has the potential to adversely impact costs and the world economy in general, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, changes in trade relations between the United States and China may trigger negative customer sentiment or retaliation towards companies in China with ties to the United States, potentially resulting in a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

Differences between the United States and PRC governments on some political issues continue occasionally to color their relationship. These occasional controversies could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. Political or trade friction between the two countries could also materially and adversely affect the market price of our capital stock, whether or not they adversely affect our business.

Certain Risks Relating to the Company’s Business.

Our Operating Results may Fluctuate Significantly from Year to Year. We Cannot be Certain that we will Achieve or Maintain Profitability in the Future.

Our operating results historically have been difficult to predict and have at times significantly fluctuated from year to year due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control.

During Fiscal 2021, the Company had revenues of US$21,388,000, operating income of US$781,000, and income before income taxes, equity in income of affiliates and non-controlling interests of US$921,000. In addition, we had income tax credit of US$90,000, equity in income of affiliates of US$355,000. As a result, we had a net income of US$1,366,000 for Fiscal 2021 before giving effect to the effect on our results attributable to our non-controlling interests. The principal reason for the operating income before income taxes, equity in income of affiliates and non-controlling interests for Fiscal 2021 was the increase in revenues and decrease in selling and administrative expenses. After giving effect to the net income attributable to non-controlling interest, other comprehensive income / (loss) and comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest, we had comprehensive income attributable to the Company of US$925,000 for Fiscal 2021.

During Fiscal 2020, the Company had revenues of US$13,357,000, operating losses of US$1,701,000, and income before income taxes, equity in income of affiliates and non-controlling interests of US$63,000. In addition, we had income tax expense of US$96,000, equity in income of affiliates of US$435,000. As a result, we had a net income of US$402,000 for Fiscal 2020 before giving effect to the effect on our results attributable to our non-controlling interests. The principal reason for the operating loss before income taxes, equity in income of affiliates and non-controlling interests for Fiscal 2020 was the decrease in revenues even though there was increase in the gross profit margin percentage. After giving effect to the net loss attributable to non-controlling interest, other comprehensive income / (loss) and comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest, we had comprehensive income attributable to the Company of US$721,000 for Fiscal 2020.

During Fiscal 2019, the Company had revenues of US$17,399,000, operating losses of US$440,000, and losses before income taxes, equity in income of affiliates and non-controlling interests of US$310,000. In addition, we had income tax expense of US$37,000, equity in income of affiliates of US$137,000. As a result, we had a net loss of US$210,000 for Fiscal 2019 before giving effect to the effect on our results attributable to our non-controlling interests. The principal reason for the operating losses before income taxes, equity in loss of affiliates and non-controlling interests for Fiscal 2019 was the decrease in revenues even though there was increase in the gross profit margin percentage. After giving effect to the net loss attributable to non-controlling interest, other comprehensive income / (loss) and comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest, we had comprehensive loss attributable to the Company of $140,000 for Fiscal 2019.

As a result of these factors, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and you should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. Our operating expenses do not always vary directly with revenue and may be difficult to adjust in the short term. As a result, if revenue for a particular year or quarter is below our expectations, we may not be able to proportionately reduce operating expenses for that period, and therefore such a revenue shortfall would have a disproportionate effect on our operating results for that period.

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations. Specifically the novel coronavirus could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows or liquidity.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters, such as snowstorms, earthquakes, fires or floods, the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic, such as swine flu, avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), coronavirus or COVID-19, Ebola, Zika or other events, such as wars, acts of terrorism, environmental accidents, power shortage or communication interruptions. The occurrence of a disaster or a prolonged outbreak of an epidemic illness or other adverse public health developments in Hong Kong or elsewhere in the world could materially disrupt our business and operations. These events could also significantly impact our industry and cause a temporary closure of the facilities we use for our operations, which would severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operations could be disrupted if any of our employees or employees of our business partners were suspected of contracting an epidemic disease, since this could require us or our business partners to quarantine some or all of these employees or disinfect the facilities used for our operations. In addition, our revenue and profitability could be materially reduced to the extent that a natural disaster, health epidemic or other outbreak harms the global or PRC economy in general. Our operations could also be severely disrupted if our consumers, merchants or other participants were affected by natural disasters, health epidemics or other outbreaks.

