HKIT Hitek Global Inc

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM 20-F

☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _________ to _________.

OR

☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report:

Commission file number: 001-39339

HITEK GLOBAL INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District,

Xiamen City, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China

+86 592-5395967

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Xiaoyang Huang, Chief Executive Officer

+86 592-5395967

Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District,

Xiamen City, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile Number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

The number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of December 31, 2022 was: 10,987,679 ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☐   No ☒

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes ☐   No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If the securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:

Item 17 ☐   Item 18 ☐

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐   No ☒

Explanatory Note

This amendment to the annual report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-39339), initially filed on April 27, 2023 (the “Annual Report”), is being filed to update disclosure as per comments Hitek Global Inc. (the “Company”) received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other than as expressly set forth above and herein, this amendment does not, and does not purport to, amend, update or restate any other items or disclosures contained in the Annual Report and does not reflect events occurring after April 27, 2023.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTORY NOTES

Except as otherwise indicated by the context and for the purposes of this amendment to annual report only, references in this amendment to annual report to:

Our business is conducted via HiTek, a VIE entity in the PRC, using RMB, the currency of China. Our consolidated financial statements are presented in United States dollars. In this amendment to annual report, we refer to assets, obligations, commitments and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements in United States dollars. These dollar references are based on the exchange rate of RMB to United States dollars, determined as of a specific date or for a specific period. Changes in the exchange rate will affect the amount of our obligations and the value of our assets in terms of United States dollars which may result in an increase or decrease in the amount of our obligations (expressed in dollars) and the value of our assets.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This amendment to annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Key Information—Risk Factors.” Those risks are not exhaustive. We operate in an evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law. You should read this amendment to annual report and the documents that we reference in this amendment to annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

PART I

ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

Our Corporate Structure

We are an offshore holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. As a holding company with no material operations, our operations were conducted in China by (i) Haitian Weilai, our indirect subsidiary, (ii) the VIE, Hitek and the VIE’s subsidiaries, Huasheng and Huoerguosi. Neither we nor our subsidiaries own any equity interests in the VIE. WFOE, the VIE and the shareholders of the VIE entered into a series of contractual arrangements, also known as the “VIE Agreements”, pursuant to which we are able to consolidate the financial results of the VIE in our consolidated financial statements because we are deemed as the primary beneficial of the VIE under generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”), and this structure involves unique risks to investors.

The following diagram  illustrates our corporate structure as of the date of this amendment to annual report:

The VIE Agreements

The VIE Agreements by and among Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co. Ltd. (the “WFOE”), HiTek, and HiTek’s shareholders include (i) certain power of attorney agreements and equity interest pledge agreement, pursuant to which shareholders of HiTek pledged all of their equity interests in HiTek to WFOE guarantee the performance of HiTek’s obligations under the exclusive technical consulting and service agreement; (ii) an exclusive technical consulting and service agreement which allows WFOE to receive substantially all of the economic benefits from HiTek; and (iii) certain exclusive equity interest purchase agreements which provide WFOE with an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in and/or assets of HiTek when and to the extent permitted by PRC laws. Through the VIE Agreements among WFOE, HiTek and HiTek’s shareholders, we are deemed to have a controlling financial interest in, and be the primary beneficiary of, the VIE for accounting purposes only and must consolidate the VIE because it met the conditions under U.S. GAAP to consolidate the VIE.

Each of the VIE Agreements is described in detail below:

Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement

Pursuant to the Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement between HiTek and WFOE, WFOE provides HiTek with technical support, consulting services and other management services relating to its day-to-day business operations and management, on an exclusive basis. The Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement has come into effect as of March 31, 2018. For services rendered to HiTek by WFOE under this agreement, WFOE is entitled to collect a service fee that shall be paid per quarter of 100% of HiTek’s quarterly profit. The term of the Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement is ten years unless it is terminated by WFOE with 30-day prior notice.

Equity Interest Pledge Agreement

WFOE, HiTek and HiTek shareholders entered into an Equity Interest Pledge Agreement, pursuant to which HiTek shareholders pledged all of their equity interests in HiTek to WFOE in order to guarantee the performance of HiTek’s obligations under the Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement as described above. The Equity Interest Pledge Agreement has come into effect as of March 31, 2018. During the term of the pledge, WFOE is entitled to receive any dividends declared on the pledged equity interests of HiTek. The Equity Interest Pledge Agreement ends when all contractual obligations under the Exclusive Technical Consulting and Service Agreement have been fully performed.

Exclusive Equity Interests Purchase Agreement

Under the Exclusive Equity Interests Purchase Agreement, the HiTek Shareholders granted WFOE (or its designee) an exclusive option to purchase, to the extent permitted under PRC law, part or all of their equity interests in HiTek. The option price is equal to the capital paid in by the HiTek Shareholders subject to any appraisal or restrictions required by applicable PRC laws and regulations. The Exclusive Equity Interests Purchase Agreement remains effective for a term of ten years and may be extended for another ten years at WFOE’s election.

Power of Attorney

Pursuant to the Power of Attorney, each HiTek Shareholder authorizes WFOE to act on their behalf as their exclusive agent and attorney with respect to all rights as shareholders, including but not limited to: (a) the attendance of the shareholder’s meeting and the execution of relative shareholder resolution(s) of HiTek; (b) exercising all the shareholder’s rights, including voting, that shareholders are entitled to under the laws of China and the articles of association, including but not limited to the sale or transfer or pledge or disposition of shares in part or in whole; and (c) designating and appointing on behalf of shareholders the legal representative, the executive director, supervisor, the chief executive officer and other senior management members of HiTek.

Although it is not explicitly stipulated in the Powers of Attorney, the term of the Powers of Attorney shall be the same as the term of that of the Exclusive Equity Interests Purchase Agreement.

The Powers of Attorney are coupled with an interest and shall be irrevocable and continuously valid from the date of their execution, so long as the relevant HiTek Shareholder is a shareholder of Company.

Risks Associated with Our Corporate Structure and the VIE Agreements

However, the VIE structure cannot completely replicate a foreign investment in China-based companies, as the shareholders will not and may never hold equity interests in the Chinese operating entities. Instead, the VIE structure provides contractual exposure to foreign investment in us. Because we do not hold equity interests in the VIE, we are subject to risks due to uncertainty of the interpretation and the application of the PRC laws and regulations, including but not limited to limitation on foreign ownership of internet technology companies, regulatory review of oversea listing of PRC companies through a special purpose vehicle, and the validity and enforcement of the VIE Agreements as they have not been tested in a court of law. The VIE Agreements may not be effective in providing control over HiTek. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure” starting on page 14 of this amendment to annual report, “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC” starting on page 19 of this amendment to annual report for more information.

We are subject to the risks of uncertainty about any future actions of the PRC government in this regard that could disallow the VIE structure, which would likely result in a material change in our operations and the value of Ordinary Shares may depreciate significantly or become worthless. We are also subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with the VIE’s operations in China. PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in the VIE’s operations, significant depreciation of the value of our Ordinary Shares, or a complete hindrance of our ability to continue to offer our securities to investors. Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement.

Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”). Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operator” remains unclear. On December 28, 2021, the CAC and other relevant PRC governmental authorities jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures (the “CAC Revised Measures”) to replace the original Cybersecurity Review Measures. The CAC Revised Measures took effect on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, if critical information infrastructure operators purchase network products and services, or network platform operators conduct data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, they will be subject to cybersecurity review. On November 14, 2021, CAC published the Administration Measures for Cyber Data Security (Draft for Public Comments), or the “Cyber Data Security Measure (Draft)”, which requires cyberspace operators with personal information of more than 1 million users who want to list abroad to file a cybersecurity review with the Office of Cybersecurity Review. The cybersecurity review will evaluate, among others, the risk of critical information infrastructure, core data, important data, or a large amount of personal information being influenced, controlled or maliciously used by foreign governments and risk of network data security after going public overseas. As confirmed by our PRC counsel, Jingtian & Gongcheng, we are not subject to cybersecurity review with the CAC in accordance with the CAC Revised Measures, because (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that it will reach such threshold in the near future; and (ii) as of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator.  However, since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, the ability to accept foreign investments and list on an U.S. exchange. 

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. Pursuant to the Trial Measures, domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, shall complete filing procedures with the CSRC pursuant to the requirements of the Trial Measures within three working days following its submission of initial public offerings or listing application. If a PRC company fails to complete required filing procedures or conceals any material fact or falsifies any major content in its filing documents, such PRC company may be subject to administrative penalties, such as order to rectify, warnings, fines, and its controlling shareholders, actual controllers, the person directly in charge and other directly liable persons may also be subject to administrative penalties, such as warnings and fines. In addition, on February 24, 2023, the CSRC, together with Ministry of Finance of the PRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China, revised the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration for Overseas Securities Offering and Listing which was issued by the CSRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China in 2009, or the Provisions. The revised Provisions is issued under the title the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, and came into effect on March 31, 2023 together with the Trial Measures. One of the major revisions to the revised Provisions is expanding its application to cover indirect overseas offering and listing, as is consistent with the Trial Measures. The revised Provisions require that, including but not limited to (a) a domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals or entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies, shall first obtain approval from competent authorities according to law, and file with the secrecy administrative department at the same level; and (b) domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals and entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any other documents and materials that, if leaked, will be detrimental to national security or public interest, shall strictly fulfill relevant procedures stipulated by applicable national regulations. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, as advised by Jingtian & Gongcheng, our PRC counsel, as our post-effective amendment to the registration statement on Form F-1 relating to our initial public offering was declared effective on March 30, 2023 and we have completed our initial public offering and listing prior to September 30, 2023, we are not required to complete the filing procedures pursuant to the Trial Measures for our initial public offering.  If in the future we are going to conduct any offering or financing in the U.S., we will complete filing procedures with the CSRC pursuant to the requirements of the Trial Measures. In addition, we have not received any formal inquiry, notice, warning, sanction, or objection from the CSRC with respect our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. However, there remains significant uncertainty as to the enactment, interpretation and implementation of regulatory requirements related to overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities. Any failure or perceived failure of us to fully comply with such new regulatory requirements could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors, cause significant disruption to our business operations, and severely damage our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless. 

Furthermore, as an auditor of companies that are registered with the SEC and publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, our auditor, Wei, Wei & Co. LLP, is headquartered in the United States and is required under the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Although we operate through HiTek in mainland China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese government authorities, our auditor is currently inspected fully by the PCAOB. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside mainland China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. 

Even though our auditor is based in United States and under full inspection by the PCAOB and is not currently subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021, if  any PRC law relating to the access of the PCAOB to auditor files were to apply to a company such as HiTek or its auditor, the PCAOB may be unable to fully inspect our auditor, which may result in our securities being delisted or prohibited from being traded “over-the-counter” pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCA Act”) and materially and adversely affect the value and/or liquidity of your investment. On August 26, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the “MOF”), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”), governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB Board determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination.  See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in the PRC” starting on page 19 of this amendment to annual report for a detailed description of risks related to the PRC. On December 29, 2022, a legislation entitled “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023” (the “Consolidated Appropriations Act”), was signed into law by President Biden, which amended the HFCA Act by reducing the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCA Act from three years to two. There are risks and uncertainties which we cannot foresee for the time being, and rules and regulations in the PRC can change quickly with little or no advance notice. The PRC government may intervene or influence HiTek’s future operations in the PRC at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in companies like us. The PRC government may intervene or influence HiTek’s future operations in the PRC at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in companies like us. In the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor, then such lack of inspection could cause trading in our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act, and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist our securities. 

Our management monitors the cash position of each entity within our organization regularly and prepare budgets on a monthly basis to ensure each entity has the necessary funds to fulfill its obligation for the foreseeable future and to ensure adequate liquidity. As a holding company, we may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our subsidiary in Hong Kong, Hitek HK, and the consolidated VIE in mainland China, HiTek, for our cash and financing requirements. According to the Companies Ordinance of Hong Kong, a Hong Kong company may only make a distribution out of profits available for distribution. In order for us to pay dividends to our shareholders, we will rely on payments made from HiTek to WFOE, pursuant to VIE Agreements between them, and the distribution of such payments to HiTek HK as dividends from WFOE. Certain payments from our HiTek to WFOE are subject to PRC taxes, including business taxes and VAT. We intend to keep any future earnings to re-invest in and finance the expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be paid or any assets will be transferred in the foreseeable future. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, there has been no distribution of dividends or assets among the holding company, the subsidiary or the consolidated VIE.  In the future, cash proceeds raised from overseas financing activities may be transferred by us to the consolidated VIE via capital contribution or shareholder loans, as the case may be. Other than the above, we did not adopt or maintain any cash management policies and procedures as of the date of this amendment to annual report. 

Dividend Distributions or Assets Transfer among the Holding Company, its Subsidiaries and the VIE

We intend to keep any future earnings to re-invest in and finance the expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be paid or any assets will be transferred in the foreseeable future. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, there has been no distribution of dividends or assets among the holding company, the subsidiary or the consolidated VIE.   Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend on its shares out of either profit or share premium amount, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts due in the ordinary course of business. If we determine to pay dividends on any of our Ordinary Shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on receipt of funds from our Hong Kong subsidiary, HiTek HK.

Current PRC regulations permit our indirect PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to the Company only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of such entity in China is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation.

The PRC government also imposes controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Therefore, we may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from our profits, if any. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in the PRC incur debt on their own in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments. If we or our subsidiaries are unable to receive all of the revenues from our operations through the current VIE Agreements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our Ordinary Shares.

Cash dividends, if any, on our Ordinary Shares will be paid in U.S. dollars. If we are considered a PRC tax resident enterprise for tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders may be regarded as China-sourced income and as a result may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10.0%.

