Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should consider carefully each of the following business and investment risk factors and all of the other information in this report. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, the business, financial condition or results of our operations could be materially adversely affected. If that happens, the trading price of our shares of common stock could decline significantly. The risk factors below contain forward-looking statements regarding our business. Actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. See "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information".
Risks Relating to Our Business
The unsuccessful integration of a business or business segment we acquire could have a material adverse effect on our results.
As part of our business strategy, we expect to acquire assets and businesses relating to or complementary to our operations. These acquisitions will involve risks commonly encountered in acquisitions. These risks include exposure to unknown liabilities of the acquired assets, right, additional acquisition costs and unanticipated expenses. Our quarterly and annual operating results could fluctuate due to the costs and expenses of acquiring and integrating new assets and businesses. We may also experience difficulties in assimilating the operations of acquired businesses. Our ongoing business may be disrupted and our management's time and attention diverted from existing operations. Our acquisition strategy will likely require additional equity or debt financing, resulting in additional leverage or dilution of ownership. We cannot assure you that any future acquisition will be consummated, or that if consummated, that we will be able to integrate such acquisition successfully.
We depend on revenues from a few significant relationships, and any loss, cancellation, reduction, or interruption in these relationships could harm our business.
In general, we have derived a material portion of our revenue from a limited number of customers. If sales to such customers were terminated or significantly reduced, our revenues and net income could significantly decline. Our success will depend on our continued ability to develop and manage relationships with significant customers and suppliers. Any adverse change in our relationship with our customers and suppliers may have a material adverse effect on our business. Although we are attempting to expand our customer base, we expect that our customer concentration will not change significantly in the near future. We cannot be sure that we will be able to retain our largest customers and suppliers or that we will be able to attract additional customers and suppliers, or that our customers and suppliers will continue to buy our products in the same amounts as in prior years. The loss of one or more of our largest customers or suppliers, any reduction or interruption in sales to these customers or suppliers, our inability to successfully develop relationships with additional customers or suppliers or future price concessions that we may have to make could significantly harm our business.
Attracting and retaining key personnel is an essential element of our future success.
Our future success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service of our executive officers and other key management and technical personnel and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate executive and other key employees, including those in managerial, technical, marketing and information technology support positions. Experienced management and technical, marketing and support personnel are in demand and competition for their talents is intense. The loss of the services of one or more of our key employees or our failure to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we lose the services of our chairman and chief executive officer, our business may suffer.
We are dependent on Mr. Ming Yang, our chairman and Mr. Liu Xiaobin, our chief executive officer. The loss of their services could materially harm our business because of the cost and time necessary to retain and train a replacement. Such a loss would also divert management attention away from operational issues.
If we do not pass the review and approval for renewing our bromine and salt production license, our bromine business may suffer.
We are required to hold a bromine and salt production license in order to operate our bromine and salt production business in the PRC. Our bromine and salt production license is subject to a yearly audit. If we do not successfully pass the yearly approval by relevant government authorities, our bromine and salt production operations may be suspended until we are able to comply with the license requirements which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because we do not have any proven or probable reserves of brine water, we may not be able to continue to produce bromine and crude salt at existing levels in the future which could harm our business, results or operations and financial condition
The SEC’s Industry Guide 7, which relates to businesses with mining operations such as ours defines “reserves” as: “that part of a mineral deposit which could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination.” In addition, Industry Guide 7 provides the following definitions with respect to the classification of reserves for mining companies:
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“Proven (Measured) Reserves” - Reserves for which (a) quantity is computed from dimensions revealed in outcrops, trenches, workings or drill holes; grade and/or quality are computed from the results of detailed sampling and (b) the sites for inspection, sampling and measurement are spaced so closely and the geologic character is so well defined that size, shape, depth and mineral content of reserves are well-established.
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“Probable (Indicated) Reserves” - Reserves for which quantity and grade and/or quality are computed form information similar to that used for proven (measure) reserves, but the sites for inspection, sampling, and measurement are farther apart or are otherwise less adequately spaced. The degree of assurance, although lower than that for proven (measured) reserves, is high enough to assume continuity between points of observation.
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We do not have any proven or probable reserves of brine water on our mining properties. Therefore, we cannot provide investors with any assurance that there will be adequate volume or concentration of brine water on our mining properties to continue our bromine and crude salt operations at existing levels or to expand our production capacity of bromine and crude salt. If we experience decreases in the volume and/or concentration of brine water we are able to extract from our mining properties, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
We do not have mining permits for some of our bromine factories which we have acquired. Our operations depend on our existing permits and approvals already obtained from government authorities.