The outbreak of a novel coronavirus (which causes the disease now known as COVID-19), was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread globally. Government efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus through lockdowns of cities, business closures, restrictions on travel and emergency quarantines, among others, and responses by businesses and individuals to reduce the risk of exposure to infection, including reduced travel, cancellation of meetings and events, and implementation of work-at-home policies, among others, have caused significant disruptions to the global economy and normal business operations across a growing list of sectors and countries. The foregoing is likely to adversely affect business confidence and consumer sentiments, and has been, and may continue to be, accompanied by significant volatility in financial and commodity markets. The spread of the coronavirus, particularly as it develops into a worldwide health crisis, is also likely have broader macro-economic implications, including reduced levels of economic growth and possibly a global recession, the effects of which could be felt well beyond the time the spread of infection is contained.

The outbreak of the coronavirus could have a material impact on our business in 2021. The pandemic may have the effect of causing delay and disruption in engineering contracts and completion of projects. Further, the travel restrictions have had disrupted our ability to make business visits which, in turn, our ability to make potential new sales. In general, the combination of supply-side disruption, delivery challenges and potential, long-term waning consumer demand caused by COVID-19, potentially exacerbated by other factors, have negatively impacted and could continue to negatively impact our business. While we continue to monitor the situation, at this point it is difficult to assess the probable significance or duration of any disruption. As a result, we are taking a number of defensive measures to cut costs and conserve our cash resources, including reduction in number of employees until we have more confidence concerning the current situation.

The situation surrounding COVID-19 remains fluid, and given its inherent uncertainty, it may have an adverse impact on our business in the near term. Should these conditions persist for a prolonged period, the COVID-19 pandemic, including any of the above factors and others that are currently unknown, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we cannot predict the impact that COVID-19 will have on our customers and suppliers, and any adverse impacts on these parties may have a material adverse impact on our business.

Future Plans to Increase Revenue, Decrease Losses and Achieve Profitability are Uncertain.

The Company has been attempting to stem the decline in revenue by streamlining its activities. The Company has reduced its staff, consolidated offices and is trying to improve staff efficiencies. To date, this effort has not been successful, but the Company plans to continue these economizing efforts. In addition, the Company has obtained formal certification from China’s Classification Society (“CCS”), and from the U.S. Coast Guard for use as an Alternate Management Systems (“AMS”) in U.S. waters, for its ballast water treatment system (“BWTS”) models 200, 300, 500, 750, 1200 and 1250 Cubic Meters per hour, as well as RS type approval (Russian Maritime Register) for its 300 Cubic Meters per hour BWTS. The Company also received an anti-explosion certificate from China National Quality Supervision and Test Centre for Explosion Protected Electrical Products for its BWTS in 2017.

During 2015, the Company entered into a contract to supply a 300 Cubic Meters per hour BWTS for a maritime institute in Jiangsu, and such goods were delivered in 2016. It also received an order for one set of P-300 BWTS for a scientific research ship from Russia in 2017 and completed in 2018. In addition, in 2018, it received a PRC government grant for ballast water port solution. The development of the ballast water port solution prototype is now completed and under system and operation tests in various ports. The port solution system is a system installed in port to offer ballast water treatment services for ocean going ships without their own ballast water treatment system (“BWTS”) and for those with damaged BWTS. The Company is now embarking on promotional activities for port solution systems in China and South East Asia and received its first order in 2020. The Company hopes to receive revenues from both port (barge) and commercial vessels for ballast water treatment including retrofit orders and new built orders. However, the intake of orders may be affected by, among other things, the success of the Company’s marketing and sales efforts, and by the acceptance of the Company’s products by customers. There can be no assurance that the Company’s continued streamlining efforts, or that sales of its ballast water treatment process, will be successful or, if successful, that these efforts will result in a reduction in losses, an increase in revenues and/or the achievement of profitability by the Company.

Increases in manufacturing and operating costs and/or the ability to achieve the savings anticipated from our structural cost improvement initiative may affect operating results.

Our costs are subject to fluctuations, particularly due to changes in commodity prices, raw materials, energy and related utilities and cost of labor. The achievement of our financial objectives is reliant on our ability to manage these fluctuations through cost savings or recovery actions and efficiency initiatives.

We may pursue a number of structural cost improvement initiatives from time to time, but these efforts may not improve our financial performance or produce the full efficiencies and benefits we expect due to delays or other factors affecting our execution of these initiatives.

We are subject to a variety of litigation and similar proceedings in the course of our business that could adversely affect our financial statements.