In order for us to pay dividends to our shareholders, we will rely on payments made from HiTek to WFOE, pursuant to VIE Agreements between them, and the distribution of such payments to HiTek HK as dividends from WFOE. Certain payments from our HiTek to WFOE are subject to PRC taxes, including business taxes and VAT.

Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, the 10% withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns no less than 25% of a PRC project. However, the 5% withholding tax rate does not automatically apply and certain requirements must be satisfied, including without limitation that (a) the Hong Kong project must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends; and (b) the Hong Kong project must directly hold no less than 25% share ownership in the PRC project during the 12 consecutive months preceding its receipt of the dividends. In current practice, a Hong Kong project must obtain a tax resident certificate from the Hong Kong tax authority to apply for the 5% lower PRC withholding tax rate. As the Hong Kong tax authority will issue such a tax resident certificate on a case-by-case basis, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority and enjoy the preferential withholding tax rate of 5% under the Double Taxation Arrangement with respect to dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiary to its immediate holding company, HiTek HK. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not applied for the tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority.  HiTek HK intends to apply for the tax resident certificate when WFOE plans to declare and pay dividends to HiTek HK. See “Risk Factors - There are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.”

Permission or Approval Required from the PRC Authorities for The VIE’s Operation

To operate the general business activities currently conducted in China, the consolidated VIE is required to obtain a business license from the State Administration for Market Regulation (“SAMR”). HiTek has obtained a valid business license from the SAMR, and no application for any such license has been denied.

We are aware, however, recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas using variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement.

On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law,” or the Opinions. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection requirements and similar matters. The Opinions and any related implementing rules to be enacted may subject us to compliance requirement in the future. Given the current regulatory environment in the PRC, we are still subject to the uncertainty of different interpretation and enforcement of the rules and regulations in the PRC adverse to us, which may take place quickly with little advance notice.

On December 28, 2021, the CAC published the CAC Revised Measures, which further restates and expands the applicable scope of the cybersecurity review. The CAC Revised Measures took effect on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, if a network platform operator holding personal information of over one million users seeks for “foreign” listing, it must apply for the cybersecurity review. In addition, operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services are also obligated to apply for the cybersecurity review for such purchasing activities. Although the CAC Revised Measures provides no further explanation on the extent of “network platform operator” and “foreign” listing, we do not believe we are obligated to apply for a cybersecurity review pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, considering that (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that we will reach such threshold in the near future; (ii) as of the date of this this amendment to annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator. 

That being said, the CAC Revised Measures empowers the cybersecurity review office to initiate cybersecurity review when they believe any particular data processing activities “affect or may affect national security”. In addition, on November 14, 2021, the CAC promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Cyber Data Security (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft CAC Regulations”), and according to the Draft CAC Regulations, any data processors shall, in accordance with relevant state provisions, apply for a cybersecurity review when carrying out, among other things, “other data processing activities that affect or may affect national security”. However, neither the CAC Revised Measures nor the Draft CAC Regulations provides for any further explanation or interpretation over what constitutes activities that “affect or may affect national security”. Therefore, if any competent government authorities deem that HiTek’s data processing activities may affect national security, we may be subject cybersecurity review, and in that scenario, failure to pass such cybersecurity review and/or to comply with the data privacy and data security requirements raised during such cybersecurity review could subject HiTek to penalties, damage its reputation and brand, and harm its business and results of operations. See risk factor titled “in light of recent events indicating greater oversight by the CAC over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange, we are subject to a variety of laws and other obligations regarding cybersecurity and data protection, and any failure to comply with applicable laws and obligations could have a material and adverse effect on our business, our listing on Nasdaq, financial condition, results of operations, and the offering” starting on page 26 of this amendment to annual report for more information.

In summary, we, our subsidiaries, or the VIE are not required to obtain permission or approval from the PRC authorities including CSRC or CAC for the VIE’s operation, nor have we, our subsidiaries, or VIE received any denial for the VIE’s operation. We are subject to the risks of uncertainty of any future actions of the PRC government in this regard including the risk that we inadvertently conclude that the permission or approvals discussed here are not required, that applicable laws, regulations or interpretations change such that we or HiTek is required to obtain approvals in the future, or that the PRC government could disallow our holding company structure, which would likely result in a material change in our operations, including our ability to continue our existing holding company structure, carry on our current business, accept foreign investments, and continue to offer securities to our investors. These adverse actions could cause the value of our Ordinary Shares to significantly decline or become worthless. We may also be subject to penalties and sanctions imposed by the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, if we fail to comply with such rules and regulations, which would likely adversely affect the ability of our securities to be listed on the U.S. exchange, which would likely cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.

A. [RESERVED]

B. Capitalization and indebtedness.

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the offer and use of proceeds.

Not applicable.

D. Risk factors.

An investment in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all other information contained in this amendment to annual report, including the matters discussed under the headings “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” before you decide to invest in our ordinary shares. We are a holding company with substantial operations in China and are subject to a legal and regulatory environment that in many respects differs from the United States. If any of the following risks, or any other risks and uncertainties that are not presently foreseeable to us, actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and our future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations

We face risks related to health epidemics such as the COVID-19, and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by health epidemics such as the COVID-19 and other outbreaks affecting the PRC. Health epidemics may give rise to severe interruptions to public transportation and usual business operations, which could severely disrupt our operations. Our business operations depend on overall economy and demand for IT consulting and solutions service in Xiamen area, which could be disrupted by health epidemics. For example, our office had to shut down from February 3, 2020 to February 23, 2020. Public transportation services in Xiamen city were curtailed over COVID-19 concerns. For our Tax Devices and Services sector, we have to collect the service fee on-site from those customers who have not used our online payment platform, which may lead to a delay in collection. The number of our new customers decreased in February 2020. The COVID-19 outbreak may have the same impact on our IT services sector. As of the date this amendment to annual report, there is no clear sign of slow-down in our hardware and software sales.  In early December 2022, China announced a nationwide loosening of its zero-COVID policy, and the country may face a wave in infections after the lifting of these restrictions. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic still depends on the future developments of the pandemic, including new information concerning the global severity of and actions taken to contain the pandemic, or the appearance of new or more severe strains of the virus, which are highly uncertain and unpredictable. Therefore, while we do not expect the COVID-19 pandemic to negatively impacting our business, results of operations, and financial position, the related financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

Our future revenues and growth prospects depend on the ACTCS pricing model mandated by the PRC government. If the PRC government continues to reduce the annual fee per user we are allowed to charge, our operations and revenues may be negatively impacted.

We sell ACTCS tax devices and provide ACTCS supporting services to our clients. The prices of GTD and annual service fees are regulated and subject to the State Tax Administration’s pricing mandates. In the past 20 years, the annual service fee has undergone three major adjustments -- from RMB 450 per year per user to RMB 370 per year per user, and then further reduced to RMB 330 per year per user. Most recently, the ACTCS annual service fee was again reduced to RMB 280 per year per user, according to the “Notice of the National Development and Reform Commission on Relevant Issues Concerning the Reduction of ACTCS Products and Maintenance Service Fee” (Development and Reform Commission Case [2017] No. 1243). According to relevant notice, the small-scale taxpayers for which sales amount did not exceed RMB 100,000 for each month are exempt from ACTCS or GTD technical service fee since 2019. Besides, the Company provides tax invoicing management services and charges service fee on an annual basis. The tax invoicing management service period is usually one year for RMB299. Tax invoicing management services is to host customers’ tax devices, provide training service on using Nuonuo, complete tax declaration automatically and back up data online. Since we do not control the pricing of the ACTCS services, we cannot guarantee our profit margin will be stable or we will make a profit on such services at all. We cannot guarantee that the annual service fee will not be further reduced, and therefore our revenues to be derived from ACTCS supporting services may be subject to significant fluctuation.

Our future revenues and growth prospects depend on the growth of new business entities in the Xiamen metropolitan areas, which is not within our control and the growth rate may decrease. As such, our operations and revenues may be negatively impacted.

The willingness of people to establish business entities in the Xiamen metropolitan areas is beyond our control. There are multiple reasons people may find appealing to establish a particular business in the Xiamen metropolitan areas, such as people’s personal belief and volatility in the Chinese capital markets. To the extent that people are unwilling to establish new businesses in the Xiamen metropolitan area either due to political or economic climate, we will not be able to acquire new customers to our ACTCS services. Thus, our ability to generate revenue or operate profitably may be negatively impacted.

Increased use of electronic invoice will reduce the number of customers using our ACTCS services.

From 2018, the Chinese tax regulators have been rolling out the electronic invoicing system. Currently, electronic invoices are mostly used by businesses in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (“FMCG”) industry such as fast food restaurants and coffee shops. The electronic invoices enable FMCG enterprises to apply for, issue, transfer and check the invoices through the unified online electronic invoice management system of Chinese tax authorities. Electronic invoices are very useful in helping business entities reduce operating costs and streamline service process, since they do not involve printing, storage and postage procedures. Businesses who use electronic invoices still need to purchase tax reporting devices such as GTD. But they will not need maintenance services. Currently, approximately 1.5% of our SME clients are FMCG business entities. According to relevant notice, small-scale taxpayers with sales amount not in excess of RMB 100,000 for each month are exempt from ACTCS or GTD technical service fee since 2019. From January 2021, new taxpayers in Xiamen could receive free tax Ukeys from the Tax authorities. The increased use of electronic invoices, the exemption of ACTCS technical service fee for small-scale taxpayers and free tax Ukeys for new tax payers will reduce our annual service fee revenue and thus negatively affect our total revenue.

Future inflation in China may inhibit our ability to conduct business in China. 

During the past ten years, the Chinese economy has experienced periods of rapid expansion and highly fluctuating rates of inflation. During the past ten years, the rate of inflation in China has been as high as 3.3% and as low as 1.1%. These factors have led to the adoption by the Chinese government, from time to time, of various corrective measures designed to restrict the availability of credit or regulate growth and contain inflation. High inflation may in the future cause the Chinese government to impose controls on credit and/or prices, or to take other action, which could inhibit economic activity in China, and thereby harm the market for our products and our company.

The war in Ukraine could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The recent outbreak of war in Ukraine has already affected global economic markets, including a dramatic increase in the price of oil and gas, and the uncertain resolution of this conflict could result in protracted and/or severe damage to the global economy. Russia’s recent military interventions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia’s military incursion and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy and financial markets and thus could affect our customers’ businesses and our business, even though we do not have any direct exposure to Russia or the adjoining geographic regions. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions caused by Russian military action or resulting sanctions may magnify the impact of other risks described herein. We cannot predict the progress or outcome of the situation in Ukraine, as the conflict and governmental reactions are rapidly developing and beyond their control. Prolonged unrest, intensified military activities or more extensive sanctions impacting the region could have a material adverse effect on the global economy, and such effect could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Increasing competition within our industry could have an impact on our business prospects.

While the VAT reporting service industry in China is a heavily regulated industry where new players must obtain approval by the relevant PRC government agencies before entering this industry, it is still highly possible that new competitors will enter into the market and have significantly greater financial and other resources than we have and may offer services that is more attractive and more advanced that we can provide for large business enterprises and SMEs. Thus, we anticipate increasing competition, which may have a negative impact on both our revenues and our profit margins.

Our IT services and hardware and software sales rely on evolving information technologies to maintain our competitiveness, and any failure to adapt to technological developments or industry trends could harm our business.

We depend upon the use of sophisticated information technologies and systems, including technologies and systems utilized for communications, procurement and administrative systems. As our operations grow in both size and scope, we continuously need to improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to offer an increasing number of clients enhanced products, services, features and functionality, while maintaining the reliability and integrity of our systems and infrastructure. Our future success in IT services and hardware and software sales also depends on our ability to adapt to rapidly changing technologies, particularly the increasing use of internet-based products and services, to change our services and infrastructure so they address evolving industry standards and to improve the performance, features and reliability of our services in response to competitive service and product offerings in the Chinese software markets and the evolving demands of the IT service markets. If there are technological impediments to introducing new technological products or maintaining current technologies or other products and services, or if these products and services do not meet the requirements of our clients’ evolving needs, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.

In addition, the emergence of competitors which may be able to optimize products, services or strategies that use advanced computing such as cloud computing, as well as other technological changes and developing technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, have, and will mandate us to make new and costly investments. Transitioning to new technologies may be disruptive to resources and the services we provide, and may increase our reliance on third party service providers. We may not be successful, or may be less successful than our current or new competitors, in developing technology that operates effectively across multiple devices and platforms and that is appealing to our customers, either of which would negatively affect our business and financial performance.

It is possible that, if we are not able to maintain existing systems, obtain new technologies and systems, or replace or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as our competitors or in a cost-effective manner, our business and operations could be materially adversely affected. Also, we may not achieve the benefits anticipated or required from any new technology or system, or be able to devote financial resources to new technologies and systems in the future.

We are dependent upon software, equipment and services provided by third parties.

We are dependent upon software, equipment and services provided and/or managed by third parties in the operation of our business. In the event that the performance of such software, equipment or services provided and/or managed by third parties deteriorates or our arrangements with any of these third parties related to the provision and/or management of software, equipment or services are terminated, we may not be able to find alternative services, equipment or software on a timely basis or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or be able to do so without significant cost or disruptions to our business, and our relationships with our customers may be adversely impacted.

A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated on a few large customers, and we do not have long-term service agreements with our key customers and rely upon our longstanding relationship with them. If we lose one or more of our customers, our results of operations may be adversely and materially impacted.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, two customers accounted for 49% of total HiTek’s revenues, the largest of which represented 36%. For the year ended December 31, 2021, two customers accounted for 42% of total HiTek’s revenues, the largest of which represented 28%. Since we do not have long-term customer supply agreements with such large customers and rely primarily upon our goodwill and reputation to sustain the business relationship, our results of operations may be adversely and materially impacted if one or more of these customers stop purchasing from us.