We hold government permits or operations permits and for each of our bromine factories. However, we do not currently hold valid mining permits issued by the State Land and Resources Bureau for our Factories No. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. We have already filed applications for these mining permits, however we are not able to confirm when such mining permits will be issued, if at all.
We have received a letter from the Shouguang Municipal State Land and Resources Bureau on March 10, 2011, stating that these five bromine factories “are permitted to continue with the mining and can operate in a standard manner and carry out mining activities in a reasonable way pursuant to the requirements of the relevant mineral resources authorities, and are free of any illegal acts of exceeding layer or boundary limits and any violations of relevant laws and regulations of the State.”
A decision made by relevant government agency(ies) to reject or delay the issuance of a new permit or to repeal or modify an existing permits or approval could prevent or limit our ability to continue operations at the affected facilities and harm our business, financial condition and operating results. Expansion of our existing operations would also require securing the necessary permits and approvals which we may not be able to obtain in a timely manner, if at all.
We do not have a certificate of land use rights for the land relating to certain bromine assets and crude salt production. We will not be able to obtain the property certificates for the relevant buildings attached to the land.
We do not have certificates of land use rights for land leased by SCHC
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As a result, we have not been able to obtain the relevant property certificates for buildings on such leased land which are normally required as security in obtaining financing from financial institutions. Although we believe that this is a common occurrence with respect to property leases in the PRC, the property certificates confirm legal ownership of the buildings. Because we do not have certificate of land use rights for the leased land, we might be required by the government to demolish our buildings and/or restore the land back to its original state. If such event occurs, it will have major impact on our operations, financial status and performance results.
Because we have not been able to obtain property certificates to certain of our properties we may not be able to borrow money from banks in the PRC and as a result, could face liquidity problems.
As discussed above, we have not been able to obtain property certificates for certain of our properties. In the PRC banks normally require a company’s property certificates to be pledged as security before they will provide a loan to a company. In the past several years we have financed our operations with loans from third-party companies, cash from operations and equity financing. However, if these sources of funds are not available in the future and we need to find an alternate source of financing to maintain our operations, we may not be able to borrow money from a bank to meet our cash needs. This could materially harm our business and have a major impact on our operations, financial status and performance results.
Our inability to successfully manage the growth of our business may have a material adverse effect on our business, results or operations and financial condition.
We expect to experience growth in the number of employees and the scope of our operations as a result of internal growth and acquisitions. Such activities could result in increased responsibilities for management. Our future success will be highly dependent upon our ability to manage successfully the expansion of operations. Our ability to manage and support our growth effectively will be substantially dependent on our ability to implement adequate improvements to financial, inventory, management controls, reporting, order entry systems and other procedures, and hire sufficient numbers of financial, accounting, administrative, and management personnel.
Our future success depends on our ability to address potential market opportunities and to manage expenses to match our ability to finance operations. The need to control our expenses will place a significant strain on our management and operational resources. If we are unable to control our expenses effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
Our management is comprised almost entirely of individuals residing in the PRC with very limited English skills.
Our management is comprised almost entirely of individuals born and raised in the PRC. As a result of differences in culture, educational background and business experiences, our management may analyze, evaluate and present business opportunities and results of operations differently from the way they are analyzed, evaluated and presented by management teams of public companies in Europe and the United States. In addition, our management has very limited skills in English. Consequently, it is possible that our management team will emphasize or fail to emphasize aspects of our business that might customarily be emphasized in a different manner by comparable public companies from different geographical and political areas.
We will face many of the difficulties that companies in the early stage may face.
We have a limited operating history as a bromine produce and chemical processing company, which may make it difficult for you to assess our ability to identify merger or acquisition candidates and our growth and earnings potential. Therefore, we may face many of the difficulties that companies in the early stages of their development in new and evolving markets often face. We may continue to face these difficulties in the future, some of which may be beyond our control. If we are unable to successfully address these problems, our future growth and earnings will be negatively affected.
We cannot accurately forecast our future revenues and operating results, which may fluctuate.
Our short operating history and the rapidly changing nature of the markets in which we compete make it difficult to accurately forecast our revenues and operating results. Furthermore, our revenues and operating results may fluctuate in the future due to a number of factors, including the following:
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the success of identifying and completing mergers and acquisitions;
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the introduction of competitive products by different or new competitors;
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reduced demand for any given product;
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difficulty in keeping current with changing technologies;
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increased or uneven expenses, whether related to sales and marketing, product development or administration;
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deferral of recognition of our revenue in accordance with applicable accounting principles due to the time required to complete projects; and
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costs related to possible acquisitions of technology or businesses.