We may be subject to various litigations and similar proceedings incidental to our business that arise in the ordinary course of our business, including claims for damages arising out of the use of our products and claims relating to intellectual property matters, employment matters, tax matters, commercial disputes, environmental matters and personal injury. These lawsuits may include claims for compensatory damages, punitive and consequential damages and/or injunctive relief. The defense of these lawsuits may divert management’s attention, we may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits and we may be required to pay damage awards or settlements or become subject to equitable remedies that could adversely affect our consolidated financial statements. Moreover, any insurance or indemnification rights that we have may be insufficient or unavailable to protect us against such losses and expenses. In addition, developments in legal proceedings in any given period may require us to revise our expectations regarding the outcome of certain matters or adjust the loss contingency estimate that is recorded in our consolidated financial statements, which could adversely affect our results of operations or cash flows in any particular period. We cannot assure that our liabilities in connection with litigation and similar proceedings will not exceed estimates or adversely affect our consolidated financial statements or reputation.

Our business depends significantly on the strength of our product brands and corporate reputation; our failure to develop, maintain and enhance our product brands and corporate reputation may materially and adversely affect the level of market recognition of, and trust in, our products.

In China’s fragmented, developing and increasingly competitive consumer market, product brands and corporate reputation have become critical to the success of our new products and the continued popularity of our existing products. Our promotional activities may prove to be expensive and may fail to either effectively promote our product brands or generate additional sales.

In addition, our product brands, corporate reputation and product sales could be harmed if, for example:

We Have Made And May Make Further Acquisitions Without Your Approval.

Although we endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular acquisition, there can be no assurance that we will properly or accurately ascertain all such risks. We will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting prospective acquisition candidates and in deciding if they should be acquired for cash, equity or debt, and in what combination of cash, equity and/or debt.

We have taken equity positions in related businesses. We will not seek stockholder approval for any additional acquisitions unless required by applicable law and regulations. Our stockholders may not have an opportunity to review financial and other information on acquisition candidates prior to consummation of any acquisitions under almost all circumstances.

Investors will be relying upon our management, upon whose judgment the investor must depend, with only limited information concerning management’s specific intentions.

There can be no assurance that the Company will locate and successfully complete any such additional acquisitions, or any acquisition will perform as anticipated, will not result in significant unexpected liabilities or will ever contribute significant revenues or profits to the Company or that the Company will not lose its entire investment in any acquisition.

Risks related to our existing and future joint ventures, acquisitions and investments also include, as applicable:

Any of these events could distract our management’s attention and result in our not obtaining the anticipated benefits of our joint ventures, acquisitions or investments and, in turn, negatively affect the performance of such joint ventures, acquisitions and investments and their respective contributions to our results of operations.

Dependence upon Management.

The Company is dependent upon the services of its executive officers, in particular Mr. T.C. Leung, the Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors, and Mr. David YL Leung, the Chief Executive Officer. The business of the Company could be adversely affected by the loss of services of, or a material reduction in the amount of time devoted to the Company by its executive officers. The Company does not maintain “Key Man” life insurance on the lives of any of its officers and directors. See – Item 6. “Directors, Senior Management and Employees.”

We have limited general business insurance coverage and we may be subject to losses that might not be covered by our existing insurance policies, which may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources.

We maintain various insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected events. We have purchased product transportation insurance covering risk of product loss during transportation, property insurance for our warehouse covering the risk of product loss in the warehouse, and third party liability insurance for certain contracts. We also provide social security insurance, including work-related injury insurance, and medical insurance for our employees. However, we do not maintain business liability, interruption or litigation insurance, nor do we maintain key-man life insurance. We cannot assure you that our insurance coverage is sufficient to prevent us from any loss or that we will be able to successfully claim our losses under our current insurance policy on a timely basis, or at all. If we incur any loss that is not covered by our insurance policies, or the compensated amount is significantly less than our actual loss, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our sale of products could subject us to product liability claims, potential safety-related regulatory actions or product recalls. These events could damage our brand and reputation and the marketability of the products that we sell, divert our management’s attention and result in lower net revenues and increased costs.

The manufacture and sale of products, such as BWTS, could expose us to product liability claims for personal injuries related liability claims. Also, if our products are deemed by the PRC authorities to fail to conform to product quality or personal safety requirements in China, we could be subject to PRC regulatory action. Violation of PRC product quality and safety requirements by products sold by us may subject us to confiscation of the products, imposition of penalties or an order to cease sales of the violating products or to cease operations pending rectification. If the offense is determined to be serious, our business license could be suspended and subject to criminal liabilities. Any product liability claim or governmental regulatory action could be costly and time-consuming to defend. If successful, product liability claims may require us to pay substantial damages. Also, a material design, manufacturing or quality failure in the products sold by us, other safety issues or heightened regulatory scrutiny could each warrant a product recall by us and result in increased product liability claims. Furthermore, customers may not use the products sold by us in accordance with our product usage instructions, possibly resulting in customer injury. All of these events could materially harm our brand and reputation and marketability of our products, divert our management’s attention and result in lower net revenues and increased costs.