Extended payment terms may cause deferred payments or bad debts, which could negatively affect our business operations.

The Company gave a two-year credit period to large customers such as large-scale oil and coal mining groups. Their collection period is usually longer than other medium or small-sized companies. An extended credit period will have a potential risk of causing deferred payments or bad debts, which could negatively affect our business operations.

We source our retail hardware primarily from a limited number of suppliers. If we lose one or more of the suppliers, our operation may be disrupted, and our results of operations may be adversely and materially impacted.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, four suppliers accounted for 16%, 15%, 13% and 11% of the total purchases, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2021, two suppliers accounted for 11% and 10% of the total purchases, respectively. If we lose suppliers and are unable to swiftly engage new suppliers, our operations may be disrupted or suspended, and we may not be able to deliver hardware products to our customers on time. We may also have to pay a higher price to source from a different supplier on short notice. While we are actively searching for and negotiating with new suppliers, there is no guarantee that we will be able to locate appropriate new suppliers or supplier merger targets in our desired timeline. As such, our results of operations may be adversely and materially impacted.

We face the risk that a third party borrower may not repay the loans we made to it. An event of default could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow, results of operations and financial condition.

On January 21, 2022, March 28, 2022, and June 14, 2022, Hitek and HiTek, Beijing Baihengda Petroleum Technology Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Baihengda,” together with HiTek, the “Lenders”) and Guangxi Beihengda Mining Co., Ltd. (“Guangxi Beihengda,” or the “Borrower”) entered into three loan agreements with similar terms, pursuant to which the Lenders loaned an aggregate amount of RMB 40 million (approximately US$5.98 million with an exchange rate of 0.1494 as of June 30, 2022) (collectively, the “Loans”) to the Borrower at a monthly interest rate of 1%. Each of HiTek and Baihengda funded RMB 20 million of the Loans (approximately US$2.99 million with an exchange rate of 0.1494 as of June 30, 2022).  As of the date of this amendment to annual report, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Loans is RMB37 million (approximately US $5.36 million with an exchange rate of 0.1447 as of December 31, 2022).  All of the Loans have a two-year term. The Borrower can pre-pay the outstanding loan amount after 12 months without penalty. Pursuant to a mining right pledge agreement dated August 5, 2022 between HiTek, as representative of the Lenders, and the Borrower, the Loans are secured by the Borrower’s coal mining permit, issued by Bobai County Natural Resources Bureau, which grants the Borrower a 20-year mining rights for certain building granite mine in Daguang Village, Shuiming Town, Bobai County, Guangxi Province, for a production of 1.306 million cubic meters per year.

In the event the Borrower is unable to make full and timely payments of interest and principal on the Loans when due, our cash flow, results of operations and financial conditions may be adversely affected. In addition, there is risk that the mining property may decrease in value during the term of the Loans. In the event the underlying collateral value is less than the loan amount at the time of default, we will suffer a loss.

We may need additional capital to fund our future operations and, if it is not available when needed, we may need to reduce our planned expansion and marketing efforts, which may reduce our revenue.

We believe that our existing working capital and cash available from operations will enable us to meet our working capital requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, if cash from future operations is insufficient, or if cash is used for acquisitions or other currently unanticipated uses, we may need additional capital. As a result, we could be required to raise additional capital. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of such securities could result in dilution of the shares held by existing shareholders. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of debt or equity securities, such securities may provide the holders certain rights, preferences, and privileges senior to those of shareholders holding Ordinary Shares, and the terms of any such debt securities could impose restrictions on our operations. We cannot assure you that additional capital, if required, will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to obtain sufficient amounts of additional capital, we may be required to reduce the scope of our planned product development and marketing efforts, which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

If we are unable to manage our anticipated growth effectively, our business could be adversely affected.

To develop our business, we need to hire and retain key managers and executives in all areas of our operations. Our future operating results depend to a large extent on our ability to develop and manage expansion and growth successfully. For us to manage such growth, we must put in place legal and accounting systems, and implement human resource management and other tools. We have taken preliminary steps to put this structure in place. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to expand our business or successfully manage any growth that may result. Failure to expand our operations or manage our growth effectively could materially and adversely affect our ability to market our services in multiple venues.

Because we rely upon a third party to perform the payment processing for our clients, the failure or inability of the third party to provide these services could impair our ability to operate.

Because we do not possess an internal payment method, all payments by participants or customers are processed by third parties such as Alipay and WeChat Pay. The payment processing business is highly regulated, and it is subject to a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect their abilities to provide payment processing and escrow services to us, including:

We rely on the convenience and ease of use that third party’s payment methods provide to our users. If the quality, utility, convenience or attractiveness of these payment services declines for any reason, the attractiveness of our services could be materially impaired. If we need to migrate to other third-party payment services for any reason, the transition could require considerable time and management resources, and the third-party payment services may not be as effective, efficient or well-received by our clients. Further, our clients may be reluctant to use a different payment system.

Our success depends substantially on the continued retention of certain key personnel and our ability to hire and retain qualified personnel in the future to support our growth and execute our business strategy.

If one or more of our senior executives or other key personnel are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, our business may be disrupted and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. While we depend on the abilities and participation of our current management team generally, we rely particularly upon Mr. Shenping Yin, Chairman of the Board and Ms. Xiaoyang Huang, our Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for the development and implementation of our business plan. The loss of the services of Mr. Yin for any reason could significantly adversely impact our business and results of operations. Competition for senior management and senior technology personnel in the PRC is intense and the pool of qualified candidates is very limited. We cannot assure you that the services of our senior executives and other key personnel will continue to be available to us, or that we will be able to find a suitable replacement for them if they were to leave.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, and our competitors may be able to offer similar products and services, which would harm our competitive position.

Our success depends in part upon our intellectual property rights. We rely primarily on copyright, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, license agreements and contractual provisions to establish and protect our proprietary rights over our products, procedures and services. Other persons could copy or otherwise obtain and use our technology without authorization, or develop similar IP independently. We may also pursue the registration of our domain names, trademarks, and service marks in other jurisdictions, including the United States. However, the intellectual property laws in China are not considered as strong as comparable laws in the United States or the European Union. We cannot assure you that we will be able to protect our proprietary rights. Further, our competitors may be able to independently develop similar or more advanced technology, duplicate our products and services or design around any intellectual property rights we hold. Further, our intellectual property rights may be subject to termination or expirations. The loss of intellectual property protections or the inability to timely regain intellectual property protections could harm our business and ability to compete.

We have engaged in transactions with related parties, and such transactions present possible conflicts of interest that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We entered into a number of transactions with related parties, including our significant shareholder and director. For example, we entered into several transactions with Beijing Zhongzhe Yuantong Technology Co., Ltd. which is under common control with one minority shareholder of HiTek or business entities affiliated with or owned by Chairman, Shenping Yin, where we have sales revenues or have advances from these entities. See “Related Party Transactions”. We may in the future enter into additional transactions with entities in which members of our board of directors and other related parties hold ownership interests.

Transactions with related parties present potential for conflicts of interest, as the interests of related party may not align with the interests of our shareholders. Although we believe these transactions were in our best interests, we cannot assure you that these transactions were entered into on terms as favorable to us as those that could have been obtained in an arms-length transaction. We may also engage in transactions with related parties in the future. Conflicts of interests arise when we transact business with related parties. These transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations or may result in government enforcement actions or other litigation.

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

We do not have direct ownership of our operating entities in China, but have control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenue of HiTek and its subsidiaries through VIE Agreements, which may not be effective in providing control over HiTek.

We do not have direct ownership of our operating entities in China, but have control rights and the rights to the assets, property, and revenue of HiTek and its subsidiaries through VIE Agreements. All of our current revenue and net income is derived from HiTek, the VIE in China. Foreign ownership of internet technology businesses, such as distribution of online information, is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. For example, foreign investors are not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in a value-added telecommunication service provider (except e-commerce) and any such foreign investor must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and maintain a good track record in accordance with the Special Administrative Measures for Entrance of Foreign Investment (Negative List) (2020 Version) promulgated on June 23, 2020 and effective on July 23, 2020, respectively, and other applicable laws and regulations.

To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we do not intend to have an equity ownership interest in HiTek but rely on VIE Agreements with HiTek to control and operate its business. However, as discussed above, these VIE Agreements may not be effective under PRC laws in providing us with the necessary control over HiTek and its operations. Any deficiency in these VIE Agreements may result in our loss of control over the management and operations of HiTek, which will result in a significant loss in the value of an investment in our company. Because of the practical restrictions on direct foreign equity ownership imposed by the Fujian provincial government authorities, we must rely on contractual rights through the VIE structure to effect control over and management of HiTek, which exposes us to the risk of potential breach of contract by the shareholders of HiTek. In addition, as our Chairman of the Board Mr. Yin and his wife Ms. Xiaoyang Huang, our Chief Executive Officer, holds 29.82% and 44.74% of HiTek’s outstanding equity, it may be difficult for us to change our corporate structure if such shareholders refuse to cooperate with us.

Because we are an offshore holding company and our business was conducted through VIE Agreements with HiTek, the VIE in China, if we fail to comply with applicable PRC law, we could be subject to severe penalties and our business could be adversely affected.

We are an offshore holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. As a holding company with no material operations, our operations were conducted in China by our subsidiaries and through VIE Agreements with HiTek, the VIE in China, the equity of which is owned by Xiaoyang Huang, Shenping Yin, Bo Shi, Zhishuang Wang, Liuqing Huang, Jingru Li, Mian Tang, Ce Tian, Xianfeng Lin, Inner Mongolia Guangxin Investment Co., Ltd. and Baotou Zhongzhe Hengtong Technology Co., Ltd. through VIE Agreements, as a result of which, under United States generally accepted accounting principles, the assets and liabilities of HiTek are treated as our assets and liabilities and the results of operations of HiTek are treated in all respects as if they were the results of our operations. There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws, rules and regulations, including but not limited to the laws, rules and regulations governing the validity and enforcement of the VIE Agreements between WFOE and HiTek.

The Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Projects by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”) requires an overseas special purpose vehicle that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies using shares of such special purpose vehicle or held by its shareholders as considerations to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. However, the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. If CSRC approval is required for future public offerings in the U.S., it is uncertain whether it would be possible for us to obtain such approval. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for future public offerings in the U.S. would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies.

Furthermore, regulatory requirements on cybersecurity, data security and data privacy in China are evolving and are subject to varying interpretations or significant changes, resulting in uncertainties about the scope of HiTek’s responsibilities in that regard. On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Data Security Law, which took effect September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law provides for a security review procedure for the data activities that may affect national security. Furthermore, Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which became effective on June 1, 2020, set forth the cybersecurity review mechanism for critical information infrastructure operators, and provided that critical information infrastructure operators who intend to purchase internet products and services that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to a cybersecurity review. On December 28, 2021, the CAC published the CAC Revised Measures which further restates and expands the applicable scope of the cybersecurity review. The CAC Revised Measures took effect on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, if a network platform operator holding personal information of over one million users seeks for “foreign” listing, it must apply for the cybersecurity review, and operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services are also obligated to apply for the cybersecurity review for such purchasing activities. Although the CAC Revised Measures provides no further explanation on the extent of “network platform operator” and “foreign” listing, we do not believe we are obligated to apply for a cybersecurity review pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, considering that (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that we will reach such threshold in the near future; and (ii) as of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator.  That being said, considering that the CAC Revised Measures empowers the cybersecurity review office to initiate cybersecurity review when they believe any particular data processing activities “affect or may affect national security”, and it is uncertain whether the competent government authorities will deem that HiTek’s data processing activities may affect national security and thus initiating the cybersecurity review against HiTek’s businesses. Failure of cybersecurity, data privacy and data security compliance could subject HiTek to penalties, damage its reputation and brand, and harm its business and results of operations.

If WFOE, HiTek or their ownership structure or the VIE Agreements are determined to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws, rules or regulations, or WFOE or HiTek fails to obtain or maintain any of the required governmental permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:

We cannot assure you that the PRC courts or regulatory authorities may not determine that our corporate structure and VIE Agreements violate PRC laws, rules or regulations. If the PRC courts or regulatory authorities determine that our contractual arrangements are in violation of applicable PRC laws, rules or regulations, the VIE Agreements will become invalid or unenforceable, and HiTek will not be treated as a VIE entity and we will not be entitled to treat HiTek’s assets, liabilities and results of operations as our assets, liabilities and results of operations, which could effectively eliminate the assets, revenue and net income of HiTek from our balance sheet, which would most likely require us to cease conducting our business and would result in the delisting of our Ordinary Shares from Nasdaq Capital Market and a significant impairment in the market value of our Ordinary Shares.

We may have difficulty in enforcing any rights we may have under the VIE Agreements in PRC.

As all of the VIE Agreements with HiTek are governed by the PRC laws and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC, they would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could further limit our ability to enforce these VIE Agreements. Furthermore, these VIE Agreements may not be enforceable in China if PRC government authorities or courts take a view that such VIE Agreements contravene PRC laws and regulations or are otherwise not enforceable for public policy reasons. In the event we are unable to enforce these VIE Agreements, we may not be able to exert effective control over HiTek, and our ability to conduct our business may be materially and adversely affected.

The approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and other compliance procedures may be required in connection with the offering of our securities in the U.S., and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval. As a result, both you and us face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect the operating company’s financial performance and the enforceability of the VIE Agreements.

The Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Projects by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”) require an overseas special purpose vehicle that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies using shares of such special purpose vehicle or held by its shareholders as considerations to obtain the approval of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. However, the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. If CSRC approval is required for any of our future offerings in the U.S., it is uncertain whether it would be possible for us to obtain the approval. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for our future offerings in the U.S. would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies.

The General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severe and Lawful Crackdown on Illegal Securities Activities, which was available to the public on July 6, 2021. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. The aforementioned policies and any related implementation rules to be enacted may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not received or denied any permission from the PRC authorities regarding our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.  As these opinions were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of the opinions remain unclear in several respects at this time. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will remain fully compliant with all new regulatory requirements of these opinions or any future implementation rules on a timely basis, or at all. We face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect the operating company’s financial performance and the enforceability of the VIE Agreements.

On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. Pursuant to the Trial Measures, domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, shall complete filing procedures with the CSRC pursuant to the requirements of the Trial Measures within three working days following its submission of initial public offerings or listing application. If a domestic company fails to complete required filing procedures or conceals any material fact or falsifies any major content in its filing documents, such domestic company may be subject to administrative penalties, such as order to rectify, warnings, fines, and its controlling shareholders, actual controllers, the person directly in charge and other directly liable persons may also be subject to administrative penalties, such as warnings and fines. See “Regulations—M&A Rules and Overseas Listings.”

On February 24, 2023, the CSRC, together with Ministry of Finance of the PRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China, revised the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration for Overseas Securities Offering and Listing which was issued by the CSRC, National Administration of State Secrets Protection and National Archives Administration of China in 2009, or the Provisions. The revised Provisions is issued under the title the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, and came into effect on March 31, 2023 together with the Trial Measures. One of the major revisions to the revised Provisions is expanding its application to cover indirect overseas offering and listing, as is consistent with the Trial Measures. The revised Provisions require that, including but not limited to (a) a domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals or entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any documents and materials that contain state secrets or working secrets of government agencies, shall first obtain approval from competent authorities according to law, and file with the secrecy administrative department at the same level; and (b) domestic company that plans to, either directly or indirectly through its overseas listed entity, publicly disclose or provide to relevant individuals and entities including securities companies, securities service providers and overseas regulators, any other documents and materials that, if leaked, will be detrimental to national security or public interest, shall strictly fulfill relevant procedures stipulated by applicable national regulations.

Any failure or perceived failure by the Company, the Company’s subsidiaries in China or the VIE to comply with the above confidentiality and archives administration requirements under the revised Provisions and other PRC laws and regulations may result in that the relevant entities would be held legally liable by competent authorities, and referred to the judicial organ to be investigated for criminal liability if suspected of committing a crime. As there are still uncertainties regarding the interpretation and implementation of such regulatory guidance, we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with new regulatory requirements relating to our future overseas capital-raising activities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as of the date of this amendment to annual report, we are not aware of any Chinese laws or regulations in effect requiring that we obtain permission from any Chinese authority to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to our initial public offering from the CSRC. 

As advised by Jingtian & Gongcheng, our PRC counsel, as our post-effective amendment to the registration statement on Form F-1 relating to our initial public offering was declared effective on March 30, 2023 and we have completed our initial public offering and listing prior to September 30, 2023, we are not required to complete the filing procedures pursuant to the Trial Measures for our initial public offering. If in the future we are going to conduct any offering or financing in the U.S., we will complete filing procedures with the CSRC pursuant to the requirements of the Trial Measures. Based on the above and our understanding of the Chinese laws and regulations currently in effect as of the date of this amendment to annual report, we are not aware of any PRC laws or regulations in effect requiring that we obtain permission or approval from any PRC authorities for our subsidiaries or the VIE’s operations and to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction, or any regulatory objection to our offerings from the CSRC, the CAC, or any other PRC authorities that have jurisdiction over our operations.  However, there remains uncertainty as to the enactment, interpretation and implementation of regulatory requirements related to overseas securities offerings and other capital markets activities. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such approval, complete required filing or procedures, or a rescission of any such approval or filing obtained by us, would subject us to sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory authorities. These regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in mainland China, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, limit our operations in China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from our initial public offering into mainland China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the Ordinary Shares. In addition, if the CSRC, or other regulatory agencies later promulgate new rules requiring that we obtain their approvals for our initial public offering, we may be unable to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or negative publicity regarding such an approval requirement could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the Ordinary Shares.

PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain and any changes in such laws and regulations may impair our ability to operate profitable.

There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business and the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with customers in certain circumstances. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. The effectiveness and interpretation of newly enacted laws or regulations, including amendments to existing laws and regulations, may be delayed, and our business may be affected if we rely on laws and regulations which are subsequently adopted or interpreted in a manner different from our understanding of these laws and regulations. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business.

On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a document to crack down on illegal activities in the securities market and promote the high-quality development of the capital market, which, among other things, requires the relevant governmental authorities to strengthen cross-border oversight of law-enforcement and judicial cooperation, to enhance supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, and to establish and improve the system of extraterritorial application of the PRC securities laws. Since this document is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, and the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on companies like us.

Regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our ability to acquire PRC companies and could adversely affect our business.

In July 2014, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, promulgated the Circular on Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration Over the Overseas Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment by Domestic Residents Via Special Purpose Vehicles, or Circular 37, which replaced Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Corporate Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or Circular 75. Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, referred to in Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle” for the purpose of holding domestic or offshore assets or interests. Circular 37 further requires amendment to a PRC resident’s registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease in the capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. Under these regulations, PRC residents’ failure to comply with specified registration procedures may result in restrictions being imposed on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant PRC entity, including the payment of dividends and other distributions to its offshore parent, as well as restrictions on capital inflows from the offshore entity to the PRC entity, including restrictions on its ability to contribute additional capital to Company’s subsidiaries in China or the VIE. Further, failure to comply with the SAFE registration requirements could result in penalties under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange regulations.

Mr. Shenping Yin and Ms. Xiaoyang Huang, together with ten other PRC residents, who are our beneficial owners, filed applications for Circular 37 registration, and our PRC counsel believes there is no substantial legal impediment to the registration of the aforementioned beneficial owners’ Circular 37 registration. As the promulgation of Circular 37 is relatively recent, it is unclear how these regulations will be interpreted and implemented. We cannot assure you that our ultimate shareholders who are PRC residents will in the future provide sufficient supporting documents required by the SAFE or complete the required registration with the SAFE in a timely manner, or at all. Any failure by any of our shareholders who is a PRC resident, or is controlled by a PRC resident, to comply with relevant requirements under these regulations could subject us to fines or sanctions imposed by the PRC government, including restrictions on our overseas or cross-border investment activities, restrictions on WFOE’s ability to pay dividends or make distributions to us and on our ability to increase our investment in WFOE.

Although we believe that our agreements relating to our structure are in compliance with current PRC regulations, we cannot assure you that the PRC government would agree that these VIE Agreements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law (“FIL”), which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and replaced the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The FIL embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. However, since it is relatively new, uncertainties exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. For instance, under the FIL, “foreign investment’’ refers to the investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises or other entities in China. Though it does not explicitly classify VIE Agreements as a form of foreign investment, there is no assurance that operations conducted by foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises via contractual arrangement would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities under the definition in the future. In addition, the definition contains a catch-all provision which includes investments made by foreign investors through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the Stale Council to provide for VIE Agreements as a form of foreign investment. In any of these cases, it will be uncertain whether the VIE Agreements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment under the PRC laws and regulations. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing VIE Agreements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations

Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC

Although the audit report included in this amendment to annual report is prepared by U.S. auditors which are currently inspected by the PCAOB, there is no guarantee that future audit reports will be prepared by auditors inspected by the PCAOB and, as such, in the future investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. Furthermore, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act, as Amended, if the SEC subsequently determines our audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely for two consecutive years, and as a result, U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq, may determine to delist our securities.

As an auditor of companies that are registered with the SEC and publicly traded in the US (“U.S.”) and a firm registered with the PCAOB, our auditor is required under the laws of the U.S. to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the U.S. and professional standards.

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this amendment to annual report, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the U.S. and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the U.S. pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor is currently subject to PCAOB inspections and PCAOB is able to inspect our auditor. However, we cannot assure you whether Nasdaq or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements

On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act, which includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor’s local jurisdiction. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HFCA Act on December 2, 2020, and the HFCA Act was signed into law on December 18, 2020.

On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCA Act. We would be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies us as having a “non-inspection” year (as defined in the interim final rules) under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. The SEC was assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements described above.

On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether the Board 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 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.

On December 16, 2021, SEC announced that the PCAOB designated China and Hong Kong as the jurisdictions where the PCAOB is not allowed to conduct full and complete audit inspections as mandated under the HFCA Act.

On August 26, 2022, the CSRC, the MOF, and the PCAOB signed the Protocol, governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC.

On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB Board determined the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary.

On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law by President Biden, which amended the HFCA Act by requiring 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, thus reducing the time period for triggering the prohibition on trading. 

However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination. Delisting of our Ordinary Shares would force holders of our Ordinary Shares to sell their Ordinary Shares. The market price of our Ordinary Shares 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 with significant operations in China that are listed in the U.S., regardless of whether these executive or legislative actions are implemented and regardless of our actual operating performance.

The recent joint statement by the SEC, proposed rule changes submitted by Nasdaq, and an act passed by the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies. These developments could add uncertainties to our offering, business operations, share price and reputation.

U.S. public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of intense scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity by investors, financial commentators and regulatory agencies, such as the SEC. Much of the scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity has centered on financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, a lack of effective internal controls over financial accounting, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud.

On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China, reiterating past SEC and PCAOB statements on matters including the difficulty associated with inspecting accounting firms and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets and the difficulty of bringing and enforcing SEC, Department of Justice and other U.S. regulatory actions, including in instances of fraud, in emerging markets generally.

On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company’s auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act.

On May 21, 2021, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a “Restrictive Market”, (ii) prohibit Restrictive Market companies from directly listing on Nasdaq Capital Market, and only permit them to list on Nasdaq Global Select or Nasdaq Global Market in connection with a direct listing and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company’s auditors.

As discussed in the previous risk factor, our Ordinary Shares are subject to the risk of being delisted under the HFCA Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, in the event that PCAOB determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction for two consecutive years. The PCAOB Board determined, on December 15, 2022, that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination. 

As a result of this scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity, the publicly traded stock of many U.S. listed Chinese companies sharply decreased in value and, in some cases, became virtually worthless. Many of these companies are now subject to shareholder lawsuits and SEC enforcement actions and are conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations. It is not clear what effect this sector-wide scrutiny, criticism and negative publicity will have on us, our offering, business and our share price. If we become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we will have to expend significant resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend our company. This situation will be costly and time consuming and distract our management from developing our growth. If such allegations are not proven to be groundless, we and our business operations will be severely affected and you could sustain a significant decline in the value of our share.

Nasdaq may apply additional and more stringent criteria for our continued listing because we plan to have a small public offering and our insiders will hold a large portion of our listed securities.

Nasdaq Listing Rule 5101 provides Nasdaq with broad discretionary authority over the initial and continued listing of securities in Nasdaq and Nasdaq may use such discretion to deny initial listing, apply additional or more stringent criteria for the initial or continued listing of particular securities, or suspend or delist particular securities based on any event, condition, or circumstance that exists or occurs that makes initial or continued listing of the securities on Nasdaq inadvisable or unwarranted in the opinion of Nasdaq, even though the securities meet all enumerated criteria for initial or continued listing on Nasdaq. In addition, Nasdaq has used its discretion to deny initial or continued listing or to apply additional and more stringent criteria in the instances, including but not limited to: (i) where the company engaged an auditor that has not been subject to an inspection by PCAOB, an auditor that PCAOB cannot inspect, or an auditor that has not demonstrated sufficient resources, geographic reach, or experience to adequately perform the company’s audit; (ii) where the company planned a small public offering, which would result in insiders holding a large portion of the company’s listed securities. Nasdaq was concerned that the offering size was insufficient to establish the company’s initial valuation, and there would not be sufficient liquidity to support a public market for the company; and (iii) where the company did not demonstrate sufficient nexus to the U.S. capital market, including having no U.S. shareholders, operations, or members of the board of directors or management. Our public float is relatively small and the insiders of our Company hold a large portion of the company’s listed securities. Therefore, we may be subject to the additional and more stringent criteria of Nasdaq for our continued listing.

It may be difficult for overseas shareholders and/or regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.

Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the U.S. may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests. 

Our principal business operation is conducted in the PRC. If U.S. regulators carry out an investigation of us and there is a need to conduct investigation or collect evidence within the territory of the PRC, the U.S. regulators may not be able to carry out such investigation or evidence collection directly in the PRC under the PRC laws. The U.S. regulators may consider cross-border cooperation with securities regulatory authority of the PRC by way of judicial assistance, diplomatic channels or regulatory cooperation mechanism established with the securities regulatory authority of the PRC.

Because we are a Cayman Islands corporation and all of our business is conducted in the PRC, you may be unable to bring an action against us or our officers and directors or to enforce any judgment you may obtain.

We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and are all PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to effect service of process upon us or those persons in the Cayman Islands or in China. In addition, China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the Cayman Islands and many other countries and regions. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these non-PRC jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible. See “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

Shareholder claims that are common in the U.S. including securities law class actions and fraud claims, generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the local authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States have not been efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC.

In addition, our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act or the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the U.S.. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the U.S.. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a Federal court of the U.S..

We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel, Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the U.S. predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the U.S. or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the U.S., the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a U.S. company.