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Due to these factors, forecasts may not be achieved, either because expected revenues do not occur or because they occur at lower prices or on terms that are less favorable to us. In addition, these factors increase the chances that our results could be lower than the expectations of investors and analysts. If so, the market price of our stock would likely decline.
Mr. Ming Yang, our Chairman and a substantial shareholder, has potential conflicts of interest with us, which may adversely affect our business.
Mr. Ming Yang, our chairman, was a substantial owner of SCHC and SCYI before their acquisition by us, and remains, with the shares held by him, both individually and through Shandong Haoyuan Industry Group Ltd., and by his wife and son, Wenxiang Yu and Zhi Yang, a substantial owner of our securities. There may have been conflicts of interest between Mr. Yang and our Company as a result of such ownership interests. The terms on which we acquired SCHC and SCYI may have been different from those that would have been obtained if SCHC and SCYI were owned by unrelated parties. In addition, conflicts of interest between Mr. Yang’s dual roles as our shareholder and our director may arise. We cannot assure you that, when conflicts of interest arise, Mr. Yang will act in the best interests of the Company or that conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor.
Currently, we do not have existing arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between Mr. Yang and us. We rely on that Mr. Yang to abide by the laws of the State of Delaware, which provide that directors owe a fiduciary duty to the Company, and which require them to act in good faith and in the best interests of the Company, and not use their positions for personal gain. If we cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between us and Mr. Yang, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.
Because of the uncertainties regarding the feasibility of producing bromine from brine water resources in Sichuan province, there may not be a return on our investment in certain related exploration costs.
For the year ended December 31, 2011, we incurred exploration costs in the amounts of $7,034,153 in Sichuan province, PRC, for the drilling of exploratory wells and their associated facilities in order to confirm and measure the natural brine resources in the area of drilling. Although we announced that we have discovered underground brine water resources in Daying County with high concentration, to date there has be no bromine produced from the brine water resources in Sichuan province. We cannot be certain that that there will be sufficient brine water resources reserve and exploitable amount in the brine water in the area where we are drilling in Sichuan province to make the production of bromine there feasible. In addition, we cannot be certain that the local authorities in Sichuan province will issue a mining permit to us. As a result of these uncertainties, we cannot assure you that there will be a return on our investment in such exploration costs.
Risks Related to Doing Business in the People's Republic of China.
Our business operations take place primarily in the People's Republic of China. Because Chinese laws, regulations and policies are changing, our Chinese operations will face several risks summarized below.
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Limitations on Chinese economic market reforms may discourage foreign investment in Chinese businesses.
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The value of investments in Chinese businesses could be adversely affected by political, economic and social uncertainties in China. The economic reforms in China in recent years are regarded by China’s central government as a way to introduce economic market forces into China. Given the overriding desire of the central government leadership to maintain stability in China amid rapid social and economic changes in the country, the economic market reforms of recent years could be slowed, or even reversed.
Any change in policy by the Chinese government could adversely affect investments in Chinese businesses.
Changes in policy could result in imposition of restrictions on currency conversion, imports or the source of supplies, as well as new laws affecting joint ventures and foreign-owned enterprises doing business in China. Although China has been pursuing economic reforms, events such as a change in leadership or social disruptions that may occur upon the proposed privatization of certain state-owned industries, could significantly affect the government's ability to continue with its reform.
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We face economic risks in doing business in China.
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As a developing nation, China’s economy is more volatile than that of developed Western industrial economies. It differs significantly from that of the U.S. or a Western European country in such respects as structure, level of development, capital reinvestment, legal recourse, resource allocation and self-sufficiency. Only in recent years has the Chinese economy moved from what had been a command economy through the 1970s to one that during the 1990s encouraged substantial private economic activity. In 1993, the Constitution of China was amended to reinforce such economic reforms. The trends of the 1990s indicate that future policies of the Chinese government will emphasize greater utilization of market forces. For example, in 1999 the Government announced plans to amend the Chinese Constitution to recognize private property, although private business will officially remain subordinate to state-owned companies, which are the mainstay of the Chinese economy. However, we cannot assure you that, under some circumstances, the government's pursuit of economic reforms will not be restrained or curtailed. Actions by the central government of China could have a significant adverse effect on economic conditions in the country as a whole and on the economic prospects for our Chinese operations.
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We are subject to comprehensive regulation by the PRC legal system, which is uncertain. As a result, it may limit the legal protections available to you and us and we may not now be, or remain in the future, in compliance with PRC laws and regulations.