Material Adverse Effect upon the Company of PRC’s Credit Restrictions.

The Company faces increasing competition from other distributors of substantially similar products and manufacturers themselves, both foreign and Chinese. The Company faces its principal competition from foreign manufacturers and other distributors of their products situated in Hong Kong and the PRC. Competition may cause purchaser demands for price reductions and reduced profit margin.

Competition with Vendors.

As the Company assembles products of the kind that it presently distributes, the Company may directly compete with certain of its vendors. Any such direct competition may adversely affect its relationship with its vendors.

Dependence on Vendors; Lack of Long Term Arrangements; Loss of Vendors.

The Company distributes supplies manufactured by a number of vendors. Thermo Fisher Scientific Group (“Thermo”), Stanford Research Systems, Inc. (“Stanford”), Hach Company (“Hach”), Hioki E.E. Corp. (“Hioki”) and Biotage Sweden AB (“Biotage”) are among the Company’s largest suppliers, pursuant to short term arrangements. Although alternative sources of supply exist, there can be no assurance that the termination of the Company’s relationship with any of the above or other vendors would not have an adverse effect on the Company’s operations due to the Company’s dependence on these vendors. A substantial number of the Company’s suppliers have been selling their products into China directly and through other distributors. During Fiscal 2019, our sales revenue from trading activities decreased by approximately 14%. During Fiscal 2020, our sales revenue from trading activities decreased by approximately 20%. During Fiscal 2021, our sales revenue from trading activities increased by approximately 2%. A loss of a substantial vendor or substantial number of our other vendors and/or our competing with them would have a material adverse effect on our revenues from trading activities.

The loss of any of our key customers could reduce our revenues and our profitability.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, sales to our three largest customers amounted in the aggregate to approximately 20% of our total revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2020, sales to our three largest customers amounted in the aggregate to approximately 23% of our total revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2019, sales to our three largest customers amounted in the aggregate to approximately 34% of our total revenue. There can be no assurance that we will maintain or improve the relationships with these customers, or that we will be able to continue to supply these customers at current levels or at all. Any failure to pay by these customers could have a material negative effect on our company’s business. In addition, having a relatively small number of customers may cause our half yearly or annual results to be inconsistent, depending upon when these customers pay for outstanding invoices.

In the year end December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, we had two, nil and one customers that accounted for 10% or more of our revenues.

Our continued failure to maintain long-term relationships with any of these major customers would lead to continued loss of our sales to them, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We and our distributors are subject to various laws regulating our advertising and any violation of these laws by us or our distributors could result in fines, penalties and legal liabilities, harm our product brands and disrupt our business.

We advertise and market our products. Our distributors often advertise our products they distribute. PRC advertising laws and regulations require advertisers and advertising operators, such as us and our distributors, to ensure the contents of the advertisement they prepare, publish or broadcast are fair and accurate, are not misleading and are in full compliance with applicable laws, through independent review and verification before displaying the advertisement through print media, radio or Internet portals. PRC unfair competition law also prohibits us and our distributors from displaying misleading, false or inaccurate information with respect to quality, function, use, or other features of products, through advertising. Violation of these laws or regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertising, orders to publish an advertisement correcting the misleading information and criminal liabilities. In circumstances involving serious violations, the PRC government may suspend or revoke a violator’s business license. Moreover, government actions and civil claims may be filed against us for misleading or inaccurate advertising, fraud, defamation, subversion, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement or other violations due to the nature and content of our advertising produced by us or our distributors.

Risks Related To the Company Itself.

The audit report included in this annual report is prepared by an auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and as such, our investors are deprived of the benefits of such inspection. In addition, the enactment of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and the adoption of any rules, legislations or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause uncertainty and our securities listed on the NASDAQ could be delisted or prohibited from being traded ”over-the-counter” if we are unable to meet the PCAOB requirement in time.

The registered public accounting firms that issue the audit reports included in this annual report, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and firms registered with the PCAOB are required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards.

Our current auditor is located in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has determined it is currently unable to conduct full inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside China, including outside Hong Kong, have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which can be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections in China, including Hong Kong, prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures as they relate to their work, and/or their affiliated independent registered public accounting firms’ work, in China, including Hong Kong. As a result, we and investors are deprived of the benefits of such regular inspections.