Economic conditions in China could impact our business and results of operations in both lines of our business

The VIE entity and its subsidiaries’ business and operating results are impacted by Chinese economic conditions, such as a potential general reduction in net disposable income as a result of fiscal measures adopted by Chinese government to address high levels of budgetary indebtedness, which may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The most recent global financial crisis and recession resulted in large-scale business failures and tightened credit markets in China, which directly impacts the Chinese IT service market and VAT reporting service industry. Future adverse economic developments in areas such as employment levels, business conditions, interest rates, tax rates, fuel and energy costs and other matters could reduce discretionary spending and cause the industries where we operate to contract.

There may be changes in the regulations of PRC government bodies and agencies relating to VAT collection procedure and ACTCS business

PRC laws, regulations and policies concerning VAT collection procedures and ACTCS business are evolving and the PRC government authorities may promulgate new laws, regulations and policies in the future. We cannot assure you that our practices would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws, regulations or policies either now or in the future.

Moreover, developments in the ACTCS service industry may lead to changes in PRC laws, regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application of existing laws, regulations and policies, which may limit or restrict the ACTCS hardware and services we offer. Furthermore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the PRC government will institute a new licensing regime covering services we provide in the future. If such a licensing regime were introduced, we cannot assure you that we would be able to obtain any newly required license in a timely manner, or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

Changes in the policies of the PRC government could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate profitably in the PRC.

We conduct all of our operations and all of our revenue is generated in the PRC. Accordingly, economic, political and legal developments in the PRC will significantly affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Policies of the PRC government can have significant effects on economic conditions in the PRC and the ability of businesses to operate profitably. Our ability to operate profitably in the PRC may be adversely affected by changes in policies by the PRC government, including changes in laws, regulations or their interpretation, particularly those dealing with the Internet, including censorship and other restriction on material which can be transmitted over the Internet, security, intellectual property, money laundering, taxation and other laws that affect our ability to operate our website.

China’s economic, political and social conditions, laws and regulations, as well as possible interventions and influences of any government policies and actions are uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on our business and the value of our Ordinary Shares.

China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past two to three decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Although China’s economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market oriented economy since the late 1970s, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling the incurrence and payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Changes in any of these policies, laws and regulations could adversely affect the economy in China and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage foreign investment and sustainable economic growth and to guide the allocation of financial and other resources. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not repeal or alter these measures or introduce new measures that will have a negative effect on us, or more specifically, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not initiate possible governmental actions or scrutiny to us, which could substantially affect our operation and the value of our Ordinary Shares may depreciate quickly. China’s economic, political and social conditions, as well as interventions and influences of any government policies, laws and regulations are uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Because our business is dependent upon government policies that encourage a market-based economy, change in the political or economic climate in the PRC may impair our ability to operate profitably, if at all.

Although the PRC government has pursued been pursuing a number of economic reform policies for more than two decades, the PRC government continues to exercise significant control over economic growth in the PRC. Because of the nature of our business, we are dependent upon the PRC government pursuing policies that encourage private ownership of businesses. Restrictions on private ownership of businesses would affect the VAT filing and collection in general and businesses using ACTCS in particular. We cannot assure you that the PRC government will pursue policies favoring a market-oriented economy or that existing policies will not be significantly altered, especially in the event of a change in leadership, social or political disruption, or other circumstances affecting political, economic and social life in the PRC.

Because our business is conducted in RMB and the price of our Ordinary Shares is quoted in United States dollars, changes in currency conversion rates may affect the value of your investments.

Our business is conducted in the PRC, our books and records are maintained in RMB, which is the currency of the PRC, and the financial statements that we file with the SEC and provide to our shareholders are presented in U.S. dollars. Changes in the exchange rate between the RMB and dollar affect the value of our assets and the results of our operations in U.S. dollars. The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in the PRC’s political and economic conditions and perceived changes in the economy of the PRC and the U.S.. Any significant revaluation of the RMB may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenue and financial condition. Further, our Ordinary Shares offered by this amendment to annual report are offered in U.S. dollars, we will need to convert the net proceeds we receive into RMB in order to use the funds for our business. Changes in the conversion rate between the U.S. dollar and the RMB will affect that amount of proceeds we will have available for our business.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or the EIT Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China, which could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders.

The EIT Law and its implementing rules provide that enterprises established outside of China whose “de facto management bodies” are located in China are considered “resident enterprises” under PRC tax laws. The implementing rules promulgated under the EIT Law define the term “de facto management bodies” as a management body which substantially manages, or has control over the business, personnel, finance and assets of an enterprise. In April 2009, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management bodies” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. However, there are no further detailed rules or precedents governing the procedures and specific criteria for determining “de facto management body.” Although our board of directors and management are located in the PRC, it is unclear if the PRC tax authorities would determine that we should be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise.”

If we are deemed a PRC “resident enterprise,” we will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on our worldwide income at a uniform tax rate of 25%, although dividends distributed to us from our existing subsidiaries in China or the VIE and any other subsidiaries in China or the VIE which we may establish from time to time could be exempt from the PRC dividend withholding tax due to our PRC “resident recipient” status. This could have a material and adverse effect on our overall effective tax rate, our income tax expenses and our net income. Furthermore, dividends, if any, paid to our shareholders may be decreased as a result of the decrease in distributable profits. In addition, if we were considered a PRC “resident enterprise”, any dividends we pay to our non-PRC investors, and the gains realized from the transfer of our Ordinary Shares may be considered income derived from sources within the PRC and be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty). It is unclear whether holders of our Ordinary Shares would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. This could have a material and adverse effect on the value of your investment in us and the price of our Ordinary Shares.

There are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.

Under the PRC EIT Law and its implementation rules, the profits of a foreign invested enterprise generated through operations, which are distributed to its immediate holding company outside the PRC, will be subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%. Pursuant to a special arrangement between Hong Kong and the PRC, such rate may be reduced to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the equity interest in the PRC company. Our PRC subsidiary is wholly-owned by our Hong Kong subsidiary. Moreover, under the Notice of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues regarding the Administration of the Dividend Provision in Tax Treaties promulgated on February 20, 2009, the taxpayer needs to satisfy certain conditions to enjoy the benefits under a tax treaty. These conditions include: (1) the taxpayer must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends, and (2) the corporate shareholder to receive dividends from the PRC subsidiary must have continuously met the direct ownership thresholds during the 12 consecutive months preceding the receipt of the dividends. Further, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Notice on How to Understand and Recognize the “Beneficial Owner” in Tax Treaties on October 27, 2009, which limits the “beneficial owner” to individuals, projects or other organizations normally engaged in substantive operations, and sets forth certain detailed factors in determining the “beneficial owner” status. In current practice, a Hong Kong enterprise must obtain a tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority to apply for the 5% lower PRC withholding tax rate. As the Hong Kong tax authority will issue such a tax resident certificate on a case-by-case basis, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not commenced the application process for a Hong Kong tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority, and there is no assurance that we will be granted such a Hong Kong tax resident certificate. 

Even after we obtain the Hong Kong tax resident certificate, we are required by applicable tax laws and regulations to file required forms and materials with relevant PRC tax authorities to prove we can enjoy the 5% lower PRC withholding tax rate. HiTek HK intends to obtain the required materials and file with the relevant tax authorities when it plans to declare and pay dividends, but there is no assurance that the PRC tax authorities will approve the 5% withholding tax rate on dividends received from HiTek HK.

The disclosures in our reports and other filings with the SEC and our other public pronouncements are not subject to the scrutiny of any regulatory bodies in the PRC.

We are regulated by the SEC and our reports and other filings with the SEC are subject to SEC review in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. Our SEC reports and other disclosure and public pronouncements are not subject to the review or scrutiny of any PRC regulatory authority. For example, the disclosure in our SEC reports and other filings are not subject to the review by CSRC, a PRC regulator that is responsible for oversight of the capital markets in China. Accordingly, you should review our SEC reports, filings and our other public pronouncements with the understanding that no local regulator has done any review of us, our SEC reports, other filings or any of our other public pronouncements.

We operate in an emerging and evolving market. If our market does not grow as we expect, or if we fail to adapt and respond effectively to rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, changing regulations, and changing customer needs, requirements or preferences, our products and solutions may become less competitive.

There are uncertainties over the size and rate at which the IT service market will grow, as well as whether our solutions and products will be widely adopted. Moreover, the ACTCS industry is subject to rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, changing regulations, as well as changing customer needs, requirements and preferences. The success of our business will depend, in part, on our ability to adapt and respond effectively to these changes on a timely basis. If we are unable to develop new solutions and products that satisfy our customers and provide enhancements and new features for our existing products that keep pace with rapid technological and industry change, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. If new technologies emerge that are able to deliver competitive products and services at lower prices, more efficiently, more conveniently or more securely, such technologies could adversely impact our ability to compete effectively.

Our platform must also integrate with a variety of network, hardware, software platforms and technologies, and we need to continuously modify and enhance our products and platform to adapt to changes and innovation. For example, if customers adopt new software platforms or infrastructure, we may be required to develop new versions of our products to be compatible with those new software platforms or infrastructure. This development effort may require significant resources, which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any failure of our products and platform to operate effectively with evolving or new software platforms and technologies could reduce the demand for our products. If we are unable to respond to these changes in a cost-effective manner, our products may become less marketable and less competitive or obsolete, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

In light of recent events indicating greater oversight by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC, over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange, we are subject to a variety of laws and other obligations regarding cybersecurity and data protection, and any failure to comply with applicable laws and obligations could have a material and adverse effect on our business, our listing on Nasdaq, financial condition, results of operations, and the offering.

We are subject to various risks and costs associated with to the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. This data is wide ranging and relates to our investors, employees, contractors and other counterparties and third parties. Our compliance obligations include those relating to the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the relevant PRC laws in this regard. These PRC laws apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between us, our WFOE, the VIE, and the VIE’s subsidiaries, and among us, our WFOE, the VIE, and the VIE’s subsidiaries, and other parties with which we have commercial relations. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may adopt other rules and restrictions in the future. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.

Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in China must be stored in China, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. Due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact scope of “critical information infrastructure operator” remains unclear. On December 28, 2021, the CAC published the CAC Revised Measures which further restates and expands the applicable scope of the cybersecurity review. The CAC Revised Measures took effect on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to the CAC Revised Measures, if a network platform operator holding personal information of over one million users seeks for “foreign” listing, it must apply for the cybersecurity review. In addition, operators of critical information infrastructure purchasing network products and services are also obligated to apply for the cybersecurity review for such purchasing activities. Although the CAC Revised Measures provides no further explanation on the extent of “network platform operator” and “foreign” listing, as confirmed by our PRC counsel, Jingtian & Gongcheng, we are not subject to cybersecurity review with the CAC , because (i) we are not in possession of or otherwise holding personal information of over one million users and it is also very unlikely that it will reach such threshold in the near future; and (ii) as of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not received any notice or determination from applicable PRC governmental authorities identifying it as a critical information infrastructure operator. However, we cannot guarantee that we will not be subject to cybersecurity review in the future as we offer IT services and sell hardware and software in China. During such review, we may be required to suspend our operation experience other disruptions to our operations. Cybersecurity review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our company and diversion of our managerial and financial resources.

Furthermore, if we were found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations in China during such review, we could be subject to administrative penalties, such as warnings, fines, or service suspension. Therefore, cybersecurity review could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, the PRC Data Security Law, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on June 10, 2021 and took effect on September 1, 2021, requires data collection to be conducted in a legitimate and proper manner, and stipulates that, for the purpose of data protection, data processing activities must be conducted based on data classification and hierarchical protection system for data security. As the Data Security Law was recently promulgated, we may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with this law. If our data processing activities were found to be not in compliance with this law, we could be ordered to make corrections, and under certain serious circumstances, such as severe data divulgence, we could be subject to penalties, including the revocation of our business licenses or other permits. Furthermore, the recently issued Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities in Accordance with the Law require (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. As there remain uncertainties regarding the further interpretation and implementation of those laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that we will be compliant such new regulations in all respects, and we may be ordered to rectify and terminate any actions that are deemed illegal by the regulatory authorities and become subject to fines and other sanctions. As a result, we may be required to suspend our relevant businesses, shut down our website, take down our operating applications, or face other penalties, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law of the PRC, or the PIPL, which took effect in November 2021. As the first systematic and comprehensive law specifically for the protection of personal information in the PRC, the PIPL provides, among others, that (i) an individual’s consent shall be obtained to use sensitive personal information, such as biometric characteristics and individual location tracking, (ii) personal information operators using sensitive personal information shall notify individuals of the necessity of such use and impact on the individual’s rights, and (iii) where personal information operators reject an individual’s request to exercise his or her rights, the individual may file a lawsuit with a People’s Court. As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of the PIPL, we cannot assure you that we will comply with the PIPL in all respects, we may become subject to fines and/or other penalties which may have material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition.

While we take measures to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of the measures undertaken by us and our business partners. However, compliance with any additional laws could be expensive, and may place restrictions on our business operations and the manner in which we interact with our users. In addition, any failure to comply with applicable cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection laws and regulations could result in proceedings against us by government authorities or others, including notification for rectification, confiscation of illegal earnings, fines, or other penalties and legal liabilities against us, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and the value of our Ordinary Shares. In addition, any negative publicity on our website or platform’s safety or privacy protection mechanism and policy could harm our public image and reputation and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, and similar laws, and noncompliance with such laws can subject us to criminal penalties or significant fines and harm our business and reputation.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, and other anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, and similar laws in China and the United States. Anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, which have been enforced aggressively and are interpreted broadly, prohibit companies and their employees and agents from promising, authorizing, making, or offering improper payments or other benefits to government officials and others in the public sector. We leverage our business partners, including channel partners, to sell our products and solutions and host many of our facilities for our network. We may also rely on our business partners to conduct our business abroad. We and our business partners may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities and we may be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our business partners and intermediaries, our employees, representatives, contractors, channel partners and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities.