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SCHC and SYCI, our PRC operating companies, are incorporated under and are governed by the laws of the PRC; all of our operations are conducted in the PRC; and our suppliers and customers are all located in the PRC. The PRC government exercises substantial control over virtually every sector of the PRC economy, including the production, distribution and sale of bromine, brominated chemical products and crude salt. In particular, we are subject to regulation by local and national branches of the Ministry of Land and Resources, as well as the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and other regulatory bodies. In order to operate under PRC law, we require valid licenses, certificates and permits, which must be renewed from time to time. If we were to fail to obtain the necessary renewals for any reason, including sudden or unexplained changes in local regulatory practice, we could be required to shut down all or part of our operations temporarily or permanently.
SCHC and SYCI are subject to PRC accounting laws, which require that an annual audit be performed in accordance with PRC accounting standards. The PRC foreign-invested enterprise laws require that our subsidiary, SCHC, submit periodic fiscal reports and statements to financial and tax authorities and maintain its books of account in accordance with Chinese accounting laws. If PRC authorities were to determine that we were in violation of these requirements, we could lose our business license and be unable to continue operations temporarily or permanently.
The legal and judicial systems in the PRC are still rudimentary. The laws governing our business operations are sometimes vague and uncertain and enforcement of existing laws is inconsistent. Thus, we can offer no assurance that we are, or will remain, in compliance with PRC laws and regulations.
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The Chinese legal and judicial system may negatively impact foreign investors.
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In 1982, the National People’s Congress amended the Constitution of China to authorize foreign investment and guarantee the "lawful rights and interests" of foreign investors in China. However, China's system of laws is not yet comprehensive. The legal and judicial systems in China are still under development, and enforcement of existing laws is inconsistent. Many judges in China lack the depth of legal training and experience that would be expected of a judge in a more developed country. Because the Chinese judiciary is relatively inexperienced in enforcing the laws that exist, anticipation of judicial decision-making is more uncertain than would be expected in a more developed country. It may be impossible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of laws that do exist, or to obtain enforcement of the judgment of one court by a court of another jurisdiction. China's legal system is based on written statutes; a decision by one judge does not set a legal precedent that is required to be followed by judges in other cases. In addition, the interpretation of Chinese laws may shift to reflect domestic political changes.
The promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws and the pre-emption of local regulations by national laws may adversely affect foreign investors. However, the trend of legislation over the last 20 years has significantly enhanced the protection of foreign investment and allowed for more control by foreign parties of their investments in Chinese enterprises. We cannot assure you that a change in leadership, social or political disruption, or unforeseen circumstances affecting China's political, economic or social life, will not affect the Chinese government's ability to continue to support and pursue these reforms. Such a shift could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.
The practical effect of the People’s Republic of China’s legal system on our business operations in China can be viewed from two separate but intertwined considerations. First, as a matter of substantive law, the Foreign Invested Enterprise laws provide significant protection from government interference. In addition, these laws guarantee the full enjoyment of the benefits of corporate articles and contracts to Foreign Invested Enterprise participants. These laws, however, do impose standards concerning corporate formation and governance, which are not qualitatively different from the general corporation laws of the several states. Similarly, the accounting laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China mandate accounting practices which are not consistent with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. China's accounting laws require that an annual "statutory audit" be performed in accordance with People’s Republic of China’s accounting standards and that the books of account of Foreign Invested Enterprises are maintained in accordance with Chinese accounting laws. Article 14 of the People’s Republic of China Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law requires a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise to submit certain periodic fiscal reports and statements to designated financial and tax authorities, at the risk of business license revocation. Second, while the enforcement of substantive rights may appear less clear than United States procedures, Foreign Invested Enterprises and Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises are Chinese registered companies, which enjoy the same status as other Chinese registered companies in business-to-business dispute resolution. Generally, the Articles of Association provide that all business disputes pertaining to Foreign Invested Enterprises are to be resolved by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm, Sweden, applying Chinese substantive law. Any award rendered by this arbitration tribunal is, by the express terms of the respective Articles of Association, enforceable in accordance with the "United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (1958)". Therefore, as a practical matter, although no assurances can be given, the Chinese legal infrastructure, while different in operation from its United States counterpart, should not present any significant impediment to the operation of Foreign Invested Enterprises.
Because our principal assets are located outside of the United States and some of our directors and all of our executive officers reside outside of the United States, it may be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on the United States Federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors in the United States or to enforce judgments of United States courts against us or them in the People's Republic of China.
In addition, our operating subsidiaries and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. You will find it difficult to enforce your legal rights based on the civil liability provisions of the United States Federal securities laws against us in the courts of either the United States or the People's Republic of China and, even if civil judgments are obtained in courts of the United States, to enforce such judgments in the courts of the People's Republic of China. In addition, it is unclear if extradition treaties in effect between the United States and the People's Republic of China would permit effective enforcement against us or our officers and directors of criminal penalties, under the United States Federal securities laws or otherwise.