The inability of the PCAOB to conduct full inspections of auditors in mainland China and Hong Kong makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures as compared to auditors who primarily work in jurisdictions where the PCAOB has full inspection access. In addition, the SEC may initiate proceedings against our independent registered public accounting firm, whether in connection with an audit of our company or China-based companies, which could result in the imposition of penalties against our independent registered public accounting firm, such as suspension of its ability to practice before the SEC. All of these could cause our investors and potential investors in our ordinary shares and other securities to lose confidence in our audit procedures, reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

In May 2013, the PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the PRC Ministry of Finance, which established a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations undertaken by the PCAOB, the CSRC or the PRC Ministry of Finance in the United States and the PRC. The PCAOB continued to discuss with the CSRC and the PRC Ministry of Finance on joint inspections in the PRC of PCAOB-registered audit firms that provide auditing services to Chinese companies that trade on U.S. stock exchanges. In December 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement on regulatory access to audit and other information internationally that cites the ongoing challenges faced by them in overseeing the financial reporting of companies listed in the United States with operations in China, the absence of satisfactory progress in discussions on these issues with Chinese authorities and the potential for remedial action if significant information barriers persist. In April 2020, the SEC and the PCAOB issued another joint statement reiterating the greater risks of insufficient disclosures from companies in many emerging markets, including China, compared to those from U.S. domestic companies. In discussing the specific issues related to these risks, the statement again highlighted the PCAOB’s inability to inspect audit work and practices of accounting firms in China with respect to U.S. reporting companies.

On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, was enacted. In essence, the HFCAA requires the SEC to prohibit foreign companies from listing securities on U.S. securities exchanges if a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, beginning in 2021. The enactment of the HFCAA and any additional rulemaking efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information in China could cause investor uncertainty for affected SEC registrants, including us, the market price of our ordinary shares and other securities could be materially adversely affected, and we could be delisted if we are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time.

On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCAA, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report which reported that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (1) mainland China of the People’s Republic of China, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China; and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong.

Final rules implementing certain requirements of the HFCAA were adopted by the SEC on December 2, 2021 and generally become effective on January 10, 2022. The final rules implement the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA. The rules apply to registrants the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate, or Commission-Identified Issuers. The final rules require Commission-Identified Issuers to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that, if true, it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in the public accounting firm’s foreign jurisdiction. The final rules also require that a Commission-Identified Issuer that is a “foreign issuer” provide certain additional disclosures in its annual reports. Further, the SEC provided notice regarding the procedures the SEC has established to identify issuers and to impose trading prohibitions on the securities of certain Commission-Identified Issuers, as required by the HFCAA. The SEC will identify Commission-Identified Issuers for fiscal years beginning after December 18, 2020. A Commission-Identified Issuer will be required to comply with the submission and disclosure requirements in the annual report for each year in which it was identified. If we are identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer based on this annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021, we will be required to comply with the submission or disclosure requirements in our annual report filing covering the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. Under the HFCAA, our securities may be prohibited from trading on the NASDAQ or other U.S. stock exchanges and in over-the-counter markets if we are identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for three consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our ordinary shares being delisted from the NASDAQ. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if enacted, would amend the HFCAA and require the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three years.

While it was reported that there had been ongoing dialogue among the CSRC, the SEC and the PCAOB regarding the inspection of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in China, including Hong Kong, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with requirements imposed by U.S. regulators. Delisting of our ordinary shares may require holders of our ordinary shares to sell their ordinary shares. The market price of our ordinary shares and other securities could be adversely affected as a result of anticipated negative impacts of these executive or legislative actions upon, as well as negative investor sentiment towards, companies that are listed in the United States, but have public accounting firms headquartered in China, including Hong Kong, regardless of whether these executive or legislative actions are implemented and regardless of our actual operating performance.

Control by T.C. Leung and David YL Leung; Potential Conflict of Interests.

T.C. Leung, the Company’s Chairman of the Board, is the father of David YL Leung, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Therefore, as a practical matter, T.C. Leung and David YL Leung are able to nominate and cause the election of all the members of the Company’s Board of Directors, control the appointment of its officers and the day-to-day affairs and management of the Company. As a consequence, T.C. Leung and David YL Leung can have the Company managed in a manner that would be in their own interests and not in the interests of the other shareholders of the Company. See – Item 6. “Directors, Senior Management and Employees” and Item 7. “Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions.”

The Company does not control certain joint ventures or associated companies in which it holds interests or invests, which could limit Company’s ability to identify and manage risks.