We cannot assure you that all of our employees and agents have complied with, or in the future will comply with, our policies and applicable law. The investigation of possible violations of these laws, including internal investigations and compliance reviews that we may conduct from time to time, could have a material adverse effect on our business. Noncompliance with these laws could subject us to investigations, severe criminal or civil sanctions, settlements, prosecution, loss of export privileges, suspension or debarment from Chinese government contracts and other contracts, other enforcement actions, the appointment of a monitor, disgorgement of profits, significant fines, damages, other civil and criminal penalties or injunctions, whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage and other consequences. Other internal and government investigations, regulatory proceedings, or litigation, including private litigation filed by our shareholders, may also follow as a consequence. Any investigations, actions, or sanctions could materially harm our reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, the promulgation of new laws, rules or regulations or new interpretations of current laws, rules or regulations could impact the way we do business in other countries, including requiring us to change certain aspects of our business to ensure compliance, which could reduce revenues, increase costs, or subject us to additional liabilities.

Failure to comply with laws and regulations applicable to our business in China could subject us to fines and penalties and could also cause us to lose customers or otherwise harm our business.

Our business is subject to regulation by various governmental agencies in China, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with various legal obligations, such as value-added telecommunication laws and regulations, privacy and data protection-related laws and regulations, intellectual property laws, employment and labor laws, workplace safety, environmental laws, consumer protection laws, governmental trade laws, import and export controls, anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, and tax laws and regulations. In certain jurisdictions, these regulatory requirements may be more stringent than in China. These laws and regulations impose added costs on our business. Noncompliance with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to:

If any governmental sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of our management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could materially harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Additionally, companies in the technology industry have recently experienced increased regulatory scrutiny. Any reviews by regulatory agencies or legislatures may result in substantial regulatory fines, changes to our business practices, and other penalties, which could negatively affect our business and results of operations. Changes in social, political, and regulatory conditions or in laws and policies governing a wide range of topics may cause us to change our business practices. Further, our expansion into a variety of new fields also could raise a number of new regulatory issues. These factors could negatively affect our business and results of operations in material ways.

Moreover, we are exposed to the risk of misconduct, errors and failure to functions by our management, employees and parties that we collaborate with, who may from time to time be subject to litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings or otherwise face potential liability and penalties in relation to noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations, which could harm our reputation and business.

We face exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, and such fluctuations could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including the U.S. dollar, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar and other currencies, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of 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. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar and other currencies in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and 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 we need to convert U.S. dollars we received from our initial public offering 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. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares 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.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, 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.

Substantially all of our revenues and costs are denominated in Renminbi. We are a holding company and we rely on dividends paid by our operating subsidiaries in China for our cash needs. Any significant revaluation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial position reported in Renminbi when translated into U.S. dollars. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we received from our initial public offering 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. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our Ordinary Shares 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.

Increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

China’s economy has experienced increases in labor costs in recent years. China’s overall economy and the average wage in China are expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our staff costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to our customers by increasing prices for our products or services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including housing, pension, medical insurance and unemployment insurance programs to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Compared with its predecessors, the current Labor Contract Law of the PRC imposes stricter requirements on employers in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees’ probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts, further increasing our labor-related costs such as by limiting our ability to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices in a cost-effective manner. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still developing, we cannot assure you that our employment practices have been or will at all times be deemed in compliance with the labor-related laws and regulations in China. If we are subject to severe penalties in connection with labor disputes or government investigations, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.

The Chinese government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities. Any actions by Chinese government, including any decision to intervene or influence our operations or to exert control over any offering of securities conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, may cause us to make material changes to our operation, may limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Substantially all of our operations are located in China. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.

As such, our business may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which we operate. We could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. We may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.

Furthermore, it is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to offering securities in the U.S. in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether we will be denied or rescinded. Although we are currently not required to obtain permission from any of the PRC regulatory authorities to obtain such permission and has not received any denial regarding our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market and the entry into the VIE Agreements, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and regulations relating to our business or industry.

PRC laws and regulations governing our current business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain and any changes in such laws and regulations may impair our ability to operate profitably.

There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our business and the enforcement and performance of our arrangements with customers in certain circumstances. The laws and regulations are sometimes vague and may be subject to future changes, and their official interpretation and enforcement may involve substantial uncertainty. The effectiveness and interpretation of newly enacted laws or regulations, including amendments to existing laws and regulations, may be delayed, and our business may be affected if we rely on laws and regulations which are subsequently adopted or interpreted in a manner different from our understanding of these laws and regulations. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. We cannot predict what effect the interpretation of existing or new PRC laws or regulations may have on our business.

The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions under the civil law system may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and the enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

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 investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory provisions and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may affect our judgment on the relevance of legal requirements and our ability to enforce our contractual rights or tort claims. In addition, the regulatory uncertainties may be exploited through unmerited or frivolous legal actions or threats in attempts to extract payments or benefits from us.

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 and may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of any of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. 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. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law,” or the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems will be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection requirements and similar matters. The Opinions and any related implementing rules to be enacted may subject us to compliance requirement in the future.

Risks Relating to Our Ordinary Shares

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, you may only receive a return on your investment in our Ordinary Shares if the market price of our Ordinary Shares increases.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if the publish a negative report regarding our Ordinary Shares, the price of our Ordinary Shares and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our Ordinary Shares may depend in part on the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade us, the price of our Ordinary Shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price of our Ordinary Shares and the trading volume to decline.

The estimates of market opportunity, forecasts of market growth included in this amendment to annual report may prove to be inaccurate, and any real or perceived inaccuracies may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business. Even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts included in this amendment to annual report are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The variables that go into the calculation of our market opportunities are subject to change over time, and there is no guarantee that any particular number or percentage of addressable companies covered by our market opportunities estimates will purchase our products and solutions at all or generate any particular level of revenues for us. Even if the market in which we compete meets the size estimates and growth forecasted in this amendment to annual report, our business could fail to grow for a variety of reasons, including reasons outside of our control, such as competition in our industry.

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 initial public offering price.

The initial public offering price for our Ordinary Shares will be determined through negotiations between the underwriters and us and may vary from the market price of our Ordinary Shares following our initial public offering. If you purchase our Ordinary Shares in our initial public offering, you may not be able to resell those shares at or above the initial public offering price. We cannot assure you that the initial public offering price of our Ordinary Shares, or the market price following our initial public offering, will equal or exceed prices in privately negotiated transactions of our shares that have occurred from time to time prior to our initial public offering. 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 stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Share prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In the past, shareholders have filed securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and adversely affect our business.

Our management has broad discretion to determine how to use the funds raised in the offering and may use them in ways that may not enhance our results of operations or the price of our Ordinary Shares.

We anticipate that we will use the net proceeds from the our initial public offering for working capital and other corporate purposes. Our management will have significant discretion as to the use of the net proceeds to us from the initial public offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the market price of our Ordinary Shares. 

Our lack of effective internal controls over financial reporting may affect our ability to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud which may affect the market for and price of our Ordinary Share.

To implement Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the company’s internal control over financial reporting. We are subject to the requirement that we maintain internal controls and that management perform periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal controls. Effective internal control over financial reporting is important to prevent fraud. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the market for and trading price of our Ordinary Shares, may be materially and adversely affected if we do not have effective internal controls. We do not presently have the financial resources or personnel to develop or implement systems that would provide us with the necessary information on a timely basis so as to be able to implement financial controls. As a result, we may not discover any problems in a timely manner and current and potential shareholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our Ordinary Shares. The absence of internal controls over financial reporting may inhibit investors from purchasing our shares and may make it more difficult for us to raise funds in a debt or equity financing.

Because we are an “emerging growth company,” we may not be subject to requirements that other public companies are subject to, which could affect investor confidence in us and our Ordinary Shares.

As we are an “emerging growth company,” we may not be subject to requirements that other public companies are subject to, which could other requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for so long as we are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

We became a public company after completion of our initial public offering and expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the Nasdaq Capital Market, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act, we may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costlier. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant additional expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance increased disclosure requirements.

Since Mr. Shenping Yin, Chairman and his wife, Ms. Xiaoyang Huang, chief executive office of the Board are able to exercise more than 50% of the total voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital, Mr. Yin will have the ability to elect directors and approve matters requiring shareholder approval.

Mr. Shenping Yin, Chairman of the Board, and his wife Ms. Xiaoyang Huang are currently the beneficial owner of 8,192,000 ordinary share or 56.92% of our outstanding shares, which are directly held by Fortune Enterprise Holdings Limited, an entity 100% owned by Mr. Yin and Ms. Huang. As result, Mr. Yin and Ms. Huang able to exert significant voting influence over fundamental and significant corporate matters and transactions. Depending on the percentage, they may have the power to elect all directors and approve all matters requiring shareholder approval without the votes of any other shareholder. They have significant influence over a decision to enter into any corporate transaction and has the ability to prevent any transaction that requires the approval of shareholders, regardless of whether or not our other shareholders believe that such transaction is in our best interests. Such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a change of control or other business combination, which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on the market price of our Ordinary Shares or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their Ordinary Shares.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules and, as a result, may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

We are a “controlled company” as defined under the NASDAQ Stock Market Rules because two of our principal shareholders, Shenping Yin, our Chairman of the Board, and Xiaoyang Huang our CEO, who are husband and wife, beneficially own more than 50% of voting power for the election of directors. For so long as we are a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including:

As a result, you will not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.

If we cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply fully with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, and we would incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we would not incur as a foreign private issuer.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States domestic issuers, and we are not required to disclose in our periodic reports all of the information that United States domestic issuers are required to disclose. While we currently expect to qualify as a foreign private issuer, we may cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer in the future.

Anti-takeover provisions in our memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control.

Some provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including, among other things, the following:

Our board of directors may decline to register transfers of Ordinary Shares in certain circumstances.

Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion, decline to register any transfer of any Ordinary Share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our directors may also decline to register any transfer of any share unless (i) the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; (ii) the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of shares; (iii) the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; (iv) in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the share is to be transferred does not exceed four; (v) the shares conceded are free of any lien in favor of us; or (vi) a fee of such maximum sum as Nasdaq Capital Market may determine to be payable, or such lesser sum as our board of directors may from time to time require, is paid to us in respect thereof.

If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within one month after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal. The registration of transfers may, on 14 days’ notice being given by advertisement in such one or more newspapers or by electronic means, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.

You may be unable to present proposals before general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by shareholders.

Cayman Islands law provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our articles of association allow sour shareholders holding shares representing in aggregate not less than ten per cent in par value of the issued Shares which as at that date carry the right to vote at general meetings, to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our directors are obliged to call such meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Although our articles of association does not provide our shareholders with any right to put any proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by such shareholders, any shareholder may submit a proposal to our Board of Directors for consideration of inclusion in a proxy statement. Advance notice of at least fifteen calendar days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of at least one shareholder present or by proxy, representing not less than one-third in nominal value of the total issued voting shares in our company.

If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, United States taxpayers who own our Ordinary Shares may have adverse United States federal income tax consequences.

A non-U.S. corporation such as ourselves will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which is known as a PFIC, for any taxable year if, for such year, either

Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of passive assets.

If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. taxpayer who holds our Ordinary Shares, the U.S. taxpayer may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements.

Based on our operations and the composition of our assets we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC under the current PFIC rules. We must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC, however, and there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we are treating HiTek as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, not only because we control their management decisions, but also because we are entitled to the economic benefits associated with HiTek, and as a result, we are treating HiTek as our wholly-owned subsidiary for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of the PFIC analysis, in general, a non-U.S. corporation is deemed to own its pro rata share of the gross income and assets of any entity in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the equity by value. Therefore, the income and assets of HiTek should be included in the determination of whether or not we are a PFIC in any taxable year.

For a more detailed discussion of the application of the PFIC rules to us and the consequences to U.S. taxpayers if we were determined to be a PFIC, see “Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation — Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

Our Ordinary Shares may trade under $5.00 per share and thus will be a penny stock. Trading in penny stocks has certain restrictions and these restrictions could negatively affect the price and liquidity of our shares.

Our Ordinary Shares may trade below $5.00 per share after listing. As a result, our Ordinary Shares would be known as a “penny stock”, which is subject to various regulations involving disclosures to be given to you prior to the purchase of any penny stock. The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define a “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Depending on market fluctuations, our Ordinary Shares could be considered to be a “penny stock”. A penny stock is subject to rules that impose additional sales practice requirements on broker/dealers who sell these securities to persons other than established Members and accredited investors. For transactions covered by these rules, the broker/dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchase of these securities. In addition, the broker/dealer must receive the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to the purchase. The broker/dealer must also provide certain written disclosures to the purchaser. Consequently, the “penny stock” rules may restrict the ability of broker/dealers to sell our securities, and may negatively affect the ability of holders of our Ordinary Shares to resell them. These disclosures require you to acknowledge that you understand the risks associated with buying penny stocks and that you can absorb the loss of your entire investment. Penny stocks generally do not have a very high trading volume. Consequently, the price of the stock is often volatile and you may not be able to buy or sell the stock when you want to.

Item 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and development of the Company

We were incorporated in the Cayman Islands on November 3, 2017. HiTek Hong Kong Limited (“HiTek HK”), our wholly-owned subsidiary, was incorporated in Hong Kong on November 20, 2017. Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co. Ltd. (“WFOE”), HiTek HK’s wholly owned subsidiary, was organized pursuant to PRC laws on March 15, 2018. In April 2021, Xiamen Haitian Weilai Technology Co., Ltd. (“Haitian Weilai”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of WFOE was incorporated under the laws of the PRC. The variable interest entity, Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd., which we refer to as HiTek, was established on January 18, 1996 in Xiamen, Fujian Province, PRC pursuant to PRC laws. HiTek’s shareholders include certain PRC residents and corporate entities controlled by PRC residents.