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Issues associated with increased rate of inflation as a result of economic reform
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Although the Chinese government owns the majority of productive assets in China, during the past several years the government has implemented economic reform measures that emphasize decentralization and encourage private economic activity. Because these economic reform measures may be inconsistent or ineffectual, we are unable to assure you that:
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We will be able to capitalize on economic reforms;
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The Chinese government will continue its pursuit of economic reform policies;
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The economic policies, even if pursued, will be successful;
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Economic policies will not be significantly altered from time to time; and
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Business operations in China will not become subject to the risk of nationalization.
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Since 1979, the Chinese government has reformed its economic systems. Because many reforms are unprecedented or experimental, they are expected to be refined and improved. Other political, economic and social factors, such as political changes, changes in the rates of economic growth, unemployment or inflation, or in the disparities in per capita wealth between regions within China, could lead to further readjustment of the reform measures. This refining and readjustment process may negatively affect our operations.
Over the last few years, China's economy has registered a high growth rate. Recently, there have been indications that rates of inflation have increased. In response, the Chinese government recently has taken measures to curb this excessively expansive economy. These measures have included revaluations of the Chinese currency, the RMB, restrictions on the availability of domestic credit, and limited re-centralization of the approval process for purchases of some foreign products. These austerity measures alone may not succeed in slowing down the economy's excessive expansion or control inflation, and may result in severe dislocations in the Chinese economy. The Chinese government may adopt additional measures to further combat inflation, including the establishment of freezes or restraints on certain projects or markets.
To date, reforms to China's economic system have not adversely impacted our operations and are not expected to adversely impact operations in the foreseeable future; however, there can be no assurance that the reforms to China's economic system will continue or that we will not be adversely affected by changes in China's political, economic, and social conditions and by changes in policies of the Chinese government, such as changes in laws and regulations, measures which may be introduced to control inflation, changes in the rate or method of taxation, imposition of additional restrictions on currency conversion and remittance abroad, and reduction in tariff protection and other import restrictions.
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Fluctuations in the value of the RMB may reduce the value of your investment
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The value of the RMB against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by, among other things, changes in China's political and economic conditions and China's foreign exchange policies. The conversion of RMB into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, has been based on exchange rates set by the People's Bank of China. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the RMB solely to the U.S. dollar. Under this revised policy, the RMB is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. Following the removal of the U.S. dollar peg, the RMB appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. However, the People’s Bank of China regularly intervenes in the foreign exchange market to prevent significant short-term fluctuations in the exchange rate and achieve policy goals. For almost two years after July 2008, the RMB traded within a narrow range against the U.S. dollar. As a consequence, the RMB fluctuated significantly during that period against other freely traded currencies, in tandem with the U.S. dollar. In June 2010, the PRC government announced that it would increase RMB exchange rate flexibility. However, it remains unclear how this flexibility might be implemented. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt a more flexible currency policy, which could result in a further and more significant appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar.
Because substantially all of our revenues and expenditures are denominated in RMB and our cash is denominated in U.S. dollars, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and RMB will affect the relative purchasing power of such amounts and our balance sheet and earnings per share in U.S. dollars. In addition, we report financial results in U.S. dollars, and appreciation or depreciation in the value of the RMB relative to the U.S. dollar would affect our financial results reported in U.S. dollars terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operations. Fluctuations in the exchange rate will also affect the relative value of earnings from and the value of any U.S. dollar-denominated investments we make in the future.
Very limited hedging transactions are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedging transactions may be limited and we may not be able to successfully hedge our exposure at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency.
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Failure of our PRC resident shareholders to comply with regulations on foreign exchange registration of overseas investment by PRC residents could cause us to lose our ability to contribute capital to SCHC and remit profits out of the PRC as dividends
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The Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents to Engage in Overseas Financing and Round Trip Investment via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles (“Circular 75”), issued by the SAFE and effective on November 1, 2005, regulates the foreign exchange matters in relation to the use of a “special purpose vehicle” by PRC residents to seek offshore equity financing and conduct a ‘‘round trip investment’’ in China. Under Circular 75, a “special purpose vehicle” refers to an offshore entity directly established or indirectly controlled by PRC resident natural or legal persons (“PRC residents”) for the purpose of seeking offshore equity financing using assets or interests owned by such PRC residents in onshore companies, while “round trip investment” refers to the direct investment in China by such PRC residents through the “special purpose vehicles,” including, without limitation, establishing foreign-invested enterprises and using such foreign-invested enterprises to purchase or control onshore assets through contractual arrangements. Circular 75 requires that, before establishing or controlling a “special purpose vehicle”, PRC residents and PRC entities are required to complete a foreign exchange registration with the competent local branches of the SAFE for their overseas investments. After the completion of a round-trip investment or the overseas equity financing, the PRC residents are required to go through foreign exchange registration alteration formalities of overseas investment in respect of net assets of special purpose vehicles that such PRC residents hold and the variation thereof.
In addition, an amendment to the registration is required if there is a material change in the “special purpose vehicle,” such as increase or reduction of share capital and transfer of shares. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in Circular 75 may result in restrictions on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested enterprises, including the payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate and the capital inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject the relevant PRC residents to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.
We have requested our current PRC resident shareholders and/or beneficial owners to disclose whether they or their shareholders or beneficial owners fall within the scope of the Circular 75 and urges PRC residents to register with the local SAFE branch as required under the Circular 75. Our affiliates subject to the SAFE registration requirements, including Mr. Ming Yang, our Chairman, Ms. Wenxiang Yu, the wife of Mr. Yang, and Mr. Zhi Yang, Mr. Yang’s son, have informed us that they have not made their initial registrations with SAFE. The failure of our PRC resident shareholders and/or beneficial owners to timely furnish or amend their SAFE registrations pursuant to the Circular 75 or the failure of our future shareholders and/or beneficial owners who are PRC residents to comply with the registration requirement set forth in the Circular 75 may subject such shareholders, beneficial owners and/or SCHC to fines and legal sanctions. Any such failure may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into SCHC, limit SCHC’s ability to distribute dividends to us or otherwise adversely affect our business.
The PRC government could restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay certain expenses as they come due or may restrict which limit the payment of dividends from the Company.
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We may be treated as a resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes under the currently effective EIT Law, which may subject us to PRC income tax on our taxable global income
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On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress approved and promulgated a new tax law, the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law (“EIT Law”). On November 28, 2007, the PRC State Council passed the implementing rules of the EIT Law. Both the EIT Law and the implementing rules of the EIT Law took effect on January 1, 2008. Under the EIT Law, enterprises are classified as “resident enterprises” and “non-resident enterprises.” An enterprise established outside of China with “de facto management bodies” within China is considered a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes. The implementing rules of the EIT Law define “de facto management bodies” as a managing body that in practice exercises “substantial and overall management and control over the production and operations, personnel, accounting, and properties” of the enterprise; however, it remains unclear whether the PRC tax authorities would deem our managing body as being located within China. Due to the short history of the EIT Law and lack of applicable legal precedents, the PRC tax authorities determine the PRC tax resident treatment of a foreign (non-PRC) company on a case-by-case basis.
If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes, a number of PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we may be subject to the enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our global taxable income, as well as PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Second, under the EIT Law and its implementing rules, dividends paid between “qualified resident enterprises” are exempt from enterprise income tax. It is unclear whether the dividends we receive will constitute dividends between “qualified resident enterprises” and would therefore qualify for tax exemption, because the definition of qualified resident enterprises is unclear and the relevant PRC governmental authorities have not yet issued guidance with respect to the processing of outbound remittances to entities that are treated as resident enterprises for PRC enterprise income tax purposes.
In addition to the uncertainty as to the application of the “resident enterprise” classification, there can be no assurance that the PRC governmental authorities will not amend or revise the taxation laws, rules and regulations to impose stricter tax requirements, higher tax rates or retroactively apply the EIT Law, or any subsequent changes in PRC tax laws, rules or regulations. If such changes occur and/or if such changes are applied retroactively, such changes could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
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Restricted power supply could disrupt our production and have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations
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All of our products are produced at our manufacturing facilities in Shouguang, Shandong province, China. A significant disruption at those facilities, such as electricity power control, even on a short-term basis, could impair our ability to timely produce and deliver products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. We have encountered power shortages historically due to restrictions on the power supply provided to industrial users when the usage of electricity is high and the supply is limited or as a result of damage to the electricity supply network. Interruptions of electricity supply could result in lengthy production shutdowns, increased costs associated with restarting production and the loss of production in progress. Any major suspension or termination of electricity or other unexpected business interruptions could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Associated with Bromine Extraction
We are subject to risks associated with our operations which may affect our results.
The resource industry in the PRC has drawbacks that the resource industry does not have within the United States. For instance:
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In China, insurance coverage is a relatively new concept compared to that of the United States and for certain aspects of a business operation, insurance coverage is restricted or expensive. Workers compensation for employees in the PRC may be unavailable or, if available, insufficient to adequately cover such employees.
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he environmental laws and regulations in the PRC set various standards regulating certain aspects of health and environmental quality, including, in some cases, the obligation to rehabilitate current and former facilities and locations where operations are or were conducted. Violation of those standards could result in a temporary or permanent restriction by the PRC of our bromine operations.
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We cannot assure you that we will be able to adequately address any of these or other limitations.
Our earnings and, therefore our profitability, may be affected by price volatility.
We anticipate that the majority of our future revenues will be derived from the sale of bromine and products derived from bromine and, as a result, our earnings are directly related to the prices of these products. There are many factors influencing the price of these products including expectations for inflation; global and regional demand and production; political and economic conditions; and production costs. These factors are beyond our control and are impossible for us to predict. As a result, price changes may adversely affect our operating results.
We may become subject to numerous risks and hazards associated with our chemical processing business
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Bromine is highly corrosive and must be handled carefully in order to avoid leakage and damage to containers, transportation equipment and other facilities. The risks associated with bromine include:
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environmental hazards; and
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Industrial accidents, including personal injury.
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Such risks could result in:
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damage to or destruction of properties or production facilities;
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personal injury or death;
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environmental damage;
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monetary losses; and
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Legal liability.
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Our business operations and related activities may be subject to PRC government regulations concerning environmental protection.
We may have to make a significant financial commitment for the construction of environmental protection facilities and the establishment of a sound environmental protection management and monitoring system. Compliance with existing and future environmental protection regulations may increase our operating costs and may adversely affect our operating results.
Our operations and business activities may involve dangerous materials.
Although we may establish stringent rules relating to the storage, handling and use of dangerous materials, there is no assurance that accidents will not occur. Should we be held liable for any such accident, we may be subject to penalties and possible criminal proceedings may be brought against our employees.
We may have to reduce our bromine production volumes based on guidelines issued by the Shouguang Bromine Professional Association.
We are a member of the Shouguang Bromide Professional Association (the “Association”), whose members are bromine producers in the Shouguang region of Shandong province. Members of the Association are required to follow production guidelines recommended by the Association. If the Association asks its members to reduce production volumes in the future, we may be required to limit our bromine production volume which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may have to temporarily halt production at our facilities in order to prepare for environmental inspections made by the local government.
In the past two years we have experienced an increase in the number of environmental inspections of our factories made by the local government in order to renew our mining licenses, which we have successfully passed. As a result of these inspections, we may be required to temporarily halt production at our factories in order to prepare for and pass the inspections made by the local government. If we are required to close some or all of our factories in order to prepare for these inspections, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Decreases in the bromine yield from our brine water could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
In recent years, we have been able to extract less bromine from brine water during the production process due to a decrease in the bromine concentration of brine water being extracted. In an effort to address this issue, we carried out enhancement projects to our extraction wells in May 2012 by increasing the depth of our brine water wells to extract brine water from a lower second layer which we believe will have a higher bromine concentration. However, we cannot be certain that this will improve the bromine yield from our production facilities in the long run. If we are not able to improve the bromine yield at our production facilities or if the bromine concentration in the brine water we extract continues to decline, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Taking of leased land by the Chinese government could disrupt our production facilities and capacity, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
Most of our bromine and crude salt manufacturing facilities are located on land leased by SCHC. Any taking of leased land by the Chinese government could impair our carrying value of production facilities and our ability to timely produce and deliver products, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. In mid-May 2011, one of our leased parcels of land was taken by the Chinese government for civil redevelopment, which caused suspension of the operations of Factory No. 4 in early July 2011 for relocation, which took four months. Any future taking of our leased lands will adversely affect our existing business and productivity.
Risks Relating to our Common Stock and our status as a Public Company
The price of our common stock may be affected by a limited trading volume and may fluctuate significantly.
There has been a limited public market for our common stock and we cannot assure you that an active trading market for our stock will develop or if developed, will be maintained. The absence of an active trading market may adversely affect our stockholders' ability to sell our common stock in short time periods, or possibly at all. In addition, we cannot assure you that you will be able to sell shares of common stock that you have purchased without incurring a loss. The market price of our common stock may not necessarily bear any relationship to our book value, assets, past operating results, financial condition or any other established criteria of value, and may not be indicative of the market price for the common stock in the future. In addition, the market price for our common stock may be volatile depending on a number of factors, including business performance, industry dynamics, and news announcements or changes in general economic conditions.
We have not and do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock; because of this our securities could face devaluation in the market.
We have paid no dividends on our common stock to date and it is not anticipated that any dividends will be paid to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. While our dividend policy will be based on the operating results and capital needs of the business, it is anticipated that any earnings will be retained to finance our future expansion and for the implementation of our business plan. As an investor, you should take note of the fact that a lack of a dividend can further affect the market value of our stock, and could significantly affect the value of any investment in our Company.
We will continue to incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance requirements.
As a public company we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, together with rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable market regulators. These rules impose various requirements on public companies, including requiring certain corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these new compliance requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly.
In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal controls for financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, commencing in 2007, we must perform system and process evaluations and testing of our internal controls over financial reporting to allow management and our independent registered public accounting firm to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Compliance with Section 404 may require that we incur substantial accounting expenses and expend significant management efforts. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if our accountants later identify deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other applicable regulatory authorities.
Lack of management control by purchasers of our common stock
As of the date of this report, Mr. Ming Yang, our chairman and former chief executive officer, and his affiliates, may be deemed to beneficially own approximately 34.9% of our common stock. As a result of this concentration of ownership, our public stockholders, acting alone, may not have the ability to influence the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of our directors or significant corporate transactions. In addition, this concentration of ownership, which is not subject to any voting restrictions, may discourage or thwart efforts by third parties to take-over or effect a change in control of our Company that may be desirable for our stockholders, and may limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
Our Board of Directors has the authority, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with terms that may not be beneficial to common stock holders and with the ability to adversely affect stockholder voting power and perpetuate the board's control over the Company.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors by resolution may authorize the issuance of up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series with such limitations and restrictions as it may determine, in its sole discretion, with no further authorization by security holders required for the issuance thereof. The Board may determine the specific terms of the preferred stock, including: designations; preferences; conversions rights; cumulative; relative; participating; and optional or other rights, including: voting rights; qualifications; limitations; or restrictions of the preferred stock.
The issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common stock. Preferred stock may be issued quickly with terms calculated to discourage, make more difficult, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. As a result, the Board of Directors' ability to issue preferred stock may discourage the potential hostile acquirer, possibly resulting in beneficial negotiations. Negotiating with an unfriendly acquirer may result in terms more favorable to us and our stockholders. Conversely, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect any market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of the common stock. We presently have no plans to issue any preferred stock.
Future sales of our common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur, could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
We have approximately 38,367,471 shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2012. There are a limited number of holders of our common stock. Future sales of our common stock, pursuant to a registration statement or Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or the perception that such sales could occur, could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. The number of our shares available for sale pursuant to registration statements or Rule 144 is very large relative to the trading volume of our shares. Any attempt to sell a substantial number of our shares could severely depress the market price of our common stock. In addition, we may use our capital stock in the future to finance acquisitions and to compensate employees and management, which will further dilute the interests of our existing shareholders and could also depress the trading price of our common stock.
Techniques employed by manipulative short sellers in Chinese small cap stocks may drive down the market price of our common stock.
Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has, supposedly, borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is therefore in the short seller’s best interests for the price of the stock to decline, many short sellers (sometime known as “disclosed shorts”) publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a stock short. While traditionally these disclosed shorts were limited in their ability to access mainstream business media or to otherwise create negative market rumors, the rise of the Internet and technological advancements regarding document creation, videotaping and publication by weblog (“blogging”) have allowed many disclosed shorts to publicly attack a company’s credibility, strategy and veracity by means of so-called research reports that mimic the type of investment analysis performed by large Wall Street firm and independent research analysts. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market, on occasion in large scale and broad base. Issuers with business operations based in China and who have limited trading volumes and are susceptible to higher volatility levels than U.S. domestic large-cap stocks, can be particularly vulnerable to such short attacks.
These short seller publications are not regulated by any governmental, self-regulatory organization or other official authority in the U.S., are not subject to the certification requirements imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in Regulation AC (Regulation Analyst Certification) and, accordingly, the opinions they express may be based on distortions of actual facts or, in some cases, fabrications of facts. In light of the limited risks involved in publishing such information, and the enormous profit that can be made from running just one successful short attack, unless the short sellers become subject to significant penalties, it is more likely than not that disclosed shorts will continue to issue such reports.
While we intend to strongly defend our public filings against any such short seller attacks, oftentimes we are constrained, either by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law (often called “Anti-SLAPP statutes”), or issues of commercial confidentiality, in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller. You should be aware that in light of the relative freedom to operate that such persons enjoy – oftentimes blogging from outside the U.S. with little or no assets or identity requirements – should we be targeted for such an attack, our stock will likely suffer from a temporary, or possibly long term, decline in market price should the rumors created not be dismissed by market participants.