The Company holds interests and has invested, and may continue to hold interests and invest, in joint ventures or associated companies in which it has a non-controlling interest; for example, Zhejiang Tianlan Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd.. In these cases, Company has limited influence over, and limited or no control of, the governance, performance and cost of operations of such entities. Some of these entities may represent significant investments and potentially also use the Company’s brand. These entities that Company does not control may make business, financial or investment decisions contrary to Company’s interests or may make decisions different from those that Company itself may have made. Additionally, Company’s partners or members of a joint venture or associated company may not be able to meet their financial or other obligations, which could expose Company to additional financial or other obligations, as well as having a material adverse effect on the value of its investments in those entities or potentially subjecting Company to additional claims.

The Company’s inability to secure and maintain intellectual property rights for products, whilst maintaining overall competitiveness, could have a material adverse effect on its results.

The Company is dependent on its ability to obtain and maintain trademarks, patents, licenses and other intellectual property (IP) rights covering its products and its design and manufacturing processes. The IP portfolio is the result of an extensive patenting process that could be influenced by a number of factors, including innovation. The value of the IP portfolio is dependent on the successful promotion and market acceptance of standards developed or co-developed by Company. This is particularly applicable to the Company’s PRC subsidiary, Shanghai Euro Tech Limited, which engages in the development, production and sale of analytical and testing instruments and equipment, and is applying for related patents.

Environmental Compliance: The costs of complying with evolving regulatory requirements could negatively impact the Company’s financial results. Actual or alleged violations of environmental laws or permit requirements could result in restrictions or prohibitions on plant operations, substantial civil or criminal sanctions, as well as the assessment of strict liability and/or joint and several liability.

The Company may be subject to local laws, regulations, rules and ordinances relating to pollution, protection of the environment, greenhouse gas emissions, and the generation, storage, handling, transportation, treatment, disposal and remediation of hazardous substances and waste materials. In addition, the Company may have costs related to environmental remediation and restoration obligations associated with past and current sites as well as related to the Company’s past or current waste disposal practices or other hazardous materials handling. Although management will estimate and accrue liabilities for these obligations, it is reasonably possible that the Company’s ultimate cost with respect to these matters could be significantly higher, which could negatively impact the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. Costs and capital expenditures relating to environmental, health or safety matters are subject to evolving regulatory requirements and depend on the timing of the promulgation and enforcement of specific standards which impose the requirements. Moreover, changes in environmental regulations could inhibit or interrupt the Company’s operations, or require modifications to its facilities. Accordingly, environmental, health or safety regulatory matters could result in significant unanticipated costs or liabilities.

Health and Safety: Increased concerns regarding the safe use of chemicals and plastics in commerce and their potential impact on the environment as well as perceived impacts of plant biotechnology on health and the environment have resulted in more restrictive regulations and could lead to new regulations.

Concerns regarding the safe use of chemicals and plastics in commerce and their potential impact on health and the environment and the perceived impacts of plant biotechnology on health and the environment reflect a growing trend in societal demands for increasing levels of product safety and environmental protection. These concerns could manifest themselves in stockholder proposals, preferred purchasing, delays or failures in obtaining or retaining regulatory approvals, delayed product launches, lack of market acceptance and continued pressure for more stringent regulatory intervention and litigation. These concerns could also influence public perceptions, the viability or continued sales of certain of the Company’s products, the Company’s reputation and the cost to comply with regulations. In addition, terrorist attacks and natural disasters have increased concerns about the security and safety of chemical production and distribution. These concerns could have a negative impact on the Company’s results of operations.

Certain Legal Consequences of Incorporation in the British Virgin Islands; Rights of Shareholders Not As Extensive As In U.S. Corporations.

Principles of British Virgin Islands (“BVI”) corporate law relating to such matters as the validity of the Company procedures, the fiduciary duties of management and the rights of the Company’s shareholders may differ from those that would apply if the Company were incorporated in a jurisdiction within the United States.

The rights of shareholders under BVI law are not as extensive as the rights of shareholders under legislation or judicial precedent in many United States jurisdictions. Under United States law, majority and controlling shareholders generally have certain “fiduciary” responsibilities to the minority shareholders. United States shareholder action must be taken in good faith and actions by controlling shareholders in a United States jurisdiction and executive compensation which are obviously unreasonable may be declared null and void.

The BVI law protecting the interests of the minority shareholders is not as protective in all circumstances as the law protecting minority shareholders in United States jurisdictions. The shareholders of the Company may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions by the Company’s Board of Directors, and may have more limited rights, than they might have as shareholders of a company incorporated in many United States jurisdictions.

Anti-Takeover Provisions.

The Company has 5,000,000 shares of “blank check preferred stock” authorized. The “blank check preferred stock” is intended to strengthen the Company’s ability to resist an unsolicited takeover bid and may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect. The Board of Directors has the right to fix the rights, terms and preferences at the time of issue of “blank check preferred stock” without further action by our shareholders.

Uncertainty of Enforcing United States Judgments.

There is some uncertainty whether BVI courts would enforce judgments of the courts of the United States and of other foreign jurisdictions, or enforce actions brought in the BVI which are based upon the securities laws of the United States. A final monetary judgment obtained in the United States will be treated as a cause of action in itself by the BVI courts so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary, provided that material preconditions are met and the proceedings pursuant to which judgment was obtained were not contrary to the rules of natural justice.

All of the Company’s directors and executive officers reside outside of the United States, service of process upon the Company and such persons may be difficult to effect in the United States upon all such directors and officers.

All of the Company’s assets are and will be located outside of the United States, in Hong Kong and the PRC, and any judgment obtained in the United States may not be enforced in those jurisdictions. Hong Kong courts will not directly enforce against the Company or such persons judgments obtained in the United States. There is also substantial doubt as to the enforceability in the PRC of actions to enforce judgments of the United States’ courts arising out of or based on the ownership of the securities, including judgments arising out of or based on the civil liability provisions of United States federal or state securities laws or otherwise. See — “Certain Legal Consequences of Incorporation in the British Virgin Islands; Rights of Shareholders Not As Extensive As In U.S. Corporations.”

Being a Foreign Private Issuer Exempts Us from Certain SEC and NASDAQ Stock Market (“NASDAQ”) Requirements.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). As such, with certain limitations, we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States public companies including: (1) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the Commission of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K; (2) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (3) the provisions of Regulation FD aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information; and (4) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and establishing insider liability for profits realized from any “short-swing” trading transaction (i.e., a purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, of the issuer’s equity securities within less than six months). Because of these exemptions, investors are not afforded the same protections or information generally available to investors holding shares in public companies organized in the United States.

Our Securities Must Continue To Meet Qualitative And Quantitative Listing Maintenance Criteria For NASDAQ; Previous Deficiency Cured.

Our securities are quoted and traded on NASDAQ. There can be no assurance that we will continue to meet both the qualitative and quantitative criteria for continued quotation and trading of our securities on NASDAQ. One of NASDAQ’s listing requirements is the maintenance of a closing bid price of US$ 1.00 per share. During periods of time in 2008 and 2009 the Company was not in compliance with that requirement but NASDAQ had generally suspended that requirement and others due to market conditions and/or the US$1.00 per share bid price was not met for a sufficient period of time to cause a NASDAQ deficiency action.

On September 20, 2011, the Company was notified by NASDAQ that it was not in compliance with NASDAQ’s listing maintenance rule for failing to have a bid price of at least US$1.00 per share for the prior thirty trading days. In January 2012, the Company effected a combination or reverse stock split of its issued Ordinary Shares, and thereafter, in February 2012, the Company received a letter from NASDAQ advising that it had regained compliance with NASDAQ’s maintenance listing requirements.

No assurance can be given that we will continue to meet applicable NASDAQ continued listing standards. Failure to meet applicable NASDAQ continued listing standards could result in a delisting of our common stock. A delisting of our common stock from NASDAQ could materially reduce the liquidity of our common stock and result in a corresponding material reduction in the price of our common stock. In addition, delisting could harm our ability to raise capital through alternative financing sources on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and may result in the potential loss of confidence by investors, employees and fewer business development opportunities. See—”We Are Also Required To Meet Certain, But Not All Corporate Governance Criteria Applicable to NASDAQ Listed Issuers.”

We Are Also Required To Meet Certain, But Not All, Corporate Governance Criteria Applicable To NASDAQ Listed Issuers.

Although, in the past, we have been able to satisfy corporate governance criteria applicable to NASDAQ listed issuers, those criteria are difficult to comply with and include, among other things: (a) a heightened degree of independence of members of the board of directors with independent directors to, among other things: hold regular meetings among themselves only; (b) establishment of a code of conduct addressing compliance with laws; and (c) a limit on payments to independent directors and their family members (other than for services on the board of directors).

These corporate governance requirements and a strict definition of “independent director” make it more difficult to find independent directors for our Board of Directors. There is intense competition for qualified independent directors, including those persons with accounting experience and financial statement acumen to serve on audit committees. We believe that continued compliance with the corporate governance requirements applicable to NASDAQ listed issuers may be difficult and increase our costs and expenses as the costs of finding and compensating independent directors escalate and the costs of administering their new powers and responsibilities is an added financial burden. If we are unable to attract and keep a sufficient number of independent directors willing to take on the responsibilities imposed by such rules on what we believe to be commercially reasonable terms, our securities may be delisted from NASDAQ. See—”Being a ‘Controlled Company’ Exempts Us from Certain Other Corporate Governance Criteria Applicable to NASDAQ Listed Issuers.”

Being A “Controlled Company” Exempts Us From Certain Other Corporate Governance Criteria Applicable To NASDAQ Listed Issuers.

As a result of T.C. Leung, the Company’s Chairman of the Board, beneficially owning the majority voting power of our Ordinary Shares, we are a “controlled company” as that term is defined in rules and regulations applicable to NASDAQ listed issuers. As a “controlled company,” we are not required to comply with certain NASDAQ corporate governance criteria including, among other things, the requirements that the majority of our Board be independent directors, and their having the authority to approve director nominations and executive officer compensation.

We Are Not Subject To Various Corporate Governance Measures, Which May Result In Shareholders Having Limited Protections.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”), has resulted in the adoption of various corporate governance measures by securities exchanges and NASDAQ designed to promote the integrity of the corporate management and the securities markets. Being a “controlled company,” we are exempt from many, but not all, of those requirements. Furthermore, the absence of such practices with respect to our Company may leave our shareholders without protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters.

We May Be Exposed To Potential Risks Relating To Our Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting.

Pursuant to Section 404 of SOX, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting in their annual reports, including Form 20-F.

We expend significant resources in developing and maintaining the necessary documentation and testing procedures required by SOX, there is a risk that we will not maintain compliance with all of these requirements.

In the event we identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal controls that we cannot remediate in a timely manner our ability to obtain equity or debt financing could suffer and the market price of our shares could decline.

The market price of our Ordinary Shares may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid.

The trading price for our Ordinary Shares has fluctuated since we first listed our Ordinary Shares. During Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2021, the trading price of our Ordinary Shares has ranged from US$0.768 to US$2.6867 per Ordinary Share, and the last reported trading price on April 1, 2022 was US$1.42 per Ordinary Share. The market price of our Ordinary Shares may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

In addition, the securities markets in the United States, China and elsewhere have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of the Ordinary Shares.

There Are Risks In Purchasing Low-Priced Securities.

If our securities were to be suspended or delisted from NASDAQ, they could be subject to rules under the Exchange Act which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell such securities to persons other than established clients and “accredited investors.” For transactions covered by such rules, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination of the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to the sale. Consequently, such rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and the ability to sell any of our securities in any secondary market that may develop for such securities. In the event our securities are no longer listed on NASDAQ or are not otherwise exempt from the provisions of the SEC’s “penny stock” rules, such rules may also affect the ability of broker-dealers and investors to sell our securities.

We May Be Considered To Be A Passive Foreign Investment Company For The 2021 Calendar Year And May Be A Passive Foreign Investment Company For Future Years, Which Would Result In Adverse U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences To U.S. Holders Of Our Ordinary Shares.

A non-U.S. corporation will be considered a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for U.S. income tax purposes, for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. The annual PFIC determination to be made by a U.S. holder of our ordinary shares is an inherently factual determination and there is limited guidance regarding the application of the PFIC rules to specific situations. We currently hold a substantial amount of cash and cash equivalents, and investments in PRC enterprises, and the value of our goodwill and other assets may be based in part on the market price of our ordinary shares, which has experienced significant fluctuations. Although the determination of PFIC status is subject to factual uncertainties because it depends upon the valuation of our ordinary shares, as well as our goodwill and other assets and income, we are uncertain if we would be considered to be a PFIC for 2021. In addition, as the determination of PFIC status is made on an annual basis and depends on variables over which we have limited control, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for 2022 or any future years. If we are a PFIC in any year, U.S. holders will be subject to certain adverse United States federal income tax consequences, and are urged to consult with his or her tax advisor. See— Item 10. “Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation .”

If We Become Directly Subject to the Recent Scrutiny Involving U.S.-Listed Chinese Companies, We May Have to Expend Significant Resources to Investigate and/or Defend the Matter, Which Could Harm our Business Operations, Stock Price and Reputation and Could Result in a Complete Loss of Your Investment in Us.

U.S. listed companies that have substantial operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies. Much of the scrutiny has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial reporting and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result of the scrutiny, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed China-based companies that have been the subject of such scrutiny has sharply decreased in value. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and/or SEC enforcement actions that are conducting internal and/or external investigations into the allegations. If we become the subject of any unwarranted scrutiny, even allegations that are not true, we may have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend the Company. Such investigations or allegations will be costly and time-consuming and distract our management from our business plan and could result in our reputation being harmed and our stock price could decline as a result of such allegations, regardless of the truthfulness of the allegations.