Our Ordinary Shares started to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “HKIT” on March 31, 2023 and on April 4, 2023, the Company completed its initial public offering of 3,200,000 Ordinary Shares at a public offering price of $5.00 per share. The total net proceeds to the Company from the initial public offering, after deducting discounts, expense allowance, and expenses, were approximately $13,523,140.

Our current registered office in Cayman Islands is at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. Our principal executive offices are located at Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China, and our phone number is +86 592-5395967. We maintain a corporate website at http://www.xmhitek.com/. The information contained in, or accessible from, our website or any other website does not constitute a part of this amendment to annual report. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC and state the address of that site (http://www.sec.gov).

Selected Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements of Parent, Subsidiaries, VIE and its Subsidiaries

The following tables present Selected condensed consolidating financial data of the Parent (HiTek Global Inc.), HiTek HK (HiTek Hong Kong Limited), WFOE and its subsidiaries (Tian Dahai (Xiamen) Information Technology Co. Ltd. and Xiamen Haitian Weilai Technology Co., Ltd.), the VIE (Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd.) and its subsidiaries (Xiamen Huasheng HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd and Huoerguosi Hengda Information Technology Co., Ltd). Such financial data include condensed consolidating balance sheets data as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the related condensed consolidating statements of operations and cash flows data for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020. The Parent records its investments in its subsidiaries under the equity method of accounting. Such investments are presented in the selected condensed consolidating balance sheets of the Parent as “investments in non-VIE subsidiaries” and net assets of the VIE and its subsidiaries through the VIE agreements” and the profit of the subsidiaries is presented as “Income for Non-VIE subsidiaries” and “Income for VIE and its subsidiaries” in the selected condensed consolidating statements of operations.

SELECTED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Note:

SELECTED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS

Note:

SELECTED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

For the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, net cash provided by financing activities of HiTek Global Inc., or the “parent”, was $nil and $280,300, which was mainly because that parent received sales collection dominated in USD on behalf of the VIE and its subsidiaries.

LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS ROLL-FORWARD

B. Our Business

We are an information technology (“IT”) consulting and solutions service provider focusing on delivering services to business in various industry sectors in China. As of the date of amendment to annual report, we have two lines of businesses— 1) services to small and medium businesses (“SMEs”), which consists of Anti-Counterfeiting Tax Control System (“ACTCS”) tax devices, including Golden Tax Disk (“GTD”) and printers, ACTCS services, and IT services, and 2) services to large businesses, which consists of hardware sales and software sales. We expect to actively develop our system integration services and online service platform in the near future. Our vision is to become a one-stop consulting destination for holistic IT and other business consulting services in China.

Value added tax (“VAT”) reporting is mandatory for all business enterprises in China. The ACTCS is one of the two major VAT control systems that a business entity may choose to comply with the VAT reporting requirements. Developed by the PRC government, ACTCS was intended to effectively eliminate counterfeit invoices, providing accurate and complete tax information for the regional and national audit system. We provide our customers with the necessary ACTCS for their value added tax (“VAT”) reporting, collection and processing. The VIE entity, HiTek, is authorized to carry out the sales of GTD. We are authorized by the State Taxation Bureau, Xiamen Branch, as one of the first ACTCS service providers in the Xiamen metropolitan area. GTD is an ACTCS device necessary for normal operation of ACTCS software. The purchase of GTD is allowed only in conjunction with the use of the ACTCS software and its supporting services. Currently, there are three ACTCS services providers for Xiamen business enterprises, and we are one of them.

While we are confident that our competitive strengths will continue improving our business, we are aware of the challenges that our business faces, especially the challenges in our services to SMEs which are exempted from the ACTCS services. The services provided to the SMEs are restricted in the Xiamen metropolitan areas since authorization by the State Taxation Bureau, Xiamen Branch to provide ACTCS services is required. Prices of GTD and ACTCS annual service fees are regulated and subject to the State Tax Administration’s pricing mandates. We are not able to adjust such pricing and as such our profit margin is limited. The Chinese tax regulators have been rolling out electronic invoicing starting from 2018. The electronic invoices enable enterprises to apply for, issue, transfer and check the invoices through the unified online electronic invoice management system of the Chinese Tax authority. Electronic invoices are very useful in helping business entities reduce operating costs and streamline service process, since they do not involve printing, storage and postage procedures. From January 21, 2021, new taxpayers can receive electronic tax control ukey for free from the Tax authority. Increased use of electronic invoices and the free distribution of GTD will reduce our annual service fee revenue and thus negatively affect our total revenue. Our client base growth may be limited in spite of our marketing efforts, since it is beyond our control how many new SMEs will open each year in the Xiamen metropolitan area.

Complementing our physical service center, we started our developing online service platform in 2018 to enable businesses in the Xiamen metropolitan area to securely process VAT reporting and payment from their desktop virtually anytime and anywhere. Currently, our customers range from small, medium to large enterprises across industries in the Xiamen metropolitan area. Coupled with our first-mover advantage, this broad applicability has been driving our client base, resulting in around 54,872 active users, or approximately 27.3% of Xiamen’s tax collection market as of December 31, 2022, according to the Xiamen Province Taxation Bureau’s statistics. We plan to offer business management service, such as agent accounting services and online IT outsourcing services, to the SME clients using our ACTCS services. We also plan to expand our service to large businesses to other geographic regions.

In April 2021, WFOE established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Haitian Weilai under the laws of the PRC to integrate tax invoicing management services from Hitek to Haitian Weilai.

As part of the services provided to large businesses, HiTek currently sells Communication Interface System (“CIS”), its self-developed software which provides embedded system interface solutions for large businesses. CIS is a universal embedded interface system used in petrochemical and coal businesses to collect industrial, electricity, facility pressure and temperature statistics and convert to readable format for analytical purposes.

As part of our services to large businesses, Huasheng sold hardware such as laptops, printers, desktop computers and associated accessories, together with certain internet servers, cameras and monitors. After we launched CIS sales, we also introduced our hardware products to our CIS users. Our major business strategy in the market is to connect and source through exclusive relationships with manufacturers so that Huasheng can offer competitively priced hardware. From the beginning of 2022, Huasheng transferred the above business to the VIE. We plan to market large scale hardware integration systems such as router for commercial use, industrial switch, server, large internet firewall etc. in the future. We established the online support system in the beginning of 2018. The online system further enhances our customer experience, which is complemented by highly trained professionals and attractive physical store environment.

Services

For the year ended December 31, 2022, HiTek’s two business lines operated three revenue streams. Within the first business line, the services to large businesses, including the hardware sales, were 39% of the total revenue, and the software sales were for 33% of the total revenue. The second business line, ACTCS devices and services, was 28% of the total revenue.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, HiTek’s two business lines operated in three revenue streams. Within the first business line, the services to large businesses, including hardware sales, accounted for 38% of total revenue and the software sales were 32% of total revenue. The second business line, ACTCS devices and services, were 31% of the total revenue.

In recent years, the Chinese tax regulators have been rolling out an electronic invoicing system. Electronic invoices enable enterprises to apply for, issue, transfer and check invoices through the unified online electronic invoice management system of Chinese Tax authority. Electronic invoices are very useful in helping business entities reduce operating costs and streamline service process, since they do not involve printing, storage and postage procedures. From January 21, 2021, new taxpayers can receive electronic tax control ukey for free from the Tax authority. Increased use of electronic invoices and the free distribution of GTD will reduce our annual service fee revenue and thus negatively affect our total revenue. Our client base growth may be limited in spite of our diligent marketing efforts, since it is beyond our control how many new SMEs will open each year in the Xiamen metropolitan area.

ACTCS Device and Services

For ACTCS supporting services, we charge fees on a yearly basis. This service guarantees smooth functions of ACTCS software covers any technical breakdowns related to the ACTCS software. For tax control system risk investigation service, we charge a one-time service charge for each investigation request.

Our ACTCS device consist primarily of selling GTD. For ACTCS devices sales, we charge one a piece-by-piece basis.

Revenue generated from our ACTCS device and services was 30.5% and 28.0%, respectively, of the total revenue derived from our businesses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022. 

In January 2019, we began to operate new service areas such as online agent accounting platforms and online IT outsourcing platforms. We intend to actively grow such general business management services.

Software Sales

For our software sales, we sell our self-developed Communication Interface System (“CIS”). This software provides embedded system interface solutions for large businesses. CIS is a universal embedded interface system used in petrochemical and coal businesses to collect industrial, electricity, facility pressure and temperature statistics and convert to readable format for analytical purposes. Currently, almost all of the software sales revenue comes from sales of CIS. We do not resell any software developed by any third party.

Revenue generated from our software sales was 31.8% and 33.0%, respectively, of the total revenue derived from our businesses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022.

Hardware Sales

We also generate revenue from our hardware sales, which includes sales of computer hardware such as laptops, printers, desktop computers and associated accessories, together with certain internet servers, cameras and monitors. We have established a carefully designed sales network in the Xiamen metropolitan area that combines online platforms developed in the beginning of 2018 and our retail storefront. We have developed our hardware sale client base over time via our marketing from our physical store. After we launched CIS sales, we also introduced our hardware products to our CIS users. We plan to market large scale hardware integration systems such as router for commercial use, industrial switch, server, large internet firewall etc. to large businesses in the future.

Revenue generated from our hardware sales was 37.7% and 39.0%, respectively, of the total revenue derived from our businesses for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022. 

Our Technology

We provide effective information technology services and secured tax solutions to business enterprises across a variety of monetization models. We have a dedicated team of three highly skilled in-house IT specialists, which includes three full-time IT professionals responsible for research and development. The following is a list of our self-developed software.

Customers

We rely upon several of our large customers from whom we generated substantial revenue each year, and the composition of our largest customers has changed from year to year. For the year ended December 31, 2022, two customers accounted for 49% of total HiTek’s revenues, the largest of which represented 36%. For the year ended December 31, 2021, two customers accounted for 42% of total HiTek’s revenues, the largest of which represented 28%. While we believe that one or more of our major customers could account for a significant portion of our sales for at least the year 2021, we anticipate that our customer base will continue to expand and that in the future we will be less dependent on major customers.

Suppliers

Aside from a set number of suppliers from whom we purchase general hardware for our resale business, we are required by the government to purchase our ACTCS devices from specific suppliers. For the year ended December 31, 2022, four suppliers accounted for 55% of the total purchases. For the year ended December 31, 2021, two suppliers accounted for 21% of the total purchases.

We enter into procurement agreements in the ordinary course of business with our suppliers, pursuant to a form of supply order typically on a “deal by deal” basis.

Marketing and Sales

Since inception, our user base in both the services to large businesses and service to SMEs has grown primarily through word of mouth recommendations, digital advertising, and social media advertising. We accumulated a loyal customer base to our hardware sales via our physical store. In general, we focus on delivering a superior user experience through better products and services, which we believe can expand our user base and enhance our brand. We do not have a specific budget for advertising since we have built our brand with very low marketing costs.

While we have benefited from the effects of word of mouth recommendation, digital advertising, and social media advertising, we are considering cooperating with professional advertising companies to initiate campaigns designed to further promote our brand and services. We will finalize a definitive plan for this marketing initiation after our initial public offering on NASDAQ.

With respect to the services to SMEs, given the geographic limitation of our ACTCS services, we plan to focus on marketing and promotion of the business management service, which will include agent accounting services, online IT outsourcing services, IT internet operation and maintenance service and equipment purchasing and delivery Door-to-Door service to the SMEs. On the services to large business side, we plan to focus on marketing and promotion of hardware integration system going forward.

Intellectual Property

Protection of our intellectual property is a strategic priority for our business. We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality agreements, to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Except for Chinese government developed ACTCS software used in connection with our day-to-day operations, we generally do not rely on third-party licenses of intellectual property for use in our business.

Our research and development activities (“R&D”) are project based and the number of projects we work on varies annually. As of December 31, 2022, we had 3 full-time R&D professionals. We were successful in developing 12 software products and had obtained 6 Registration of Computer Software Copyright Certificates (the “Certificates”) in 2015, 3 Certificates in 2017 and 3 Certificates in 2018. Our Certificates last indefinitely. In the beginning of 2018, we established 3 joint IT research collaborative syndicates with other Internet technology companies for innovative Internet service projects such as the Tax Service Mobile APP, WeChat Cloud Charging System and Remote monitoring system. In addition to the foregoing protections, we generally control access to and use of our proprietary and other confidential information through the use of internal and external controls, such as use of confidentiality agreements with our employees and outside consultants.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, PRC, and our phone number is +86 592-5395967. We maintain a corporate website at http://www.xmhitek.com/. The information contained in, or accessible from, our website or any other website does not constitute a part of this amendment to annual report.

C. Organizational Structure

The following diagram  illustrates our corporate structure as of the date of this amendment to annual report:

D. Property

Our headquarters are located at Unit 304, No. 30 Guanri Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, PRC, where we own the office building with a floor area of 495 square meters. This includes our sales and marketing, communication and business development personnel and our management and operations facilities and customer services.

We currently lease 83 square meters of office space at Room 101, NO.77 Tianhu Road, Siming District, Xiamen, China. The lease expires on November 19, 2023 and can be renewed subject to mutual agreements. In addition, the Company also leased three other locations in Xiamen as warehouses.

Item 4A. Unresolved Staff Comments

Not required.

Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

A. Operating Results

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes thereto.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This amendment to annual report contains certain statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of United States of America securities laws.  All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that we intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate and similar expressions or future conditional verbs such as will, should, would, could or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon certain assumptions and assessments made by our management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate.

These statements include, without limitation, statements about our anticipated expenditures, including those related to general and administrative expenses; the potential size of the market for our services, future development and/or expansion of our services in our markets, our ability to generate revenues, our ability to obtain regulatory clearance and expectations as to our future financial performance. Our actual results will likely differ, perhaps materially, from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including: our need and ability to raise additional cash. The forward-looking statements included in this amendment to annual report are subject to a number of additional material risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our financial statements and the related notes to those statements included in this filing. In addition to historical financial information, this discussion may contain forward-looking statements reflecting our current plans, estimates, beliefs and expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many important factors, our actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Overview

We are an offshore holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. As a holding company with no material operations, our operations were conducted in China by our subsidiaries and through VIE Agreements, with HiTek and its subsidiaries. This is an offering of the ordinary shares of the offshore holding company in Cayman Islands. You are not investing in HiTek, the VIE. Neither we nor our subsidiaries own any share in HiTek. The VIE Agreements are designed so that the operations of the VIE are solely for the benefit of the Company. As such, through the VIE Agreements among WFOE, HiTek and HiTek’s shareholders, we are deemed to have a controlling financial interest in, and be the primary beneficiary of, the VIE for accounting purposes only and must consolidate the VIE because it met the conditions under U.S. GAAP to consolidate the VIE. However, the VIE agreements have not been tested in a court of law, and the VIE structure cannot completely replicate a foreign investment in China-based companies, as the investors will not and may never hold equity interests in the Chinese operating entities. Instead, the VIE structure provides contractual exposure to foreign investment in us. See “Business — Contractual Arrangements between WFOE and HiTek” for a summary of these VIE Agreements.

We are an IT consulting and solutions service provider focusing on delivering services to business in various industry sectors in China. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have two lines of businesses— 1) services to small and medium businesses (“SMEs”), which consists of Anti-Counterfeiting Tax Control System (“ACTCS”) tax devices, ACTCS services, and 2) services to large businesses, which consists of hardware sales and software sales. We expect to actively develop our system integration services and online service platform in the near future. Our vision is to become a one-stop consulting destination for holistic IT and other business consulting services in China.

VAT reporting is mandatory for all business enterprises in China. The ACTCS is one of the two major VAT control systems that a business entity may choose to comply with the VAT reporting requirements. Developed by the government-owned entity China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (“CASTC”), ACTCS was intended to effectively eliminate counterfeit invoices, providing accurate and complete tax information for the regional and national audit system. The VIE entity, HiTek, is authorized to carry out the sales of GTD. We provide our customers with the necessary ACTCS for their VAT reporting, collection and processing. We are authorized by the State Taxation Bureau, Xiamen Branch, as one of the first ACTCS service providers in the Xiamen metropolitan area. GTD is an ACTCS hardware necessary for normal operation of ACTCS software. The purchase of GTD is allowed only in conjunction with the use of the ACTCS software and its supporting services. Currently, there are three ACTCS services providers for Xiamen business enterprises, and we are one of them.

While we are confident that our competitive strengths will continue improving our business, we are keenly aware of the challenges that our business faces, especially the challenges in our services to SMEs which are stemmed from the ACTCS services. The services provided to the SMEs are restricted in the Xiamen metropolitan areas since authorization by the State Taxation Bureau, Xiamen Branch to provide ACTCS services is required which is the cornerstone of our services to the SMEs. Prices of GTD and ACTCS annual service fees are regulated and subject to the State Tax Administration’s pricing mandates. We are not able to adjust such pricing and as such our profit margin is limited. The Chinese tax regulators have been rolling out the electronic invoicing system starting from 2018. The electronic invoices enable enterprises to apply for, issue, transfer and check the invoices through the unified online electronic invoice management system of Chinese Tax authority. Electronic invoices are very useful in helping business entities reduce operating costs and streamline service process, since they do not involve printing, storage and postage procedures. From January 21, 2021, new taxpayers can receive electronic tax control ukey for free from the Tax authority. Increased use of electronic invoices and the free distribution of GTD will reduce our annual service fee revenue and thus negatively affect our total revenue. Our client base growth may be limited in spite of our diligent marketing efforts, since it is beyond our control how many new SMEs will open each year in the Xiamen metropolitan area.

Complementing our physical service center, we started developing online service platform in 2018. As of January 2019, the online service platform enables tens of thousands of businesses in the Xiamen metropolitan area to securely process. Coupled with our first-mover advantage, this broad applicability has been driving our client base, resulting in around 54,872 active users, or approximately 27.3%   of Xiamen’s tax device service market shares as of December 31, 2022 according to the Xiamen Province Taxation Bureau’s statistics. We plan to offer business management service, such as agent accounting services and online IT outsourcing services, to the SME clients using our ACTCS services. We also plan to expand our service to large businesses to other geographic regions.

In April 2021, WFOE established a wholly-owned subsidiary, Haitian Weilai under the laws of the PRC.  The strategy purpose of establishing the new subsidiary is for the integration of tax invoicing management services from Hitek to Haitian Weilai.

As part of the services to large businesses, HiTek currently sells Communication Interface System (“CIS”), its self-developed software which provides embedded system interface solutions for large businesses. CIS is a universal embedded interface system used in petrochemical and coal businesses to collect industrial, electricity, facility pressure and temperature statistics and convert to readable format for analytical purposes.

As part of our services provided to large businesses, Huasheng sold hardware such as laptops, printers, desktop computers and associated accessories, together with certain internet servers, cameras and monitors. After we launched CIS sales, we also introduced our hardware products to our CIS users. Our major business strategy in the market is to connect and source through exclusive relationships with manufacturers so that Huasheng can offer competitively priced hardware. From the beginning of 2022, Huasheng transferred the above business to the VIE. We plan to market large scale hardware integration systems such as router for commercial use, industrial switch, server, large internet firewall etc. in the future. We have established the online support system in the beginning of 2018. The online system further enhances our customer experience, which is complemented by highly trained professionals and attractive physical store environment.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, HiTek’s two business lines operated three revenue streams. The first business line, services to large businesses, include hardware sales, was 39.0% of the total revenue, and the software sales, was 33.0% of the total revenue, and the second business line, ACTCS devices and services, was 28.0% of the total revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2021, HiTek’s two business lines operated in three revenue streams the first business line, services to large businesses, include hardware sales, accounting for 37.7% of total revenue, and software sales, accounting for 31.8% of total revenue, and the second business line, ACTCS devices and services accounted for 30.5% of the total revenue. In recent years, the Chinese tax regulators have been rolling out the electronic invoicing system.

In early December 2022, China announced a nationwide loosening of its zero-COVID policy, and the country may face a wave in infections after the lifting of these restrictions. In light of the current circumstances, in the absence of long-term local lockdown, the Company estimates its financial results will not be adversely affected in 2023. The Company is closely monitoring the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and continuously evaluating any further potential impact on its business, results of operations and financial condition. If the outbreak persists or escalates, the Company may be subject to further negative impact on its business operations and financial condition.

Holding Company Structure

Overview

We are a holding company with no material operations of our own. We conduct substantially all of our business in China through contractual arrangements with Xiamen Hengda HiTek Computer Network Co., Ltd., the variable interest entity, and its subsidiaries. See “Business — Contractual Agreements between WFOE and HiTek” for a summary of these VIE arrangements. As of December 31, 2022, the VIE and its subsidiaries accounted for 96% and 98% of our total assets and total liabilities, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, the VIE and its subsidiaries accounted for 93% and 100% of our total assets and total liabilities, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, the variable interest entities accounted for 87% and 100% of our total assets and total liabilities, respectively.  As of December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, $955,941, $1,557,325 and $1,335,727 of cash was denominated in RMB, respectively.

Conducting our operations through contractual arrangements with the variable interest entities entails a risk that we may lose the power to direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the variable interest entities, which may result in our being unable to consolidate their financial results with our results and may impair our access to their cash flow from operations and thereby reduce our liquidity. See “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Doing Business in the PRC” for more information, including the risk factors titled “Our contractual arrangements with HiTek and its shareholders may not be effective in providing control over HiTek” and “Because we conduct our business through HiTek, a VIE, if we fail to comply with applicable law, we could be subject to severe penalties and our business could be adversely affected.”

In addition, any transfer of funds from us to any of our subsidiaries in China or VIEs, either as a shareholder loan or as an increase in registered capital, is subject to certain statutory limit requirements and registration or approval of the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the relevant administration of foreign exchange and/or the relevant examining and approval authority.  Our subsidiaries in China and VIEs are not permitted under PRC law to directly lend money to one another.

Therefore, it is difficult to change our capital expenditure plans once the relevant funds are remitted from our company to our subsidiaries in China or VIEs.  These limitations on the free flow of funds between us and our subsidiaries in China and VIEs could restrict our ability to act in response to changing market conditions and reallocate funds internally in a timely manner.

Dividend Distributions

We intend to keep any future earnings to re-invest in and finance the expansion of our business, and we do not anticipate that any cash dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend on its shares out of either profit or share premium amount, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts due in the ordinary course of business. If we determine to pay dividends on any of our Ordinary Shares in the future, as a holding company, we will be dependent on receipt of funds from our Hong Kong subsidiary, HiTek HK.

Current PRC regulations permit our indirect subsidiaries in China to pay dividends to the Company only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of its registered capital. Each of such entity in China is also required to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund, although the amount to be set aside, if any, is determined at the discretion of its board of directors. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation.

The PRC government also imposes controls on the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Therefore, we may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from our profits, if any. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in the PRC incur debt on their own in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments. If we or our subsidiaries are unable to receive all of the revenues from our operations through the current VIE Agreements, we may be unable to pay dividends on our Ordinary Shares.

Cash dividends, if any, on our Ordinary Shares will be paid in U.S. dollars. If we are considered a PRC tax resident enterprise for tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders may be regarded as China-sourced income and as a result may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10.0%.

In order for us to pay dividends to our shareholders, we will rely on payments made from HiTek to WFOE, pursuant to VIE Agreements between them, and the distribution of such payments to HiTek HK as dividends from WFOE. Certain payments from our HiTek to WFOE are subject to PRC taxes, including business taxes and VAT.  

Pursuant to the Arrangement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, the 10% withholding tax rate may be lowered to 5% if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns no less than 25% of a PRC project. However, the 5% withholding tax rate does not automatically apply and certain requirements must be satisfied, including without limitation that (a) the Hong Kong project must be the beneficial owner of the relevant dividends; and (b) the Hong Kong project must directly hold no less than 25% share ownership in the PRC project during the 12 consecutive months preceding its receipt of the dividends. In current practice, a Hong Kong project must obtain a tax resident certificate from the Hong Kong tax authority to apply for the 5% lower PRC withholding tax rate. As the Hong Kong tax authority will issue such a tax resident certificate on a case-by-case basis, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority and enjoy the preferential withholding tax rate of 5% under the Double Taxation Arrangement with respect to dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiary to its immediate holding company, HiTek HK. As of the date of this amendment to annual report, we have not applied for the tax resident certificate from the relevant Hong Kong tax authority.  HiTek HK intends to apply for the tax resident certificate when WFOE plans to declare and pay dividends to HiTek HK. See “Risk Factors - There are significant uncertainties under the EIT Law relating to the withholding tax liabilities of our PRC subsidiary, and dividends payable by our PRC subsidiary to our offshore subsidiaries may not qualify to enjoy certain treaty benefits.”

Risks in relation to the VIE structure

The VIE structure through contractual arrangements has been adopted by many PRC-based companies, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. The MOFCOM published a discussion draft of the proposed PRC Foreign Investment Law (“FIL”) in January 2015, or the 2015 Draft FIL, according to which, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangements would also be deemed as foreign-invested entities, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. In March 2019, the PRC National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC FIL, and in December 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules of PRC FIL, or the Implementing Rules, to further clarify and elaborate the relevant provisions of the PRC FIL. The PRC FIL and the Implementing Rules both became effective from January 1, 2020 and replaced the major previous laws and regulations governing foreign investments in the PRC. Pursuant to the PRC FIL, “foreign investments” refer to investment activities conducted by foreign investors (including foreign natural persons, foreign enterprises or other foreign organizations) directly or indirectly in the PRC, which include any of the following circumstances: (i) foreign investors setting up foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC solely or jointly with other investors, (ii) foreign investors obtaining shares, equity interests, property portions or other similar rights and interests of enterprises within the PRC, (iii) foreign investors investing in new projects in the PRC solely or jointly with other investors, and (iv) investment in other methods as specified in laws, administrative regulations, or as stipulated by the State Council. The PRC FIL and the Implementing Rules do not introduce the concept of “control” in determining whether a company would be considered as a foreign-invested enterprise, nor do they explicitly provide whether the VIE structure would be deemed as a method of foreign investment. However, the PRC FIL has a catch-all provision that includes into the definition of “foreign investments” made by foreign investors in China in other methods as specified in laws, administrative regulations, or as stipulated by the State Council, and as the PRC FIL and the Implementing Rules are newly adopted and relevant government authorities may promulgate more laws, regulations or rules on the interpretation and implementation of the PRC FIL, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the concept of “control” as stated in the 2015 Draft FIL may be embodied in, or the VIE structure adopted by us may be deemed as a method of foreign investment by, any of such future laws, regulations and rules. If our consolidated VIE was deemed as a foreign-invested enterprise under any of such future laws, regulations and rules, and any of the businesses that we operate would be in any “negative list” for foreign investment and therefore be subject to any foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions, further actions required to be taken by us under such laws, regulations and rules may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations

Below is a table setting forth all of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2022:

Below is a table setting forth all of our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2021: