SVA Sinovac Biotech Ltd

Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations

We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. We face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties associated with having a portion of our operations in China and the complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, we face risks associated with regulatory approvals on offerings conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, which may negatively impact our ability to conduct certain businesses or access foreign investments. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our shares, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless. For more detailed information, see “—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Future changes in laws, regulations or enforcement policies in China and the PRC government’s oversight and discretion over our operations could adversely affect our business.”

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

Our auditor, Grant Thornton, is an independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included elsewhere in this annual report. Our auditor was subject to the determinations made by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, on December 16, 2021, and as a result, the PCAOB is not able to fully inspect our auditor. The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, was enacted on December 18, 2020. In accordance with the HFCAA, trading in our shares on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market in the United States may be prohibited if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, and, as a result, an exchange may determine to delist our shares. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two. See “—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Our shares will be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCAA in 2024 if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China, or in 2023 if proposed changes to the law are enacted. The delisting of our shares, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.”

Cash and Asset Flows Through Our Organization

Sinovac Antigua is a holding company, and we rely in part on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs, including our operating expenses and additional investment opportunities. The payment of dividends from subsidiaries in China is subject to limitations. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. Our subsidiary is also required to set aside at least a portion of its after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year to fund the statutory surplus reserves.

The reserves can be used to recoup previous years’ losses, if any, and, subject to the approval of the relevant PRC government authority, may be converted into share capital in proportion to their existing shareholdings, or by increasing the par value of the shares currently held by them. Such reserves, however, are not distributable as cash dividends. In addition, at discretion of their board of directors, our subsidiaries may allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to the employee welfare and bonus funds, which shall be utilized for collective staff benefits. In addition, if our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict the ability of one or more of our PRC subsidiaries, as the case may be, to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.

The ability of our subsidiary to convert renminbi into U.S. dollars and make payments to us is subject to PRC foreign exchange regulations. Under these regulations, the renminbi is convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest payments, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions. Conversion of renminbi for capital account items, such as direct investment, loan, security investment and repatriation of investment, however, is still subject to the approval of SAFE., see “—Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—We rely on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries for our cash needs. If they are unable to pay us sufficient dividends due to statutory or contractual restrictions on their abilities to distribute dividends to us, our various cash needs may not be met.” and “Item 10. Additional Information — D. Exchange Controls.”

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Under PRC laws, Sinovac Antigua may fund our PRC subsidiaries only through capital contributions or loans, subject to satisfaction of applicable government registration and approval requirements. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, no assets other than cash were transferred through our organization.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

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Risk Factors Summary

The following summarizes some, but not all, of the risks provided below. Please carefully consider all of the information discussed in this Item D. “Risk Factors” in this annual report for a more thorough description of these and other risks.

Risks Related to Our Company

Risks Related to Government Regulation

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

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Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Risks Related to Our Company

Our business growth relies on our ability to react to infectious disease threats and to continually introduce new vaccine products into the commercial market. Our failure to effectively develop and commercialize new products could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The biopharmaceutical market in general and the vaccine product market in particular are developing rapidly as a result of ongoing infectious disease threats and new trends in the related research and technology developments. Consequently, our success depends on our ability to react to threats of disease and technology development trends and to identify, develop and commercialize in a timely and cost-effective manner effective vaccine products that meet evolving market needs.

Whether we are successful in developing and commercializing new products is determined by, among other things, our ability to:

Although we are profitable in 2019, 2020 and 2021, we incurred a loss in past years, and may incur losses again in the future.

Biopharmaceutical product development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. We recorded a profit in 2019, 2020 and 2021. However, we incurred a loss in the past years, caused primarily by research and development expenses. None of the research and development expenses incurred were capitalized in our financial statements. We intend to continue to invest in research and development to sustain our long-term growth. We expect our research and development expenses to fluctuate depending on the progress we make on each project, with relatively more spending on clinical studies than preclinical studies. We expect that our spending on research and development will have a negative impact on our future net earnings. As a result, we may incur losses in the future, which will have an adverse impact on our working capital, total assets, shareholders’ equity and cash flow.

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As required by the PRC laws, we sell vaccines in China through Centers for Disease Control (“CDCs”) which are PRC government agencies. This exposes us to risks relating to doing business with the government.

As required by the PRC laws, we sell our vaccines to CDCs, which exposes us to various risks relating to doing business with the government. For example, demand and ability to pay for our products may be affected by government budgetary cycles, shifting availability of public funds and changes in policy. Funding reductions, delays in payment or unilateral demands for changes to the terms of our contracts by our government customers could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition, exacerbate the existing seasonality of our revenues and make it difficult for us to allocate resources or anticipate demand for our products. More importantly, we have little or no control over government procurement decisions, and government agencies that contract to purchase our products may reduce or cancel orders, or demand price adjustments or other changes to their contracts with us without our consent. Changes in the personnel of the PRC government agencies that purchase our products may result in changes or delays to or cancellations of purchase commitments due to, among others, differing policy and budgetary agendas of the personnel involved. Similar changes could occur if CDC or other relevant government agencies were to be consolidated with another ministry. In addition, if our vaccines are to be sold in other countries or regions other than China, regulatory approvals from the relevant governmental authorities of the target markets are to be obtained. Any of the above mentioned actions taken by government agencies could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and expected earnings, or result in our failure to meet, or having to adjust downwards, our sales and gross margin guidance or estimates, which could adversely affect our share price and result in substantial losses. In addition, many of the remedies that are available to us when dealing with private parties, such as making claims for breach of contract or taking other legal actions, may not be available or practicable in our dealings with government agencies.

We currently have limited revenue sources. A reduction in revenues from sales of COVID-19 vaccine would cause our revenues to decline significantly and could materially harm our business.

We generate all of our revenues from sales of our vaccine products. We derived a substantial percentage of our revenues from COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, in 2021. We face risks and uncertainties related to production and sales of CoronaVac, including (i) the demand of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the world may be reduced or no longer exist in the future as more and more people have been vaccinated; (ii) the possibility that COVID-19 epidemic may diminish in severity or prevalence, or disappear entirely; and (iii) other companies may produce superior or competitive products, any of which would adversely impact the sales of CoronaVac. As a result of the relative lack of product diversification, an investment in our company would be riskier than investments in companies that offer a wide variety of products or services.

We expect our key products, which will likely shift over time, to account for a significant portion of our net revenues for the foreseeable future. As a result, continued market acceptance and popularity of these products are critical to our success and a reduction in demand due to, among other factors, the introduction of competing products by our competitors, the entry of new competitors, or end-users’ dissatisfaction with the quality of our products, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We could be subject to costly and time-consuming product liability actions and, because our insurance coverage is limited, our exposure to such claims could cause significant financial burden.

Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the testing, manufacturing and marketing of biopharmaceutical products. We manufacture vaccines that are injected into healthy people to protect against infectious illnesses. If our products do not function as anticipated, whether as a result of flaws in our design, unanticipated health consequences or side effects, misuse or mishandling by third parties, or faulty or contaminated supplies, they could harm the vaccines and, as a result, subject us to product liability lawsuits. Claims against us also could be based on failure to immunize as anticipated. Any product liability claim brought against us, with or without merit, could have a material adverse effect on us. Meritless and unsuccessful product liability claims can be time-consuming and expensive to defend and could result in the diversion of management’s attention from managing our core business or result in associated negative publicity.

Successful assertion of product liability claims against us could require us to pay significant monetary damages. Although we currently carry worldwide product liability insurance for Healive, Bilive, Anflu, Panflu and Inlive, we cannot assure that such coverage will be sufficient to cover any liabilities resulting from successful product liability claims. In such a case, we may be required to make substantial payments to cover any losses, damages or liabilities arising from product liability claims. For any amounts covered by insurance, foreign exchange or other regulatory restrictions may prevent the use of insurance proceeds to meet the liabilities. In addition, we do not have or plan to procure clinical trial liability insurance for our clinical trials to mitigate any unsuccessful clinical trial expenses or product liability claims arising therefrom for all our vaccine products. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We face risks related to health epidemics and other widespread outbreaks of contagious disease, which could disrupt our operations and impact our operating results.

Significant outbreaks of contagious diseases, and other adverse public health developments, could have a material impact on our business operations and operating results. In December 2019, a strain of novel coronavirus, COVID-19, causing respiratory illness emerged in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of China and has subsequently spread throughout the world. The outbreak of COVID-19 was recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. In response to the outbreak, governmental authorities of countries all over the world imposed lockdowns and other restrictions to contain the virus, and various businesses suspended or reduced operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant disruptions in the global economy. The PRC government took certain emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus, including implementation of travel bans and closure of factories and businesses throughout the whole country, including Beijing where our research and development functions and main production lines are located. Since January 1, 2022, certain areas in China have suffered from outbreaks of COVID-19 variants including Delta and Omicron virus variants. In response, local governments in the affected areas imposed various restrictions on business and social activities, including city lockdowns, restrictions on travel and other emergency quarantines.

As COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and there is great uncertainty as to the future progress of the virus, we cannot anticipate with any certainty the length or severity of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. We believe the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations will be affected by the speed and extent of the continued spread of the coronavirus globally, the emergence of additional virus variants, the duration of the pandemic, new information regarding the severity and incidence of the COVID-19 virus, the safety, efficacy and availability of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 and the rate at which the population becomes vaccinated against COVID-19. We continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in China and globally and have put in place and will continue to put in place measures as appropriate and necessary for our business. Any prolonged lockdowns or deviations from normal daily operations could negatively impact our business.

We could face risks and uncertainties related to our efforts to develop a vaccine to help prevent COVID-19 and potential treatments for COVID-19, as well as challenges related to their manufacturing, supply and distribution.

We face uncertainties related to our efforts to develop a vaccine to prevent the COVID-19, including uncertainties and risks that our existing and future vaccines may not be successful, commercially viable or receive final approval from regulatory authorities. The pre-clinical, clinical data or safety data and further analysis of the existing pre-clinical, clinical or safety of our existing COVID-19 vaccine or future vaccines or treatments may be unfavorable, or we may not be able to produce comparable clinical or other results, including but not limited to the rate of vaccine effectiveness and safety and tolerability profile observed to date or in larger, more diverse populations upon commercialization. Our COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, may not be able to prevent COVID-19 caused by emerging virus variants. The widespread use of the vaccine may lead to new information about efficacy, safety or other developments, including the risk of additional adverse reactions or side effects and regulatory authorities may not be satisfied with the results from any future pre-clinical and clinical studies and may not approve our existing or future vaccines or treatments, or may withdraw or terminate such approvals granted previously to us. Disruptions in the relationships between us and our collaboration partners, research and development institutes, clinical trial site, countries where the trials are conducted or third-party suppliers, availability of raw materials to manufacture any such products, our ability to scale up or maintain the manufacturing capacity on a timely basis or have access to logistics or supply channels commensurate within global demand for any potential approved vaccine or product candidate, could delay the commercialization of our existing COVID-19 vaccine or any future vaccines or products or otherwise have a significant impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We cannot guarantee you that we can produce superior or more competitive products than our competitors, or whether the demand for our COVID-19 vaccine may still exist. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our financial prospects depend on the success of our clinical-stage and pre-clinical stage product pipeline.

We have invested significant time and resources on the development of our existing vaccine candidates, and we expect to continue to incur substantial and increasing expenditures for the development and commercialization of our vaccine candidates. Our ability to achieve revenue and profitability is dependent on our ability to complete the clinical development of our vaccine candidates, obtain necessary regulatory approvals, and have our vaccines manufactured and successfully marketed. Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials of our vaccine candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials, and initial or interim results of a trial may not be predictive of the final results. If our vaccine candidates fail to achieve their expected success in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays in our ability to obtain approval for and/or to successfully commercialize our vaccine candidates. We would have expended a significant amount of capital to progress the relevant vaccine candidates to that stage, and would not realize any revenue on such vaccine candidate if it then ultimately failed to receive regulatory approval due to poor clinical trial results. It would materially harm our business and we may not be able to generate sufficient revenues and cash flows to continue our operations.

We have devoted significant resources to research and develop various vaccines to address the pandemic threat of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, SARS, avian flu and swine flu, and will continue to devote resources to the development of vaccines to address any new needs.

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However, the threat of a pandemic outbreak may subside before we realize any return on our investment in our research and development. For example, although we believed we were the first company to complete a phase I clinical trial of an inactivated SARS vaccine in December 2004, we did not proceed with the phase II and phase III trials as the SARS epidemic subsequently subsided. Other organizations may obtain licenses for their own pandemic vaccines, or government health organizations may acquire adequate stockpiles of pandemic vaccine or adopt other technologies or strategies to prevent or limit outbreaks before our pandemic vaccines achieve significant sales. We may not achieve a return on our investment before the threat of a pandemic outbreak subsides or a competing product is adopted. We have completed phase III trials of COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and Chile and have received a conditional marketing authorization for CoronaVac from China’s National Medical Products Administration (“NMPA”). CoronaVac has been granted emergency use approval under the World Health Organization’s (“WHO”) Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure. In addition, the European Medicine Agency (“EMA”) has initiated the rolling review of CoronaVac. We cannot assure comparable clinical or other results, including the rate of vaccine effectiveness and safety and tolerability profile or in larger, more diverse populations upon commercialization. Major international and Chinese vaccine companies, universities and other research institutions are also pursuing the development of the COVID 19- vaccines. They may succeed in developing COVID-19 vaccine and obtaining regulatory approvals before us or gain better acceptance for the same target markets as ours, which will undermine our competitive position.

Moreover, because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus our product pipeline on research programs and vaccine candidates that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other vaccine candidates that later prove to have greater commercial potential.

Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and other applicable anti-corruption laws could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences and corrupt practices by our competitors may place us at a competitive disadvantage.

Our executive officers, employees and other agents may violate applicable laws in connection with the marketing or sale of our products, including FCPA and applicable anti-corruption laws in China and other jurisdictions in which our products are sold or registered for sale. FCPA generally prohibits United States issuers from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business and requires issuers to maintain reasonable internal controls. The PRC also strictly prohibits bribery of government officials. We have adopted a policy regarding compliance with FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws to prevent, detect and correct such corrupt practice. However, corruption, extortion, bribery, pay-offs, theft and other fraudulent practices occur from time to time in the PRC and some of the countries in which we seek to do business. While we have sought to enhance measures and controls to ensure compliance with FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws by individuals involved with our company, our existing compliance policies and procedures may be insufficient or may fail to prevent our employees or other agents from engaging in inappropriate conduct for which we might be held responsible. If our employees or other agents are found to have engaged in such practices, we could suffer severe penalties and other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our brand and reputation, our sales activities or the price of our common shares could be adversely affected if we become the target of any negative publicity as a result of actions taken by our employees or other agents. As discussed under “Item 8. Financial Information — A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information — Legal and Administrative Proceedings,” we have conducted an internal investigation regarding FCPA related matters and have informed NASDAQ, the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) regarding these matters. On August 14, 2018, the SEC notified us that the SEC had concluded its investigation and would not recommend an enforcement action against us at this time. On September 12, 2018, the DOJ notified us that it had closed its investigation, with no charges. With the closure of the DOJ’s investigation, we are not aware of any pending U.S. government investigations on us related to these matters. 

In addition, there may be corrupt practices in the healthcare industry in China and other countries in which we conduct business. Our competitors may engage in corrupt practices in order to influence decision-makers in violation of the anti-corruption laws of China and FCPA. As competition persists and intensifies in our industry, we may lose potential clients, client referrals and other opportunities to the extent that our competitors engage in such practices or other illegal activities.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and the trading price of our common shares.

We are subject to the reporting obligations under U.S. securities laws. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related rules require public companies to include a report of management on their internal control over financial reporting in their annual reports. This report must contain an assessment by management of the effectiveness of a public company’s internal control over financial reporting. In addition, an independent registered public accounting firm for a public company must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

Our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as of December 31, 2021. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures.” Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report on our internal control over financial reporting, which concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in all material aspects. However, we cannot assure that any material weakness or deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future. We may not always be able to maintain an effective internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, we and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level. This could in turn result in the loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and negatively impact the trading price of our common shares, inhibiting our ability to raise sufficient capital on favorable terms. Furthermore, we have incurred and anticipate that we will continue to incur considerable costs and use significant management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

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If we are unable to successfully compete in the highly competitive biopharmaceutical industry, our business could be harmed.

We operate in a highly competitive environment and we expect the competition to increase in the future. Our competitors include large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, both domestic and international. Many of these competitors have greater resources than we do. New competitors may also enter into the markets in which we compete. Accordingly, even if we are successful in launching a product, we may not be able to outperform a competing product for any number of reasons, including the possibility that the competitor may:

The technologies applied by our competitors and us are rapidly evolving and new developments frequently result in price competition and product obsolescence. In addition, we may be impacted by competition from generic forms of our products, substitute products or imports of products from lower-priced markets. For a detailed description of our competitors, please see “Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Competition.”

We may not be able to maintain market share in China with our commercialized vaccines, which could adversely affect our ability to increase our revenues.

According to the NMPA, there are approximately 40 vaccine companies in China. Many of our commercialized vaccine products are also marketed by other vaccine companies in China, of which we believe approximately 15 are our direct competitors. We are market leaders for certain products in China. We also compete internationally against multi-national corporations for market shares of certain vaccine products. Our revenue could be adversely impacted if we are not able to maintain our supply quantity and market share.

We may not be able to maintain market share in the government-funded hepatitis A vaccine market, or other government-funded vaccine markets, which could adversely affect our revenues, and if we do maintain or expand market share in these markets, we may need to sell our vaccines at a lower price, which could adversely affect our gross margin.

Hepatitis A vaccines have been included in the Expanded Program on Immunization (“EPI”) in China since 2007. The PRC government purchases hepatitis A vaccines for each 18-month-old child. Although the hepatitis A vaccines have been included in the EPI, most provincial and municipal governments are not able to afford the two shots of inactivated hepatitis A vaccines due to insufficient financial support, which constrains the purchase of inactivated hepatitis A vaccines in government-funded markets. Most provincial and municipal governments prefer to purchase lower-priced live attenuated hepatitis A vaccines; however, a few affluent provincial and municipal governments, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Jiangsu province, have started to purchase inactivated hepatitis A vaccines. We are supplying vaccines in these government-funded markets at a lower price than we do in the private market, which could adversely affect our gross margin. Our revenue could also be adversely impacted if we are not able to maintain our market share of the government-funded markets in these cities and provinces. As we are making efforts to breakthrough into additional provincial and municipal public markets, we may be forced to lower our prices to win tenders, which will adversely affect our gross margin.

Since 2007, we have been selected as one of the suppliers by Beijing CDC to supply seasonal influenza vaccines to Beijing citizens. We cannot assure that we will continue to obtain orders in the future and maintain our market share. If the supply volume decreases, it would negatively impact our sales revenue in the future.

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Since 2008, we have received three stockpiling orders for our H5N1 vaccine from China’s central government every two years in an amount of three million doses per order, and four stockpiling orders from Beijing government in an amount of 20,000 doses per order. The latest batch of stockpiled H5N1 vaccines for the central government expired in the first half of 2016 and we recognized the revenue upon the government inspection. The most recent batch ordered by Beijing government expired in 2020. We cannot assure that we will receive additional stockpiling orders from governments in the future.

If CDCs, hospitals, physicians and patients do not accept our products, we may be unable to generate significant revenue.

Even if we have obtained regulatory approvals for commercialization of our vaccines in China or in other countries or regions, they still may not gain market acceptance among CDCs, regulatory agencies, hospitals, physicians, patients and the medical community, which would limit our ability to generate revenue and adversely affect our results of operations. CDCs, regulatory agencies, hospitals and physicians may not recommend products developed by us or our collaborators until clinical data or other factors demonstrate superior or comparable safety and efficacy of our products as compared to other available treatments. Even if the clinical safety and efficacy of our products are established, CDCs, regulatory agencies, hospitals and physicians may elect not to recommend these products for a variety of reasons. There are other vaccines and treatment options for the conditions that many of our products and product candidates target, such as EV71, hepatitis A and B and influenza. In order to successfully launch a product, we must educate physicians and patients about the relative benefits of our products. If our products are not perceived as easy and convenient to use, perceived to present a greater risk of side effects or are not perceived to be as effective as other available vaccines, CDCs, hospitals, physicians and patients might not adopt our products. A failure of our products to gain commercial acceptance would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of shareholders or others.

On March 5, 2018, we announced the re-election of the members of our board of directors—Mr. Weidong Yin, Mr. Yuk Lam Lo, Mr. Simon Anderson, Mr. Kenneth Lee, and Mr. Meng Mei—at our annual general meeting of shareholders held on February 6, 2018 (the “2017 AGM”). We also announced that we had determined, after consultation with our Antigua legal counsel, that an alternative, pre-printed ballot not made available to all our shareholders and purportedly submitted at the 2017 AGM by certain of our shareholders, including 1Globe Capital LLC (“1Globe”), The Chiang Li Family, OrbiMed Advisors LLC and OrbiMed Capital LLC (together “OrbiMed”), and certain additional shareholders (collectively, the “Shareholder Group”) was invalid. We refer to this ballot as the “Non-Public Submission.” On March 13, 2018, 1Globe filed a complaint against Sinovac Antigua in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court in the High Court of Justice, Antigua and Barbuda (the “Antigua Court”). The complaint sought a declaration that the five persons purportedly proposed by the Shareholder Group on the Non-Public Submission at the 2017 AGM were elected as directors of Sinovac Antigua at that meeting, an order that those directors be installed as Sinovac Antigua’s board of directors, and a declaration that any actions taken on behalf of Sinovac Antigua at the direction of the board of directors since the 2017 AGM are null and void. Following a trial in early December 2018, the Antigua Court issued a judgment on December 19, 2018 (the “Antigua Judgment”) that dismissed 1Globe’s claim and declared that Sinovac Antigua’s shareholder rights agreement (the “Rights Agreement”) was validly adopted as a matter of Antigua law. 1Globe filed notice to appeal the Antigua Court’s judgment on January 29, 2019. 1Globe’s appeal of the Antigua Court’s Judgment was heard on September 18, 2019. On December 9, 2021, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Court of Appeal (the “Court of Appeal”), handed down its judgment, dismissing all grounds of appeal and upholding the Antigua Judgment, including confirming that Sinovac Antigua’s Rights Agreement was consistent with its Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, and Antiguan business law. 1Globe applied for leave to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (the “Privy Council”), and the hearing of the application was held on February 24, 2022, in which the Court of Appeal granted 1Globe leave to appeal to the Privy Council on certain grounds, although not including the challenge to the validity of the Rights Agreement. On April 19, 2022, 1Globe renewed its application directly to the Privy Council for leave to appeal on its ground of appeal concerning the validity of the Rights Agreement. 1Globe has not yet taken steps to list a substantive hearing before the Privy Council.

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On October 8, 2018, Sinovac became aware that unauthorized documents in respect of Sinovac Biotech (Hong Kong) Limited. (“Sinovac Hong Kong”) had been filed with the Hong Kong Companies Registry to change the directors of Sinovac Hong Kong from Mr. Weidong Yin and Ms. Nan Wang to Mr. Jianzeng Cao and Mr. Pengfei Li. Mr. Yin and Ms. Wang commenced legal proceedings before the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (“Hong Kong High Court”) (“HCMP 1731/2018”). In a hearing before the Hong Kong High Court on October 19, 2018, the judge granted an interlocutory injunction restraining Mr. Li and Mr. Cao from purporting to act or holding themselves out as directors of Sinovac Hong Kong or its subsidiaries, purporting to take any actions as directors of Sinovac Antigua or its subsidiaries, and relying on or using the forged documents in any way whatsoever. On November 28, 2018 at a further hearing in the Hong Kong High Court, the Hong Kong High Court made orders (“November 28 Order”) and held that it is beyond dispute that the documents in respect of Sinovac Hong Kong had been forged and unlawfully filed with the Hong Kong Companies Registry, based on the evidence filed by Mr. Yin and Ms. Wang as Plaintiff, and Mr. Cao and Mr. Li as the Defendants. The Hong Kong High Court therefore declared that Mr. Yin and Ms. Wang were and still are the lawful directors of Sinovac Hong Kong (“Lawful Directors”), and Mr. Li and Mr. Cao were not and are not the lawful directors of Sinovac Hong Kong. The Hong Kong High Court also granted a permanent injunction restraining Mr. Li and Mr. Cao from purporting to act or holding themselves out as directors of Sinovac Hong Kong or its subsidiaries (including but not limited to Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Beijing”), purporting to take any actions as directors of Sinovac Hong Kong or its subsidiaries, and relying on or using the forged documents in any way whatsoever. Furthermore, the Hong Kong High Court also ordered the Companies Registry to remove the forged documents in respect of Sinovac Hong Kong that had been unlawfully filed. The November 28 Order is effective and enforceable. The Companies Registry has removed the forged documents following the November 28 Order. On November 28, 2018, Mr. Cao and Mr. Li filed a Notice of Appeal with the Hong Kong Court of Appeal, indicating their intention to appeal the orders made by the Hong Kong High Court. The appeal does not operate as a stay on the November 28 Order except to the extent that the Court below, or the Court of Appeal otherwise directs: O.59, r. 13 (1)(a) of the Rules of the High Court. As of the date of this annual report, neither the Court of First Instance nor the Court of Appeal directed that the execution of the November 28 Order should be stayed. So far, Mr. Cao and Mr. Li have taken no further steps in respect of the appeal after the Notice of Appeal was filed on November 28, 2018. No hearing date has yet been fixed to hear the appeal.

On October 8, 2018, Sinovac also became aware that unauthorized documents in respect of Sinovac Beijing had been filed with the Industry and Commerce Bureau of Haidian District of Beijing (“Haidian AIC”) to change the directors of Sinovac Beijing from Mr. Yin, Ms. Wang and Mr. Dawei Mao to Mr. Cao, Mr. Li and Ms. Xiaomin Yang. Mr. Yin and Ms. Wang filed objection to such unlawful change to the Haidian AIC. On March 19, 2020, Haidian AIC issued an official decision (“AIC Decision”) declaring that (i) the unauthorized documents filed are forged and fake documents; (ii) the filing of change of directors with the forged documents is null and void; (iii) the unlawful filing to change the directors will be removed and the registration of Mr. Yin, Ms. Wang and Mr. Mao as directors of Sinovac Beijing will be restored. The parties of material interest concerned in the AIC Decision may raise objection or file a lawsuit within 60 days. No one has filed the objection or lawsuit against the AIC Decision within 60 days thereof.

On May 31, 2019, Heng Ren Investments LP (“Heng Ren”) filed suit against Sinovac and Mr. Yin for alleged breach of fiduciary duties and wrongful equity dilution, in Massachusetts state court. Sinovac removed the matter from state court to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Heng Ren alleged that Mr. Yin breached fiduciary duties owed to minority shareholders, that Sinovac aided and abetted breaches of fiduciary duties, and that both Sinovac and Mr. Yin engaged in wrongful equity dilution. Heng Ren requested damages, attorneys’ fees, and prejudgment interest. On September 14, 2020, Sinovac filed a motion to dismiss Heng Ren’s claims. In July 2021, Sinovac moved to dismiss Heng Ren’s amended complaint in the federal court in Massachusetts. On March 4, 2022, the court granted the motion as to the breach of fiduciary duty claims and denied the motion as to the wrongful equity dilution claim. Sinovac is presently appealing the denial to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and has answered the complaint.

We cannot predict the outcome of our ongoing litigation, including whether we will prevail. We also cannot predict how the litigation may affect our share price, which could be volatile during the pendency of each suit and following its conclusion. Preparing for the litigation, or any related litigation or related matters, has caused us to incur significant costs and we expect these costs to continue until the litigation concludes. In addition, preparing for litigation is time-consuming and may disrupt our operations and divert the attention of management and our employees from executing our strategic plan. In addition, the uncertainties as to the composition of the board of directors of Sinovac Antigua may materially and adversely affect business in unpredictable ways, which, in turn, could cause our revenue, earnings and operating cash flows to be materially and adversely affected.

The ongoing litigation regarding the Rights Agreement could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations and our financial condition.

On March 5, 2018, we filed a lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware seeking a determination whether the Shareholder Group had triggered the Rights Agreement, by forming a group holding approximately 45% of outstanding shares, in excess of the Right Agreement’s threshold of 15%, and acting in concert prior to the 2017 AGM. The Rights Agreement is intended to promote the fair and equal treatment of all Sinovac shareholders and ensure that no person or group can gain control of Sinovac through undisclosed voting arrangements, open market accumulation or other tactics potentially disadvantaging the interest of all our shareholders.

On April 12, 2018, 1Globe filed an amended answer to our complaint, counterclaims, and a third-party complaint against Mr. Weidong Yin alleging, among other allegations, that the Rights Agreement is not valid, that Mr. Yin and the Buyer Consortium (comprising Mr. Yin, SAIF partners IV L.P., or SAIF, C-Bridge Healthcare Fund II, L.P., Advantech Capital L.P., Vivo Capital Fund VIII, L.P. and Vivo Capital Surplus Fund VIII, L.P.) had previously triggered the Rights Agreement, and that 1Globe did not trigger the Rights Agreement. The Chiang Li Family and OrbiMed filed similar responses. We, and our board of directors, believe that the actions taken by our board of directors were appropriate

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under the circumstances and in the interests of our company and all our shareholders. We also believe that the allegations in the counterclaim and third-party complaint are without merit. 1Globe asks for various measures of equitable relief and also includes a claim for its costs, including attorneys’ fees. On March 6, 2019, the Delaware Court entered a status quo order preventing us from distributing Exchange Shares (defined below) to any shareholders or otherwise take any action pursuant to the Rights Agreement until the conclusion of the Delaware litigation or Court order. The case is stayed pending resolution of parallel litigation in Antigua, which we anticipate will resume following the conclusion of the Antigua litigation.

Following a trial on the validity of the Sinovac Antigua’s Rights Agreement, on December 19, 2018, the Antigua Court held that Sinovac Antigua’s Rights Agreement is valid under Antigua law, and found that “there was a secret plan to take control of the Company” at the 2017 AGM by the Shareholder Group. On February 18, 2019, after reviewing the Court’s judgment and considering all additional facts known to the Board, the Board determined that the Shareholder Group, together with their affiliates and associates (collectively, the “Collaborating Shareholders”) became Acquiring Persons on or prior to the 2017 AGM and that their conduct resulted in a “Trigger Event” under Sinovac Antigua’s Rights Agreement. Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, our board of directors elected to exchange (the “Exchange”) each valid and outstanding preferred share purchase right held by Sinovac Antigua’s shareholders (not including the Collaborating Shareholders) for a combination of 0.655 of Sinovac Antigua’s common shares and 0.345 of Sinovac Antigua’s newly created Series B Convertible preferred shares (the “Series B Preferred Shares” and, together, each an “Exchange Share”). On February 22, 2019, the Exchange Shares were issued into the Shareholder 2019 Rights Exchange Trust in the name of Wilmington Trust, National Association, which holds the Exchange Shares for the benefit of Sinovac Antigua’s shareholders (not including the Collaborating Shareholders). 1Globe filed notice to appeal the Antigua Court’s judgment on January 29, 2019. On April 4, 2019, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Court of Appeal issued an order that restrains Sinovac Antigua from taking further action under its Rights Agreement, including the distribution of the previously issued Exchange Shares, until the conclusion of such appeal. 1Globe’s appeal of the Antigua Court’s Judgment was heard on September 18, 2019. On December 9, 2021, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment, dismissing all grounds of appeal and upholding the Antigua Judgment. The Court of Appeal also confirmed that Sinovac Antigua’s Rights Agreement was consistent with its Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, and Antiguan business law. 1Globe applied for leave to appeal to the Privy Council, and the hearing of the application was held on February 24, 2022, in which the Court of Appeal refused 1Globe’s application to take the issue of the Rights Agreement to the Privy Council. In January 2022, the Court of Appeal extended the order initially made on April 4, 2019, that restrains Sinovac Antigua from taking further action under its Rights Agreement, including the distribution of the previously issued Exchange Shares, until the conclusion of any appeal to the Privy Council.

We cannot predict the outcome of the litigation. Preparing for this litigation, or any related litigation or related matters, has caused us to incur significant costs and we expect these costs to continue until the litigation concludes. In addition, preparing for this litigation is time-consuming and may disrupt our operations and divert the attention of management and our employees from executing our strategic plan.

Our ongoing litigation against 1Globe and The Chiang Li Family claiming violations of U.S. federal securities laws could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations and our financial condition.

On March 5, 2018, Sinovac Antigua filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for Massachusetts alleging violations of Section 13(d) and Section 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) by 1Globe and The Chiang Li Family. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that the defendant shareholders failed to make required disclosures on Schedule 13D regarding their intentions to attempt to replace Sinovac Antigua’s board of directors. 1Globe counterclaimed to allege violations of securities laws; specifically, abuse of process, negligent misrepresentation, and fraudulent misrepresentation by Sinovac Antigua.

The litigation is currently stayed pending resolution of the parallel litigation in Antigua, and we cannot predict when or how the litigation will be resolved. There can be no assurance that we will prevail in this litigation. Preparing for this litigation, or any related litigation or related matters may result in significant costs to our company or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Disruptive actions taken by the minority shareholder of Sinovac Beijing caused suspension of production, destruction of products and disruption of our website, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Sinovac Beijing, our principal operating subsidiary, is a Sino-foreign equity joint venture in which we own a 73.09% interest and Sinobioway Bio-medicine Co., Ltd., formerly named Xiamen Bioway Group Co., Ltd (“Sinobioway Medicine”), owns a 26.91% interest. Recent events suggest that Sinobioway Medicine’s interests are not aligned with our interests. We cannot assure that Sinobioway Medicine will be cooperative with us in handling matters related to the operations of Sinovac Beijing.

As the minority shareholder of Sinovac Beijing, according to Sinovac Beijing’s articles of association, Sinobioway Medicine has the right to assign a director to the five-director board of Sinovac Beijing, and the director assigned by Sinobioway Medicine is the legal representative of Sinovac Beijing. Accordingly, the representative of Sinobioway Medicine has the ability to take actions that bind Sinovac Beijing or to block any action that requires unanimous board approval. In addition, if we wish to transfer our equity interest in Sinovac Beijing, in whole or in part, to a third party, Sinobioway Medicine has a right of first refusal to purchase our interest in accordance with relevant PRC regulations.

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Sinobioway Medicine, the minority shareholder of Sinovac Beijing, has additional rights under the joint venture contract and articles of association of Sinovac Beijing. The joint venture contract and articles of association require the consent of each of Sinovac Beijing’s shareholders and/or unanimous board approval on matters such as a major change in the business line of the company, expansion or amendment of the business scope of the company, transfer of the registered capital by a shareholder, creation of a mortgage or pledge upon the company’s assets, a change in the organizational form of the company and designation or removal of the general manager.

In February 2018, Mr. Aihua Pan, the representative of Sinobioway Medicine, sent letters without the approval of the full board of Sinovac Beijing, to Mr. Yin, Ms. Wang, and other senior managers of Sinovac Beijing purporting to terminate their employment. The board of directors of Sinovac Beijing subsequently determined, with the advice of PRC legal counsel, that this action did not conform with the joint venture contract and articles of association and was unlawful. On March 5, 2018, Sinovac Biotech announced actions taken to enhance the corporate governance and management of Sinovac Beijing, including the appointment of Mr. Dawei Mao, Chairman of Zhongke Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., as a director of Sinovac Beijing. He replaced Ms. Xiaomin Yang, the current President of Sinobioway Group Co., Ltd. In addition, in March 2018, Mr. Yin, Ms. Wang, and other senior managers of Sinovac Beijing signed new employment agreements with Sinovac Biotech Ltd. and Sinovac Beijing.

On April 17, 2018, Mr. Aihua Pan and dozens of unidentified individuals forcibly entered Sinovac Beijing’s corporate offices and limited the physical movements of employees in Sinovac Beijing’s general manager’s office and finance department in an attempt to wrongfully take control of Sinovac Beijing’s official seal, legal documents, accounting seal, financial documents and financial information systems. In addition, these individuals disrupted Sinovac Beijing’s hepatitis A vaccine production and seasonal flu vaccine production by cutting power, seriously impacting Sinovac Beijing’s production and manufacturing processes and possibly damaging product quality. Due to these disruptive actions, Sinovac Beijing was forced to destroy the affected products. To maintain product safety, Sinovac Beijing temporarily suspended production at the impacted facility, though production has resumed at this facility months later. Sinovac Beijing was also forced to destroy the bacterial seeds intended for use in the production of its 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (“PPV”) and to suspend all preparations for and ultimately postpone the inspection by NMPA, formerly known as the PRC State Food and Drug Administration, of the manufacturing site necessary for 23-valent PPV production approval. On September 17, 2020, the Fourth Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing (“Beijing Fourth Court”) issued a judgment holding Sinobioway Medicine and Mr. Aihua Pan liable for torts and breaches of shareholders fiduciary duty under the PRC Company Law and liable for Sinovac Beijing’s losses of RMB 15.4 million caused by their disruptive actions. Sinovac Beijing, Sinobioway Medicine and Mr. Aihua Pan filed notice to appeal to the Higher People’s Court of Beijing Municipality. The Higher People’s Court of Beijing Municipality held a hearing in September 2021. This case is pending the verdict or ruling of the Higher People’s Court of Beijing Municipality as of the date of this annual report.

On November 15, 2021, Sinobioway Medicine filed a complaint against Sinovac Beijing and Sinovac Hong Kong in Beijing Fourth Court. The complaint sought to dissolve and liquidate Sinovac Beijing with the argument that the board of directors of Sinovac Beijing has been unable to function for the benefit of the company and the two shareholders of Sinovac Beijing have gotten into a deadlock. Beijing Fourth Court has not yet arranged the evidence exchange and court hearings. The case is pending further notice and arrangement from Beijing Fourth Court.

In November 2021, Sinobioway Medicine filed a complaint against Sinovac LS, Sinovac Hong Kong, Mr. Weidong Yin and Keding Investment (Hong Kong) Limited with Beijing Fourth Court, claiming that Sinovac LS has infringed the legitimate rights of Sinovac Beijing when doing the research and development of CoronaVac. Sinobioway Medicine listed Sinovac Beijing as a third party in the case. Beijing Fourth Court has not yet decided when to have the first hearing. The case is pending further notice and arrangement from Beijing Fourth Court.

These and other actions taken by the representative of Sinobioway Medicine may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also cannot assure you that the representative of Sinobioway Medicine will cease from interfering with our business.

We do not currently intend to hold an annual general meeting of shareholders until after the final determination of the litigation concerning the Rights Agreement, which will delay the ability of our shareholders to vote in an election of our directors.

With the ongoing litigations concerning the Exchange and the Rights Agreement, we have not been able to hold an annual meeting of shareholders since February 2018, and will not be able to hold an annual meeting of shareholders before the final determination of such litigations. Therefore, our shareholders will not have the opportunity to vote in an election of our directors for an indeterminate amount of time. If our shareholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the final determination of these ongoing litigations, they may attempt to force us to hold one under Antigua law.

We may not achieve the expected return on our investment in Sinovac (Dalian) Vaccine Technology Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Dalian”).

In November 2009, we entered into an agreement with Dalian Jin Gang Group to establish Sinovac Dalian. In January 2010, we established Sinovac Dalian to focus on the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of vaccines, such as mumps and varicella for human use. Pursuant to the joint venture agreement, we made an initial cash contribution of RMB 60.0 million in exchange for a 30% equity interest in Sinovac Dalian, and Dalian Jin Gang Group made an asset contribution of RMB 140.0 million, including the manufacturing facilities, production lines and land use rights, in exchange for the remaining 70% interest in Sinovac Dalian. In December 2010, we purchased an additional 25% equity interest in Sinovac Dalian from Dalian Jin Gang Group for consideration of RMB 50.0 million. In October 2016, we increased our ownership in Sinovac Dalian to 67.86% by making an additional RMB 80.0 million capital contribution. In November 2020, we increased our ownership in Sinovac Dalian to 68% by converting RMB 46.6 million loan into capital. In 2021 we did not provide any loan to Sinovac Dalian, and provided a loan of RMB 17 million and RMB 30 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively, to Sinovac Dalian. We cannot assure that Sinovac

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Dalian’s business, covering the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of vaccines, such as mumps and varicella, will be successful. As such, we could incur related impairment charges in the future. Any failure to achieve the expected return on our investment in Sinovac Dalian may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The interests of the minority shareholder of Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac Life Sciences Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac LS”, formerly known as Sinovac Research and Development Co., Ltd.) and Sinovac Dalian may diverge from our own, which may adversely affect our ability to manage these subsidiaries.

We are the majority shareholder of and have equity interests in Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac LS and Sinovac Dalian. If our interests diverge from those of our minority shareholders, they may exercise their rights under the relevant articles of association, shareholder’s agreement or joint venture contracts of each of such subsidiaries and the relevant PRC laws to protect their own interests, which may substantially differ from ours. As a result, our ability to manage these subsidiaries may be adversely affected, which in turn may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Recent disruptive actions taken by Sinobioway Medicine has shown that its interests are not aligned with ours. We cannot assure that Sinobioway Medicine will be cooperative in handling matters related to the operations of Sinovac Beijing in the future.

As of the date of this annual report, Dalian Jin Gang Group has been cooperating with us with respect to the business of Sinovac Dalian, and the minority shareholders of Sinovac LS have been aligned with us with respect to the business of Sinovac LS. We cannot assure, however, that these minority shareholders will continue to act in a cooperative manner in the future.

Our growth may be adversely affected if market demand for our vaccine products and product candidates does not meet our expectations. We may encounter problems of inadequate supply or oversupply, which would materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and would also damage our reputation and brand.

The production of vaccine products is a lengthy and complex process. As a result, our inability to match our production to market demand may result in a failure to meet market demand, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and could also damage our reputation and corporate brand. For example, many patients receive their seasonal flu vaccinations in the three-month period from September to November in anticipation of an upcoming flu season and we expect this period to be one of the most significant sales periods for this product each year. In anticipation of the flu season, we intend to build up inventory of our influenza vaccine product in line with what we believe will be the anticipated demand for the product. If actual demand does not meet our expectations, we may be required to write off significant inventory and may otherwise experience adverse consequences in our financial condition. If we overestimate demand, we may purchase more raw materials than required. If we underestimate demand, our third-party suppliers may have inadequate raw material inventories, which could interrupt our manufacturing, delay shipments and result in lost sales.

If we are unable to enroll sufficient subjects and identify clinical investigators for our clinical trials, our development programs could be delayed or terminated.

The rate of completion of our clinical trials significantly depends on the rate of enrollment of volunteers. Patients’ enrollment is a function of many factors, including:

We may have difficulty in obtaining sufficient volunteer subjects’ enrollment or finding qualified investigators to conduct the clinical trials as planned and we may need to expend substantial funds to obtain access to resources or delay or modify our plans significantly. These considerations may lead us to consider the termination of development of a product for a particular indication.

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A setback in any of our clinical trials could adversely affect our share price.

Clinical trials are an important part of vaccine research before any vaccine is approved for commercial use in humans. Setbacks in any phase of the clinical trials of our product candidates could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects and financial results and would likely cause a decline in the price of our common shares. We may not achieve our projected development goals in the time frames we announce and expect. If we fail to achieve one or more milestones as contemplated, the market price of our common shares could decline.

We set goals for, and make public statements regarding, our anticipated timing of the accomplishment of objectives material to our success, such as the commencement and completion of clinical trials and other milestones. The actual timing of these events can vary significantly due to factors such as delays or failures in our clinical trials, the uncertainties inherent in the regulatory approval process and delays in achieving manufacturing or marketing arrangements sufficient to commercialize our products. We may not complete our clinical trials or make regulatory submissions or receive regulatory approvals as planned. Also, we may not be able to adhere to our anticipated schedule for the launch of any of our products. If we fail to achieve one or more milestones as contemplated, the market price of our shares could decline.

We rely on third parties to conduct clinical trials, who may not perform their duties satisfactorily.

After we obtain approval to conduct clinical trials for our product candidates, we rely on qualified research organizations, medical institutions and clinical investigators to enroll qualified patients and conduct clinical trials. Our reliance on these third parties for clinical development activities reduces our control over the clinical trial process. Furthermore, these third parties may also have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. If these third parties do not fulfill their contractual obligations, including failing to meet expected deadlines, we may not succeed or may experience delays in our efforts to obtain regulatory approvals and commercialize our vaccine candidates.

If any of our third-party suppliers or manufacturers cannot adequately meet our needs, our business could be harmed.

While we use raw materials and other key material supplies that are generally available from multiple commercial sources, certain raw materials that we use to cultivate our influenza vaccines, such as embryonated eggs, are in short supply or difficult for suppliers to produce in accordance with our specifications. Certain raw materials are from single-sourced suppliers, while we are expanding our supplier portfolio for supply alternatives, however, any efforts to substitute key materials from an alternate source may be delayed as they may require regulatory approval. Moreover, regulatory approvals to market our products may be conditioned upon obtaining certain materials from specified sources. The COVID-19 pandemic has also created a sudden surge in material used in COVID-19 vaccine and medical supplies. If third-party suppliers were to cease production or otherwise fail to supply us with quality raw materials, and if we were unable to contract on acceptable terms for these materials with alternative suppliers, our ability to deliver our products to the market would be adversely affected.

In addition, if we fail to secure supply sources for some of the raw materials we use, our business could be harmed. For example, we sourced hepatitis B antigens entirely from Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Biological”) for Bilive production. Although we are developing our own hepatitis B vaccine, before it is approved to be commercialized, we have to rely on the supplier to receive hepatitis B antigen. We and Beijing Biological agreed to enter into annual hepatitis B antigens supply agreements after our previous ten-year exclusive supply framework agreement expired in October 2012. Beijing Biological supplied hepatitis B antigens to us from July 2013 to June 2015 based on the annual supply agreement. Thereafter, Beijing Biological ceased its hepatitis B antigens production due to facilities renovation. We are working closely with Beijing Biological to resume production of Bilive.

Our business is highly seasonal. This seasonality will contribute to our operating results fluctuating considerably throughout the year.

The seasonality in our business is expected to result in significant quarterly fluctuations in our ongoing operating results. For example, the influenza season generally runs from November through March of the next year and the largest percentage of influenza vaccinations is administered between September and November of each year. As a result, we expect to realize most of our annual revenues from influenza vaccines during this period.

We rely on a limited number of facilities for the manufacturing of our products in accordance with relevant regulatory requirements. Any disruption to our existing manufacturing facilities or in the development of new facilities could reduce or restrict our sales and harm our reputation.

According to the China GMP guidelines, each vaccine product can only be produced in a dedicated production facility. In Beijing, we conduct the primary production of each vaccine in dedicated production plants at our Shangdi site, Changping site and Daxing site, and secondary filling and packaging at our Changping and Daxing site. In Dalian, we manufacture mumps and varicella vaccine at one facility. We do not maintain back-up primary production facilities for our currently available products, so we are dependent on our existing facilities for the continued operation of our business.

As described more fully above, a representative of Sinobioway Medicine, who was the Chairman of the board of directors of Sinovac Beijing, and dozens of unidentified individuals forcibly entered Sinovac Beijing’s corporate offices and disrupted Sinovac Beijing’s hepatitis A vaccine production and seasonal flu vaccine production by cutting power to our Shangdi site, seriously impacting Sinovac Beijing’s production and

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manufacturing processes and possibly damaging product quality. Due to the actions of the representative of Sinobioway Medicine, Sinovac Beijing was forced to destroy the affected products. To maintain product safety, Sinovac Beijing temporarily decided to stop production at the impacted facility, though production subsequently resumed.

Natural disasters or other unanticipated catastrophic events, including power interruptions, water shortages, storms, fires, earthquakes and terrorist attacks, could significantly impair our ability to manufacture products and operate business and could also delay our research and development activities. Our facilities and certain equipment located in these facilities would be difficult to replace and could require substantial replacement lead-time. Catastrophic events may also destroy any inventory located in our facilities.

We do not maintain any business interruption insurance to cover lost income as a result of any such events. The occurrence of such events could materially and adversely affect our business. We may build additional manufacturing facilities in the future. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to expand our manufacturing capabilities to or realize the anticipated benefits of our new facilities. Any of these factors could reduce or restrict our sales, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may need additional capital to upgrade or expand our production capabilities, to continue development of our product pipeline and to market existing and future products on a large scale. We cannot guarantee that we will find adequate sources of capital in the future.

In the future, we may need to raise additional funds to finance equipment expenditures, to acquire intellectual property, to further expand the production facility for our pipeline products, to continue the development and commercialization of our product candidates and to fund other corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $11,620 million in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. We may undertake significant future financings in order to:

In the past, we funded most of our research and development and other expenditures through government grants, working capital, bank loans and proceeds from private placements and public offerings of our common shares. We may raise additional funds in the future because our current operating and capital resources may be insufficient to meet future requirements.

Sinovac Antigua is authorized to issue 100,000,000 common shares, 99,502,243 of which are issued and outstanding. To increase the number of authorized common shares, we must amend Sinovac Antigua’s Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, which requires (i) the majority of common shares be present for a quorum, and (ii) affirmative vote of two thirds of common shares (excluding Series B Preferred Shares) present and voting at the general meeting. We cannot assure that Sinovac Antigua will be able to collect sufficient affirmative votes to amend its Articles of Incorporation and By-laws. If we fail to increase the number of authorized commons shares of Sinovac Antigua, we will lack common shares for future issuance of equity securities.

If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, it will result in further dilution to our existing shareholders because the shares may be sold when the market price is low and shares issued in equity financing transactions will normally be sold at a discount to the current market price. Any additional equity securities issued also may provide for rights, preferences or privileges senior or otherwise preferential to those of holders of our existing common shares. Unforeseen problems including materially negative developments relating to, among other things, disease developments, product sales, new product rollouts, clinical trials, research and development programs, our strategic relationships, our intellectual property, litigation, regulatory changes in our industry, the Chinese market generally or general economic conditions, could interfere with our ability to raise additional funds or materially and adversely affect the terms upon which such funding is available.

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If we raise additional funds by issuing debt securities, these debt securities would have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common shares, and the terms of the debt securities issued could impose significant restrictions on our operations. If we raise additional funds through collaborations and licensing arrangements, we might be required to relinquish significant rights to certain of our technologies, marketing territories, product candidates or products that we would otherwise seek to develop or commercialize ourselves, or be required to grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. In the past, we have received different types of grants from the PRC government to finance the research and development and facility investment of our vaccine products. We may not receive additional grants in the future.

As described above, the actions of the Shareholder Group leading up to and at the 2017 AGM resulted in uncertainties as to the future direction of our company and the composition of our board of directors. As a result of these uncertainties, we do not know whether additional financing will be available to us on commercially acceptable terms when needed. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to continue developing our products. In any such event, our ability to bring a product to market and earn revenues could be delayed and competitors could develop products sooner than we do. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We issued approximately 27.8 million common shares and 14.6 million Series B Preferred Shares in connection with the Exchange, and could issue additional common shares or Series B Preferred Shares, or one or more additional series of preferred shares with the effect of diluting existing shareholders and impairing their voting and other rights

Our articles of incorporation authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 common shares and 50,000,000 preferred shares with designations, rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. On February 22, 2019, in connection with the Exchange, we issued approximately 27.8 million common shares and 14.6 million Series B Preferred Shares for the benefit of the holders of valid and outstanding Rights as of that date. This issuance had the effect of significantly diluting the holdings of the shareholders that are not entitled to participate in the Exchange.

The Series B Preferred Shares share equally in all dividends and distributions made on our common shares and vote together with the common shares on all matters brought before the shareholders, in each case on an as-converted basis and subject to applicable law. The Series B Preferred Shares are convertible into common shares at our option, or automatically upon a successful shareholder vote to increase the authorized number of Sinovac Antigua’s common shares. Until the Series B Preferred Shares are converted into common shares (or until the Series B Preferred Shares are listed on a nationally recognized securities exchange), they will earn a preferred dividend equal to $0.41 per annum, payable quarterly in arrears. As a result of the ongoing litigation described elsewhere, there can be no assurance that this preferred share dividend will be paid in a timely manner, if at all.

Our board is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue one or more additional series of preferred shares with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could dilute the interest of, or impair the voting power of, our common shareholders. The issuance of such additional series of preferred shares, or the issuance of additional common shares, could be used as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control.

The PIPE Investors (as defined below) may exercise influence over us, including through their ability to influence matters requiring the approval of holders of our Common Shares or Series A Preferred Shares.

On July 2, 2018, we completed a private placement of our common shares (the “PIPE”) with private investors Vivo Capital and Advantech Capital (the “PIPE Investors”), whereby we received gross proceeds of $86.73 million. The proceeds of this offering will be used to increase our capabilities in research relating to quality control and to build additional production facilities to support the development and commercialization of sabin inactivated polio vaccine (“sIPV”) -based combination vaccine and other new vaccine projects. These investments have not yet been made due in part to the disruptive actions of certain of our shareholders and the related litigation, which remains ongoing.

The shares owned by the PIPE Investors currently represent approximately 20.68% of the voting rights in respect of our share capital (after taking into account the shares issued in the Exchange under the Rights Agreement). Further, the PIPE Investors are entitled to appoint a designee and observer to Sinovac Antigua’s board of directors. Accordingly, the PIPE Investors may have the ability to influence the direction of Sinovac Antigua or the outcome of most matters submitted for the vote of our shareholders. In any of these matters, the interests of the PIPE Investors may differ from or conflict with the interests of our other shareholders.

In connection with the PIPE, Sinovac Antigua entered into a shareholders agreement with the PIPE Investors, pursuant to which the PIPE Investors agreed to vote their shares affirmatively in favor of all of the director designees nominated to serve on Sinovac Antigua’s board of directors, and the PIPE Investors agreed to transfer restrictions with respect to their shares and a standstill provision, which, among other things, bars each PIPE Investor and its affiliates from acquiring in excess of 10% of the share capital of Sinovac Antigua.

In addition, the PIPE Investors are in the business of making investments in companies and may, from time to time, acquire interests in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with our business, as well as businesses that are significant existing or potential customers.

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If we are unable to attract, train, retain and motivate our third-party marketing agents, sales of our products may be materially and adversely affected.

We rely on our third-party marketing agents, who are dispersed across China, to market our products to CDCs and other healthcare institutions. We believe that our future success will depend on the dedication, efforts and performance of our third-party marketing agents. There are only limited numbers of competent and qualified marketing agents in the China vaccine industry. Our competitors may provide commissions or other economic incentives to third-party marketing agents significantly above the market standard, which may cause such agents to cease marketing our products. If we are unable to attract, train, retain and motivate our marketing agents, sales of our products may be materially and adversely affected.

Anti-corruption measures taken by the PRC government to correct corruptive practices in the vaccine industry could adversely affect our sales and reputation.

The PRC government has taken anti-corruption measures to correct corrupt practices. In the vaccine industry, such practices include, among others, acceptance of kickbacks, bribery or other illegal gains or benefits by the officials of CDCs in connection with recommendation of a certain vaccine. We do not control the business activities of our third-party marketing agents, who might engage in corrupt practices to promote our products, which may be unknown to us. While we maintain strict anti-corruption policies applicable to our internal sales force and third-party marketing agents, these policies may not be completely effective. If any individual of our sales staff or any of our third-party marketing agents engages in corrupt practices and the PRC government takes enforcement action, our own practices and the market agents’ practices may be checked or investigated. If this occurs, our sales and reputation may be materially and adversely affected.

Some of the predecessor shareholders of Sinovac Beijing were enterprises owning state-owned assets (“EOSAs”). Their failures to comply with PRC legal requirements in asset or share transfers could, under certain circumstances, result in such transfers being invalidated by government authorities. If this occurs, we could lose our ownership of intellectual property rights that are vital to our business as well as our equity ownership in Sinovac Beijing.

Sinovac Beijing is currently owned 73.09% by us and 26.91% by Sinobioway Medicine. The technologies related to our hepatitis A vaccine, hepatitis A and B vaccine and influenza vaccine that are vital to our business were directly or indirectly transferred to us by Tangshan Yian Biological Engineering Co., Ltd. (“Tangshan Yian”). Some of the predecessor shareholders of Sinovac Beijing, including Shenzhen Kexing Biological Engineering Ltd. (“Shenzhen Kexing”), Sinobioway Medicine, Tangshan Medicine Biotech Co., Ltd., Tangshan Yikang Biotech Co., Ltd. and Tangshan Yian, were EOSAs. Under applicable PRC laws, when EOSAs sell, transfer or assign assets or equity investments in their possession or under their control to third parties, they are required to obtain an independent appraisal of the transferred assets or shares and file such appraisal with or obtain approval of such appraisal from PRC government authorities. Since 2004, EOSAs have also been required to make such assets or equity transfers at government-designated marketplaces. Certain of our acquisitions of intellectual property rights and equity interests were subject to these requirements.

Tangshan Yian failed to file with the government authorities the appraisal of the hepatitis A vaccine technology that it transferred to Sinovac Beijing in 2001 as its capital contribution to Sinovac Beijing. Under PRC laws, Tangshan Yian also failed to:

These failures subject us to the risk of losing ownership or control of these vaccine technologies.

In addition, before we acquired our 73.09% equity interest in Sinovac Beijing, it had undergone multiple changes in its shareholders and the amounts held by its shareholders. Some of the EOSA shareholders of Sinovac Beijing have sold, transferred or assigned their respective equity interests in Sinovac Beijing without fully complying with laws to appraise the equity interests, to file such appraisals with or obtain regulatory approval of such appraisals from PRC government authorities or to make equity interest transfers at the government-designated marketplaces as required for transactions completed after 2004. Similar to the asset transfers, such failures subject us to the risk of losing the ownership or control of our equity interest in Sinovac Beijing.

PRC government authorities may take court actions to invalidate the transfers of the assets or equity investments discussed above for non-compliance with applicable appraisal, filing, approval and designated marketplace requirements. The government authorities could take such legal actions and such legal actions, if commenced, could be successful. If these transfers are invalidated, we would lose title to these assets and investments. Because we depend on these technologies and because Sinovac Beijing constitutes core part of our operations, our loss of these technologies or equity interest in Sinovac Beijing would materially and adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

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The Rights Agreement and certain provisions of our By-laws may discourage a change of control.

In March 2016, we adopted the Rights Agreement that provides for the issuance of one right (a “Right”) for each of our outstanding common shares. We amended and restated the Rights Agreement in February 2019 that provides for the issuance of one Right for each of our outstanding common shares and Series B Preferred Shares. In February 2020, we further amended the amended and restated Rights Agreement to extend its term until February 2021. The Rights are designed to assure that all of our shareholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover and to guard against partial tender offers, open market accumulations, undisclosed voting arrangements and other abusive or coercive tactics to gain control of our company or our board of directors without paying all shareholders a control premium. The Rights will cause substantial dilution to a person or group that acquires 15% or more of the aggregate total of common shares and Series B Preferred Shares on terms not approved by our board of directors.

On December 9, 2021, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment, dismissing all grounds of appeal and upholding the Antigua Judgment. The Court of Appeal also confirmed that Sinovac Antigua’s Rights Agreement was consistent with its Articles of Incorporation and By-laws, and Antiguan business law. 1Globe applied for leave to appeal to the Privy Council, and the hearing of the application was held on February 24, 2022, at which the Court of Appeal refused 1Globe’s application to take the issue of the validity of the Rights Agreement to the Privy Council, but granted leave to appeal on certain other grounds. As described above, on April 21, 2022, 1Globe renewed its application to further appeal the judgment of the Court of Appeal that the Rights Agreement is valid, directly to the Privy Council. If 1Globe is successful in its appeal of this element of the judgment, our shareholders will not benefit from the protections of the Rights Agreement and our company may be subject to abusive or coercive tactics by certain shareholders to gain control of our company or our board of directors without paying all shareholders a control premium. On April 4, 2019, the Court of Appeal issued an order restraining our company from taking further action under the Rights Agreement, including the distribution of the previously issued Exchange Shares, until the conclusion of the appeal of the judgment. The parties have agreed a continuation of this interim injunction that restrains our company from taking further action under the Rights Agreement until the appeal process at the Privy Council is complete.

The Delaware litigation is stayed pending the resolution of the litigation in Antigua. The Delaware Court’s status quo order prevents us from distributing Exchange Shares to any shareholders or otherwise taking any action pursuant to the Rights Agreement until the conclusion of the Delaware litigation or Court order, which we anticipate will resume following the conclusion of the Antigua litigation.

On February 21, 2021 and 2022, we entered into the second and third amendments to the Rights Agreement, respectively, to extend the expiration date of the rights contained therein from February 22, 2021 to February 22, 2023.

Some provisions of our By-laws may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preferred shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders.

These provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many shareholders. As a result, shareholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares.

We depend on our key personnel, the loss of whom would adversely affect our operations. If we fail to attract and retain the talent required for our business, our business will be materially harmed.

We had 4,281 full-time employees as of December 31, 2021 and we depend to a great extent on principal members of our management and scientific teams. If we lose the services of any key personnel, in particular Mr. Weidong Yin, the loss could significantly impede the key decision making on strategic choices and operational issues, which in turn will harm our business achievement. We do not have any key man life insurance policies. We have entered into employment agreements with our executive officers, under which they have agreed to restrictive covenants relating to non-competition and non-solicitation. These employment agreements do not, however, guarantee that we will be able to retain the services of all our executive officers in the future.

As described above, a representative of Sinobioway Medicine, who was the Chairman of the board of directors of Sinovac Beijing, sent letters without the approval of the full board of Sinovac Beijing, to Mr. Yin, Ms. Nan Wang, and other senior managers of Sinovac Beijing purporting to terminate their employment. The board of directors of Sinovac Beijing subsequently determined, with the advice of PRC legal counsel, that this action did not conform with the joint venture contract and the articles of association of Sinovac Beijing and was unlawful. As also described above, the representative of Sinobioway Medicine and dozens of unidentified individuals forcibly entered Sinovac Beijing’s corporate offices and limited the physical movements of employees in Sinovac Beijing’s general manager’s office and finance department in an attempt to wrongfully take control of Sinovac Beijing’s official seal, legal documents, accounting seal, financial documents and financial information systems. As a result of these actions, our ability to attract and retain the talent required for our business may be materially harmed.

In addition, recruiting and retaining additional qualified scientific, technical and managerial personnel and research partners will be critical to our success. Competition among biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for qualified employees in China is intense and turnover rates are high. There is a shortage of employees in China with expertise in our areas of research and clinical and regulatory affairs, and this shortage is likely to continue. In addition, we have a limited number of shares available for issuance under our share incentive award plan, which may affect our ability to retain and motivate our employees. We may not be able to retain existing personnel or attract and retain qualified staff in the future. If we fail to hire and retain personnel in key positions, we may be unable to develop or commercialize our product candidates in a timely manner.

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We may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We have experienced rapid and substantial growth and, if such growth continues, will place a strain on our administrative and operational infrastructure. We also plan to introduce new products to market that, if successful, could place a strain on our administrative and operational infrastructure. If we are unable to manage this growth effectively, our business, results of operations or financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. Our ability to manage our operations and growth effectively requires us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures and hiring programs. We may not be able to successfully implement these required improvements.

International expansion may be costly, time-consuming and difficult. If we do not successfully expand internationally, our growth strategy and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

We have entered into selected international markets and intend to continue to expand the sales of our products into new international markets. In expanding our business internationally, we have entered, and intend to continue to enter, markets in which we have limited or no experience and in which our brand may be less recognized. To promote our brand and generate demand for our products to attract distributors in international markets, we expect to spend significantly more on marketing and promotion than we do in our existing domestic markets when appropriate. We may be unable to attract a sufficient number of distributors, and our selected distributors may not be suitable for selling our products.

In new markets, we may fail to anticipate competitive conditions that are different from those in our existing markets. These competitive conditions may make it difficult or impossible for us to effectively operate in these markets. If our expansion efforts in existing and new internal markets are unsuccessful, our growth strategy and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

We are exposed to other risks associated with international operations, including:

We may undertake acquisitions which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage our business and may end up being unsuccessful.

Our growth strategy may involve the acquisition of new production lines, technologies, businesses, products or services or the creation of strategic alliances in areas in which we do not currently operate. These acquisitions and strategic alliances could require that our management develop expertise in new areas or new geographies, manage new business relationships and attract new types of customers. Furthermore, acquisitions may require significant attention from our management, and the diversion of our management’s attention and resources could have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage our business. We may experience difficulties integrating acquisitions into our existing business and operations. Future acquisitions may also expose us to potential risks, including risks associated with:

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We may be unable to ensure compliance with United States economic sanctions laws, especially when we sell our products to distributors over which we have limited control.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control administers certain laws and regulations that impose penalties upon U.S. persons and, in some instances, foreign entities owned or controlled by U.S. persons, for conducting activities or transacting business with certain countries, governments, entities or individuals subject to U.S. economic sanctions (“U.S. Economic Sanctions Laws”). We will not use any proceeds, directly or indirectly, from sales of our common shares, to fund any activities or business with any country, government, entity or individual with respect to which U.S. persons or, as appropriate, foreign entities owned or controlled by U.S. persons, are prohibited by U.S. Economic Sanctions Laws from conducting such activities or transacting such business.

However, we sell our products in international markets through independent non-U.S. distributors which are responsible for interacting with the end-users of our products. We may not be able to ensure that such non-U.S. distributors fully comply with all applicable U.S. Economic Sanctions Laws. As a result of the foregoing, actions could be taken against us that could materially and adversely affect our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our common shares.

Based on our estimates of the fair market value of our assets (subject to the discussion below) as well as the composition of our income and assets, we do not believe we were a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended December 31, 2021. However, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects, and we cannot assure that we will not be a PFIC for any taxable year. In general, a non-U.S. corporation will be a PFIC for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income for such year is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (generally based on a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. We must make a separate determination after the close of each taxable year as to whether we were a PFIC for that year. In particular, under normal circumstances, the value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC test for a particular taxable year would generally be determined by reference to the market price of our common shares at the end of each quarter during such taxable year, and fluctuations in such market price (or changes in the composition of our income or assets) could cause us to become a PFIC for any subsequent year. However, as a result of the suspension of trading in our shares, we are unable to reference the actual market prices of our common shares in determining our PFIC status. As a result, we have based our determination of the fair market value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC determination on our estimated enterprise value, which we estimated by reference to our earnings per share and number of outstanding shares, and a comparison of such earnings per share to the earnings per share of certain other companies in industries similar to ours that have shares listed on a U.S. stock exchange. We cannot provide any assurances that the actual value of our shares is not materially different on the applicable measurement dates from such estimated value or as to whether the U.S. Internal Revenue Service will respect our approach. This uncertainty will continue so long as trading in our shares remains suspended. In addition, the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we use the cash we generate from our operations or raise in any offering. If we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation”) holds our common shares, additional reporting requirements and certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. Holder. Please see “Item 10. Additional Information — E. Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation — Passive Foreign Investment Company.”

Negative publicity regarding vaccinations in China may lead to lower demand for vaccination, which could in turn negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In December 2013, it was reported that several infants died shortly after receiving inoculations of hepatitis B vaccine produced by a domestic company in China. NMPA and National Health and Family Planning Commission have determined that the inoculated hepatitis B vaccines comply with the applicable regulatory standards. In March 2016, media reported on improperly stored vaccines illegally sold in Shandong province and all across China. The illegal distribution started in 2010 and two suspects were detained by police in 2015. Although experts from the World Health Organization (“WHO”) have confidence in China’s vaccine industry and publicly clarified their position several times since

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news of this scandal broke, public concerns remain. In July 2018, Changchun Changsheng Life Science Co., Ltd. was found by the government to have falsified production records. Although the government has determined to levy a $1.3 billion fine on the company, such negative publicity has led to lower demand for vaccination in China in 2018, which has in turn negatively affected the whole vaccine industry.

As a foreign private issuer, we are subject to different U.S. securities laws and NASDAQ listing rules than domestic U.S. issuers.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of quarterly reports and proxy statements, and 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, as an Antigua and Barbuda company listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, we are subject to NASDAQ’s corporate governance requirements. However, NASDAQ listing rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to elect to follow home country corporate governance practices in lieu of certain NASDAQ corporate governance standards, subject to certain conditions. Certain corporate governance practices in Antigua and Barbuda, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NASDAQ standards. As a result of our status as a foreign private issuer, you may not be afforded the same information or protections that would be made available to you were you investing in a domestic U.S. issuer.

Trading of our common shares on NASDAQ has been halted since February 22, 2019.

In connection with the Exchange and the issuance of the Exchange Shares into the Shareholder 2019 Rights Exchange Trust, NASDAQ implemented a halt in trading in Sinovac Antigua’s common shares in order to facilitate the orderly distribution of the Exchange Shares. In light of the ongoing litigation concerning the Rights Agreement, there can be no assurance when or if this halt will be lifted. NASDAQ has continued listing standards that we must maintain on an ongoing basis in order to continue the listing of our common shares. If NASDAQ determines that we fail to meet these continued listing requirements, our common shares may be subject to delisting.

If our common shares are delisted and we are not able to list our common shares on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities would be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, our shareholders could face significant material adverse consequences, including limited availability of market quotations for our securities and reduced liquidity for the trading of our securities. In addition, we could experience a decreased ability to issue additional securities and obtain additional financing in the future.

Risks Related to Government Regulation

We may not be able to comply with applicable GMP standards and other regulatory requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are required to comply with applicable GMP regulations, which include, among other things, requirements relating to personnel, premises and equipment, raw material and products, qualification and validation, document management, production management, quality control and assurance and product distribution and recall. Manufacturing facilities must be approved by governmental authorities before they can be used to commercially manufacture our products and are subject to inspection by regulatory agencies. We had been required to comply with the new GMP standards implemented by NMPA since March 1, 2011 and all vaccine manufacturers were required to meet the new GMP standards and obtain certifications for their manufacturing facilities by December 31, 2013. Any manufacturer that failed to meet the deadline were forced to suspend production.

We have obtained the new GMP certificates for all of our commercial production facilities. However, we cannot assure that we will be able to continue to meet the applicable GMP standards and other regulatory requirements in the future.

In addition, in light of the incident where vaccines were illegally sold and distributed in Shandong province and other provinces around China in 2016, the government has changed policies and regulations related to the vaccine sales and distribution in China. Before the policy was issued, human vaccine sales were halted in China for months. The vaccine purchase and delivery were resumed in second half of 2016. We are not able to estimate whether there will be any other change of policies and regulations on our business in the future, which will negatively impact on business in the future.

The 2020 Chinese Pharmacopoeia came into effect on December 30, 2020. We have made a thorough assessment on the 2020 Chinese Pharmacopeia and updated our operation procedures according to the new regulatory requirements to ensure full compliance.

If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements at any stage during the regulatory process, including following any product approval, we may be subject to sanctions, including:

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We can only sell products that have received regulatory approvals. Many factors affect our ability to obtain such approvals.

Pre-clinical and clinical trials of our products, and the manufacturing and marketing of our products, are subject to extensive, costly and rigorous regulation by governmental authorities in the PRC and in other countries. Even if we complete pre-clinical and clinical trials successfully, we may not be able to obtain applicable regulatory approvals. We cannot market any product candidate until we have both completed our clinical trials and obtained the necessary regulatory approvals for that product candidate.

Conducting clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approvals are uncertain, time-consuming and expensive processes. The process of obtaining required regulatory approvals from NMPA and other regulatory authorities often takes many years and can vary significantly based on the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates. For example, it took us approximately ten years to develop and obtain regulatory approval to commercialize Healive, and it took us five and a half years and four and a half years to develop and obtain regulatory approvals to commercialize Bilive and Anflu, respectively. EV71 vaccine took us eight years from 2008 to 2016 to develop and obtain regulatory approvals.

There can be no assurance that all of the clinical trials pertaining to our vaccines in development will be completed within the timeframes currently anticipated by us. We could encounter difficulties in enrolling patients for clinical trials or encounter setbacks while conducting clinical trials that result in delays or cancellation. Data obtained from pre-clinical and clinical studies are subject to varying interpretations that could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approvals, and failure to observe regulatory requirements or inadequate manufacturing processes are examples of other problems that could prevent approvals. In addition, we may encounter delays or rejections in the event of additional regulation from future legislation, administrative action or changes in the NMPA policy or if unforeseen health risks become an issue with the participants of clinical trials.

Clinical trials may fail at any stage. Results of early trials frequently do not predict results of later trials, and acceptable results in early trials may not be repeated. For these reasons, we do not know whether regulatory authorities will grant approval for any of our product candidates in the future. In addition, production permits for our products are valid for five years and we need to apply for renewal six months prior to their expiration. The process to approve our renewal applications could be lengthy and there is no assurance that we will be granted renewal in a timely manner or at all.

Delays in obtaining NMPA foreign approvals of our products could result in substantial additional costs and adversely affect our ability to compete with other companies. Even if regulatory approval is ultimately granted, we may not maintain the approval and the approval may be withdrawn. Any approval received may also restrict the intended use and marketing of the product we want to commercialize.

Outside the PRC, our ability to market some of our potential products is contingent upon receiving marketing authorizations from the appropriate foreign regulatory authorities. For example, our hepatitis A vaccine, Healive, can be supplied to certain international organizations and is eligible to participate into the tender process in some countries as it has passed the WHO prequalification assessment (“WHO PQ”). However, there are still countries that require additional marketing authorization to sell in such countries despite the WHO PQ status. These foreign regulatory approval processes include the risks associated with the NMPA approval process described above and may include additional risks.

Because the medical conditions that our vaccines are intended to prevent represent significant public health threats, we are at risk of governmental actions detrimental to our business, such as product seizure, compulsory licensing and additional regulations.

In response to a pandemic or the perceived risk of a pandemic, governments in the PRC and other countries may take actions to protect their citizens that could affect our ability to control the production and export of pandemic vaccines or otherwise impose burdensome regulations on our business. For example, an outbreak of influenza and the COVID-19 pandemic could subject our manufacturing facilities to be mandated by the PRC government. The PRC government might grant compulsory licenses to allow our competitors to manufacture products that are protected by our patents or use our technology, using funds received from government agencies.

We deal with hazardous materials that may cause injury to others. These materials are regulated by environmental laws that may impose significant costs and restrictions on our business.

Our research and development programs and manufacturing operations involve the controlled use of potentially harmful biological materials and other hazardous materials. We cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury to our employees or others from the use, manufacture, storage, handling or disposal of hazardous materials and certain waste products. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and the liability could exceed our resources or applicable insurance coverage we may have.

We are also subject to PRC laws and regulations governing the construction and operation of production facilities that may have an impact on the environment and the use, manufacture, storage, handling or disposal of hazardous materials and waste products, such as the PRC Environmental Impact Assessment Law, the PRC Prevention and Control of Water Pollution Law and the PRC Environmental Protection Law, as well as waste-disposal standards set by relevant governmental agencies. It is likely that China will continue to adopt stricter pollution controls

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as the country is experiencing increasingly serious environmental pollution. Although our facilities have passed previous environmental examination conducted by the Beijing Municipal Environment Protection Bureau, we cannot assure that we will continue to pass similar environmental examinations on any future production facilities that we may construct.

We have already obtained the approval of the environmental impact assessment report from relevant regulatory authorities for our relevant construction plan of our facilities, however, we cannot assure that we will continue to obtain the approval on environmental impact assessment report for any future production facilities that we may construct. According to the PRC Environmental Impact Assessment Law, after the approval of previous environmental impact assessment report, if there is any material change in the nature, scale, location, production technology used and measures adopted to prevent damages to ecology, new environmental impact assessment reports need to be filed for approval. Moreover, we do not currently have a pollution and remediation insurance policy to mitigate any risk related to environmental pollution or violation of environmental law.

Failure to commence development of land which we have been granted right to use within the required timeframe may cause us to lose our land use rights.

Sinovac Dalian has land use rights to two parcels of land, with an aggregate area of 95,686 square meters (approximately 1,030,000 square feet) located in the Economic and Technical Development Zone of Dalian, Liaoning province by the local government. According to the relevant PRC regulations, a parcel of land may be treated as idle land if development of the land has not been commenced within one year after the commencement date stipulated in the land use rights grant contract or the issuance date of the construction land approval certificate. Land users can extend the deadline for commencing the construction work for one year.

All of our current facilities of Sinovac Dalian are located at one of the two parcels of the land with an aggregated area of 55,606 square meters (598,582 square feet). However, as of the date of this annual report, we have not commenced development of the other parcel of the land with 40,080 square meters (431,418 square feet) which Sinovac Dalian was granted the right to use. The PRC government may treat the land as idle land, in which case we may be required to pay idle land fees or penalties, change the intended use of the land, find another parcel of land, or even be required to forfeit the land to PRC government, any of which would adversely affect our financial condition.

Negative publicity regarding China-based companies listed in the United States may affect the trading price of our common shares and result in increased regulatory scrutiny of our business.

In the past, litigation and negative publicity surrounding companies with operations in China listed in the United States have resulted in declining stock prices for such companies. Various equity research organizations have published reports on China-based companies after examining their corporate governance practices, related party transactions, sales practices and financial statements that have led to special investigations and stock suspensions on national exchanges. Any similar scrutiny of us, regardless of merit, could result in a diversion of our management’s attention from managing our core business, negative publicity, potential costs to defend ourselves against rumors, volatility and loss in the trading price of our common shares and increased directors’ and officers’ insurance premiums, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Uncertainties exist with respect to how the PRC Vaccine Administration Law may impact our current operations.

The PRC Vaccine Administration Law became effective on December 1, 2019. It is China’s first legislation dedicated to the regulation of vaccine industry. According to the law, the supervision of vaccines will cover the whole lifecycle from vaccine development, production and distribution to vaccination. Specialized inspection teams of pharmaceutical professionals will be established at the central and provincial levels to conduct the supervision work. An electronic information system will also be set up to make all information on vaccines trackable during vaccine production, distribution and vaccination. The vaccine tracking system requires vaccination data, including vaccine's information, expiry date and use date, the medical workers who issue the vaccines and their recipients, should be recorded and retained for at least five years after its expiry. The law imposes tough punishments on wrongdoers, stipulating that people whose violations constitute a crime shall bear heavier criminal responsibility. The move under the PRC Vaccine Administration Law could be a milestone in vaccine safety, while bringing back market confidence in the regulatory system. The new law is believed to be able to enable the regulators to close loopholes and rein in risks in vaccine management and boost the confidence of the public in vaccine products manufactured in China. Since the Vaccine Administration Law was recently promulgated, no detailed implementing rules have been promulgated so far, and it is unclear how this regulation will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC government authorities. In addition, PRC judicial and administrative authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms. We cannot predict how the new law will affect our business operations or future strategy.

Risks related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to protect our technologies from competitors with patents or other forms of intellectual property protection, our business may be harmed.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary technologies. We try to protect the technology that we consider important to our business by filing patent applications and relying on trade secret and pharmaceutical regulatory protection, including our existing and potential vaccines.

We have a total of 71 issued patents and a number of pending patent applications relating to our vaccines in China. The process of seeking patent protection in China can be lengthy and expensive and we cannot assure you that our pending patent applications, or any patent applications we may make in the future with respect to other products, will result in issued patents, or that any patents issued in the future will be able to provide us with meaningful protection or commercial advantage. Our patent applications might be challenged, invalidated or circumvented.

In addition to patents, we rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how to protect our intellectual property. We have entered into confidentiality agreements (which include, in the case of employees, non-competition provisions) with many of our employees, consultants, outside scientific collaborators, sponsored researchers and other advisors. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the individual during the course of the individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. In the case of our employees, the agreements provide that all of the technology which is conceived by the individual during the course of employment is our exclusive property. These agreements may not provide meaningful protection or adequate remedies in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our proprietary information. In addition, third parties could possibly independently develop information and techniques substantially similar to ours or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.

Our current or potential competitors, many of whom have substantial resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, could develop products that compete directly with our products despite our intellectual property rights.

Intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other developed countries. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive, and we might need to resort to litigation to enforce or defend patents issued to us or to determine the enforceability, scope and validity of our proprietary rights or those of others. The experience and capabilities of PRC courts in handling intellectual property litigation varies, and outcomes are unpredictable. Further, such litigation may require significant expenditures of cash and management efforts and could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. An adverse determination in any such litigation could materially impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation.

We may be exposed to infringement or misappropriation claims by third parties which, if determined adversely to us, could cause substantial liabilities to us, or we may be unable to sell some of our products. Please see “Item 4. Information on the Company — B. Business Overview — Intellectual Property and Proprietary Technology.”

Third parties may bring intellectual property infringement claims against us in the future.

Our commercial success depends significantly on our ability to operate without infringing the patents and other proprietary rights of third parties. Even after reasonable investigation, we may not know with certainty whether we have infringed upon a third party’s patent due to the complexity of patent claims, the inadequacy of patent clearance search procedures in the PRC and the fact that a third party may have filed a patent application without our knowledge while that product was under development by us.

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Patent applications are maintained in secrecy until their publication 18 months after the filing date. The publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature frequently occurs substantially later than the date on which the underlying discoveries were made and patent applications were filed. China, similar to many other countries, adopts the first-to-file system under which the first party to file a patent application (instead of the first to invent the subject invention) may be awarded a patent. There may also be technologies licensed to us or acquired by us that are subject to infringement, misappropriation or other claims by others which could damage our ability to rely on such technologies.

If a third-party claims that we infringe upon its proprietary rights, any of the following may occur:

If any of these events occurs, our business will suffer and the market price of our common shares could decline.

The success of our business may depend on licensing vaccine components from, and entering into collaboration arrangements with, third parties. We cannot be certain that our licensing or collaboration efforts will succeed or that we will realize any revenue from them.

The success of our business strategy depends, in part, on our ability to enter into licensing and collaboration arrangements and to effectively manage the resulting relationships. Our ability to enter into agreements with commercial partners depends in part on our ability to convince them of the value of our technology and know-how. This may require substantial time and effort. While we anticipate expending substantial funds and management effort, we cannot assure that strategic relationships will result or that we will be able to negotiate additional strategic agreements in the future on acceptable terms, if at all.

We may incur significant financial commitments to collaborators in connection with potential licenses and sponsored research agreements. In addition, we may not be able to control the areas of responsibility undertaken by our strategic partners and may be adversely affected should these partners prove to be unable to carry a product candidate forward to full commercialization or should they lose interest in dedicating the necessary resources toward developing any such product quickly.

Third parties may terminate our licensing and other strategic arrangements if we do not perform as required under these arrangements. Generally, we expect that agreements for rights to develop technologies will require us to exercise diligence in bringing product candidates to market and may require us to make milestone and royalty payments that, in some instances, could be substantial. Our failure to exercise the required diligence or make any required milestone or royalty payments could result in the termination of the relevant license agreement, which could have a material adverse effect on us and our operations. In addition, these third parties breach or terminate their agreements with us or otherwise fail to conduct their activities in connection with our relationships in a timely manner. If we or our partners terminate or breach any of our licenses or relationships, we may:

Licensing arrangements and strategic relationships in our industry can be complex, particularly with respect to intellectual property rights. Disputes may arise in the future regarding ownership rights to technology developed by or with other parties. These and other possible disagreements between us and third parties with respect to our licenses or our strategic relationships could lead to delays in the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of our product candidates. These disputes could also result in litigation or arbitration, both of which are time-consuming and expensive. Moreover, these third parties may pursue alternative technologies or product candidates either on their own or in strategic relationships with others in direct competition with us.

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Any cessation or suspension of our collaborations with scientific advisors and academic institutions may increase our costs in research and development, lengthen our new vaccines development process and lower our efficiency in new products development.

We work with scientific advisors and academic collaborators who assist us in some of our research and development efforts. Some of our pre-clinical and research programs rely heavily on such collaborators and we generally benefit considerably from the resources, technology and experience these collaborations can provide. These scientists are not, however, our employees and may have other commitments that limit their availability to us. If a conflict of interest arises between their work for us and their work for another entity, we may lose the services of these scientists and institutions. Any cessation or suspension of our collaborations with scientific advisors and academic institutions may increase our research and development costs, lengthen our new vaccine development process and lower our efficiency in new products development. In addition, although our scientific advisors and academic collaborators generally sign agreements not to disclose our confidential information, valuable proprietary knowledge may become publicly known which would compromise our competitive advantage.

We may lose the right to use “科兴” (Kexing) on our vaccine products and/or as part of our trade name.

Since 2001, Sinovac Beijing has been using “科兴” (Kexing) as part of its Chinese trade name. Sinovac Dalian began to use “科兴” (Kexing) as part of its Chinese trade name in 2010. Shenzhen Kexing (an unrelated party) successfully registered “科兴” trademark in China for Class 5 (Pharmaceuticals) under the International Classification of Goods and Services in 2001. To protect our interest in using “科兴” in our trade names, we applied to register “科兴” in China for Class 42 (Scientific & Technological Services & Research) in 2006 and the PRC Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce approved our application in 2010.

As of the date of this annual report, the “科兴” trademark registered and owned by Shenzhen Kexing has not been identified as “Well-known Trademark” by the relevant PRC authorities. If the “科兴” trademark owned by Shenzhen Kexing is ever officially identified as a “Well-Known Trademark” in the future, however, we may be subject to trademark infringement claim for the use of “科兴” in our trade names. It is possible that we might lose our ability to use the “科兴” trademark in our trade names due to a successful trademark infringement claim, which may adversely affect our ability to maintain and protect our brands, cause us to incur litigation costs and divert resources and management attention.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Overall economic growth of China, which could reduce the demand for our products and materially and adversely affect our competitive position.

We conduct a significant part of our operations in China, and generated approximately 56.3% of our sales in China in 2021. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are affected significantly by economic, political and legal developments in China. The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including:

While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth in the past 30 years, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us.

The Chinese economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although in recent years the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of sound corporate governance in business enterprises, the Chinese government still owns a substantial portion of the productive assets in China. The PRC government also exercises significant control over Chinese economic growth by allocating of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Efforts by the PRC government to slow the pace of growth of the Chinese economy could result in hospitals spending less, which in turn could reduce demand for our products.

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The political relationship among foreign countries and China is subject to sudden fluctuations and periodic tensions. Changes in political conditions in China and changes in the state of foreign relations are difficult to predict and could adversely affect our product export and international collaborations. This could lead to a decline in our profitability in the future.

Although the Chinese economy has grown significantly in the past decade, that growth may not continue, as evidenced by the slowing of the growth of the Chinese economy since 2012. Any adverse change in the economic conditions or government policies in China, including the economic slowdown in 2020 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, could have a material adverse effect on overall economic growth and the level of healthcare investments and expenditures in China, which in turn could lead to a reduction in demand for our products and consequently have a material adverse effect on our businesses.

Future changes in laws, regulations or enforcement policies in China and the PRC government’s oversight and discretion over our operations could adversely affect our business.

Laws, regulations and enforcement policies in China, including those regulating our business, are evolving and subject to future change. In particular, the PRC government authorities may continue to promulgate new laws, regulations, rules and guidelines governing companies with respect to a wide range of issues, such as competition and antitrust, privacy and data protection, intellectual property, and other matters, which may result in additional obligations imposed on us. Future changes in laws, regulations or administrative interpretations, or stricter enforcement policies by the PRC government, could impose more stringent requirements on us, including fines or other penalties. Changes in applicable laws and regulations may also increase our operating costs. Compliance with such requirements could impose substantial additional costs or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These changes may relax some requirements, which could be beneficial to our competitors or could lower market entry barriers and increase competition. Further, regulatory agencies in China may, sometimes abruptly, change their enforcement practices.

Prior enforcement activity, or lack of enforcement activity, is not necessarily predictive of future actions. Any enforcement actions against us could have a material adverse effect on us and the market price of our common shares. In addition, any litigation or governmental investigation or enforcement proceedings in China may be protracted and may result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention, negative publicity, damage to our reputation and decline in the price of our common shares.

In addition, the PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business, and may intervene or influence our operations as the government deems appropriate to advance regulatory and societal goals and policy positions. The PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. The PRC government published new policies that significantly affected certain industries and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies that directly or indirectly affect our industry or require us to seek additional permission to continue our operations, which could result in a material adverse change in our operation and the value of our shares. For instance, the relevant PRC governments promulgated the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities, among which, it is mentioned that the administration and supervision of overseas-listed China-based companies will be strengthened, and the special provisions of the State Council of the PRC on overseas issuance and listing of shares by such companies will be revised, clarifying the responsibilities of domestic industry regulators and regulatory authorities. On December 24, 2021, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”) released the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments), or the Draft Overseas Listing Provisions, which require that, among other things, domestic companies that seek to offer or list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, should fulfill the filing procedure and report relevant information with the CSRC. If a domestic company fails to complete the filing procedure or conceals any material fact or falsifies any major content in its filing documents, such domestic company will be subject to administrative penalties such as warnings, fines, suspension of relevant business or operations, and revocation of licenses and permits, and its controlling shareholders, actual controllers, directors, supervisors, and senior executives may also be subject to administrative penalties such as warnings and fines. On the same day, the CSRC also issued the Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for comments), or the Draft Filing Measures, which, among others, set forth the standards in determination of an indirect overseas listing by a domestic company, the responsible filing persons, and the procedures for the filing. The period for which the CSRC solicits comments on the Draft Overseas Listing Provisions and the Draft Filing Measures ended on January 23, 2022. As the Draft Overseas Listing Provisions and the Draft Filing Measures are not adopted as of the date of this annual report, and it remains unclear whether the formal version adopted in the future will have any further material changes, there remains substantial uncertainties as to how these drafts will be enacted, interpreted, or implemented and how they will affect our operations and our future overseas offerings. Furthermore, the PRC government authorities are continuously strengthening the oversight and law enforcement in recent years, such as enhancing joint supervision of relevant governmental departments, systemically promulgating and implementing new rules, policies, guidelines and interpretations, and taking other comprehensive actions, which may affect our business model, monetization methods, daily operation, acquisition, investment and business development. Therefore, investors of our company and our business face potential uncertainty from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business.

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Complying with evolving laws and regulations regarding cybersecurity, information security, privacy and data protection and other related laws and requirements may be expensive and may force us to make adverse changes to our business. Many of these laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and any failure or perceived failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in negative publicity, legal proceedings, suspension or disruption of operations, increased cost of operations, or otherwise harm our business.

Laws and regulations governing cybersecurity, information security, privacy and data protection, the use of the Internet as a commercial medium, the use of data in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and data sovereignty requirements are rapidly evolving, extensive, complex, and include inconsistencies and uncertainties. We and our partners may routinely receive, collect, generate, store, process, transmit and maintain medical data, trail records and other personal details of the subjects enrolled in our clinical trials, along with other personal or sensitive information. If we are deemed to be a critical information infrastructure operator (as defined below), we would be required to follow applicable cybersecurity review procedures. During such review, we may experience disruptions of our operations, and such review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our company and diversion of our managerial and financial resources.

On June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China promulgated the PRC Data Security Law, which became effective in September 2021. The PRC Data Security Law provides for data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals carrying out data processing activities, introduces a data classification and hierarchical protection system based on the importance of data in economic and social development, as well as the degree of harm it will cause to national security, public interests, or legitimate rights and interests of individuals or organizations when such data is tampered with, destroyed, leaked, or illegally acquired or used, provides for a national security review procedure for those data activities which may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information.

On November 14, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) commenced to publicly solicit comments on the Regulations on the Administration of Cyber Data Security (Draft for Comments) (the “Draft Data Security Regulations”). According to the Draft Data Security Regulations, data processors shall, in accordance with relevant state provisions, apply for cybersecurity review when carrying out the following activities: (i) the merger, reorganization or separation of Internet platform operators that have acquired a large number of data resources related to national security, economic development or public interests, which affect or may affect national security; (ii) data processors that handle personal information of more than one million people contemplating to list its securities on a foreign stock exchange;(iii) data processors contemplating to list its securities on a stock exchange in Hong Kong, which affects or may affect national security; and (iv) other data processing activities that affect or may affect national security. According to the PRC National Security Law, national security refers to a status in which the regime, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, welfare of the people, sustainable economic and social development, and other vital interests of the state are relatively not in danger and not threatened internally or externally and the ability to maintain a sustained security status. However, the criteria for determining “affect(s) or may affect national security” as stipulated in the Draft Data Security Regulations, remain uncertain, and are still subject to further clarification by the CAC.

On December 28, 2021, the CAC, the NDRC, the MIIT and several other administrations jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures (the “Review Measures”), which became effective on February 15, 2022. According to the Review Measures, (i) if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases network products and services or an online platform operator conducts data processing, either of which affects or may affect national security, a cybersecurity review shall be carried out according to the Review Measures; (ii) an issuer who is a network platform operator holding personal information of more than one million shall file for a cybersecurity review with respect to its proposed listing on a foreign stock exchange; and (iii) the relevant PRC governmental authorities may initiate cybersecurity review if such governmental authorities determine that the issuer’s network products or services, or data processing activities affect or may affect national security. These and other similar legal and regulatory developments could lead to legal and economic uncertainty, affect how we design our IT systems, how we operate our business, how our partners process and share data, how we process and use data, and how we transfer personal data from one jurisdiction to another. We may incur substantial costs to comply with such laws and regulations and to establish and maintain internal compliance policies.

We rely on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries for our cash needs. If they are unable to pay us sufficient dividends due to statutory or contractual restrictions on their abilities to distribute dividends to us, our various cash needs may not be met.

We are a holding company, and we rely on the dividends paid by our PRC subsidiaries, including majority-owned subsidiaries Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac Dalian and Sinovac LS and our wholly owned subsidiary Sinovac Biomed Co., Ltd. (“Sinovac Biomed”) for our cash needs, including the funds necessary to pay any dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, service any debt we may incur and pay our operating expenses. The payment of dividends in the PRC is subject to limitations. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends by our PRC subsidiaries only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. For instance, in accordance with the regulations in China, Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac Dalian, Sinovac LS and Sinovac Biomed are required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits each year to contribute to its reserve fund until the accumulated balance of such reserve fund reaches 50% of the registered capital of each company.

Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac Dalian, Sinovac LS and Sinovac Biomed are also required to set aside, at the discretion of their respective board of directors, a portion of their annual income after taxes to their employee welfare and bonus funds. These funds reduce the ability of the subsidiaries to pay dividends in cash.

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In addition, if Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac Dalian, Sinovac LS or Sinovac Biomed incurs debt on their own in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.

Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to receive and use our revenues effectively.

We receive over 56.8% of our revenues in renminbi, which currently is not a freely convertible currency. A portion of our revenues may be converted into other currencies to meet our foreign currency obligations, including, among others, payment of dividends declared by our subsidiaries. Under China’s existing foreign exchange regulations, Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac LS, Sinovac Dalian and Sinovac Biomed are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the PRC government could take future measures to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions.

Our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to obtain foreign exchange is subject to significant foreign exchange controls and, in the case of amounts under the capital account, requires the approval of and/or registration with PRC government authorities, including SAFE. In particular, if we finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of foreign currency from us or other foreign lenders, the foreign borrowed amount is not allowed to exceed the difference between the amount of total investment and the amount of the registered capital as approved by the Ministry of Commerce and registered with SAFE. Such loans must also be registered with SAFE as foreign debts. If we finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of additional capital contributions from offshore, the amount of these capital contributions must first be approved by the relevant government approval authority. These limitations could affect the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to obtain foreign exchange through debt or equity financing.

Fluctuation in the value of the renminbi may have a material adverse effect on your investment.

The value of the renminbi against the U.S. dollar, Euro and other currencies is affected by, among other things, changes in China’s political and economic conditions and China’s foreign exchange policies. The PRC government allows the renminbi to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies.

Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar. Since October 1, 2016, the RMB has joined the International Monetary Fund’s basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. Since the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. Towards the end of 2020 and in 2021, the RMB saw this past depreciation trend reversed and the RMB gained more than 2% against the U.S. dollar. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may announce further changes to the exchange rate system and the RMB could appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar.

It is difficult to predict how long such depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may last and when and how the relationship between the renminbi and the U.S. dollar may change again. The PRC government indicated that it would make the foreign exchange rate of the renminbi more flexible and widen the trading band of renminbi, which increases the possibility of sharp fluctuations in renminbi’s value in the future as well as the unpredictability associated with renminbi’s exchange rate. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt an even more flexible currency policy, which could result in further and more significant fluctuations of the renminbi against foreign currencies.

As the majority of our costs and expenses are denominated in renminbi, a resumption of the appreciation of the renminbi against the U.S. dollar would further increase our costs in U.S. dollar terms. In addition, as our operating subsidiaries in China receive revenues in renminbi, any significant depreciation of the renminbi against the U.S. dollar may have a material adverse effect on our revenues in U.S. dollar terms and financial condition, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common shares. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the renminbi amount we 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 common 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.

Our business benefits from certain government tax incentives. Expiration, reduction or elimination of these incentives will increase our tax expenses and in turn decrease our net income.

Pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law (the “EIT Law”) and its implementation rules, both domestic companies and the foreign invested enterprises (the “FIEs”) are subject to a unified income tax rate of 25%. Preferential tax treatments are expected to be granted to high and new technology enterprises that conduct business in encouraged sectors, whether FIEs or domestic companies.

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Sinovac Beijing reconfirmed its “High and New Technology Enterprises,” or HNTE, status and obtained the corresponding certificate in 2020 for a period of three years. As a result, subject to satisfaction of applicable criteria as confirmed by the competent authorities, Sinovac Beijing is entitled to a reduced enterprise income tax (“EIT”) rate of 15% from 2020 to 2022. Sinovac Dalian reconfirmed its HNTE status in 2020 for another three-year period, which is from 2020 to 2022. Sinovac LS, being confirmed as a HNTE in 2020 for a period of three years, is subject to the preferential EIT of 15% from 2020 to 2022. The PRC government could eliminate any of these preferential tax treatments before their scheduled expiration. Expiration, reduction or elimination of such tax incentives will increase our tax expenses and in turn decrease our net income.

Under the EIT Law, dividends payable by us and gains on the disposition of our shares may be subject to PRC taxation.

If we were considered a PRC resident enterprise under the EIT Law, our shareholders who are deemed non-resident enterprises may be subject to the EIT at the rate of 10% upon the dividends payable by us or upon any gains realized from the transfer of our shares, if such income is deemed derived from China, provided that (i) such foreign enterprise investor has no establishment or premises in China or (ii) it has an establishment or premises in China but its income derived from China has no real connection with such establishment or premises. If we were required under the EIT Law to withhold PRC income tax on our dividends payable to our non-PRC enterprise shareholders, or if any gains realized from the transfer of our shares by our non-PRC enterprise shareholders were subject to the EIT, such shareholders’ investment in our shares would be materially and adversely affected.

PRC regulations relating to investments in offshore companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC-resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits.

SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles (“SAFE Circular 37”) on July 4, 2014, which replaced the former circular commonly known as “SAFE Circular 75” promulgated by SAFE on October 21, 2005. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with the local branches of SAFE in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests, referred to in SAFE Circular 37 as a “special purpose vehicle.”

SAFE Circular 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division, or other material events. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary.

Failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls. According to the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Policies for the Foreign Exchange Administration of Direct Investment released on February 13, 2015 by SAFE, local banks will examine and handle foreign exchange registration for overseas direct investment, including the initial foreign exchange registration and amendment registration, under SAFE Circular 37 from June 1, 2015.

Mr. Weidong Yin has made the required SAFE registration with respect to his investments in our company. However, we may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents. We do not control our beneficial owners and cannot assure you that all of our PRC-resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their foreign exchange registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions.

Furthermore, since it is unclear how any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions will be implemented by the relevant PRC government authorities, we cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategy. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to our company. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding our employee equity incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly listed companies due to their position as director, senior management or employees of the PRC subsidiaries of the overseas companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. Our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted options and restricted shares were able to follow SAFE Circular 37 to apply for the foreign exchange registration before our company became an overseas listed company.

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Since our company has become an overseas listed company, we and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted options are subject to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, according to which, employees, directors, supervisors and other management members participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company who are PRC residents are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures.

Failure to complete SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit the ability to make payments under our equity incentive plans or receive dividends or sales proceeds related thereto, or our ability to contribute additional capital into our subsidiaries in China and limit such subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional equity incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.

In addition, the State Administration for Taxation has issued circulars concerning employee share options or restricted shares. Under these circulars, employees working in the PRC who exercise share options, or whose restricted shares or restricted share units, or RSUs, vest, will be subject to PRC individual income tax. The PRC subsidiaries of an overseas listed company have obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with relevant tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees related to their share options, restricted shares or RSUs. If the employees fail to pay, or the PRC subsidiaries fail to withhold, their income taxes according to relevant laws, rules and regulations, the PRC subsidiaries may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries and affiliated entities.

In funding our PRC subsidiaries, we must comply with PRC legal requirements relating to foreign debt registration and to PRC foreign-investment companies’ “registered capital” and “total investment” ratio. “Registered capital” refers to the capital contributed to or paid into a PRC foreign-investment company in cash or in kind, and “total investment” refers to the estimated amount of the total capital as required to enable and support the full-scale operation of a PRC foreign-investment company when the company is initially established. The amounts of a PRC foreign-investment company’s registered capital and total investment are set forth in the company’s articles of association and joint venture contract (in the case of a Sino-foreign joint venture) and approved by the competent government authority in advance. The balance between the required “total investment” and the “registered capital” can be satisfied by borrowings or loans obtained by the company. In other words, such loans cannot exceed the difference between such company’s registered capital and total investment.

Loans by us or Sinovac Hong Kong to Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac LS, Sinovac Dalian or Sinovac Biomed cannot exceed the difference between such company’s registered capital and total investment. The total investment and registered capital can be adjusted after the establishment of a foreign-investment companies with the approvals of all the shareholders or unanimous approvals of the board of directors. In the case of Sinovac Beijing, Sinovac Dalian or Sinovac LS, the approval from its respective minority shareholders is required to increase the amount of total investment. Further, all the loans from the overseas lenders must be registered with SAFE as foreign debts.

We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiaries by making additional capital contributions. These additional contributions must be approved by the government approval authority and, in the case of Sinovac Beijing or Sinovac Dalian and Sinovac LS, the approval from its respective minority shareholders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government registrations or approvals, or the approval of the minority shareholders on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans or additional capital contributions by us to our subsidiaries. If we fail to obtain such registrations or approvals, our ability to capitalize our PRC operations would be negatively affected, which could adversely and materially affect the liquidity of our subsidiaries and our ability to expand the business.

Because we are incorporated under Antigua and Barbuda law, substantially all of our operations, property and assets are located in China and all of our major shareholders, directors and officers and substantially all of their assets are located outside of the United States, you may be unable to protect your shareholder rights under U.S. law in a court in the United States.

We are incorporated in Antigua and Barbuda. Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws and by the International Business Corporations Act and common law of Antigua and Barbuda. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors, officers and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us are to a large extent governed by the International Business Corporations Act and common law of Antigua and Barbuda. The International Business Corporations Act was modelled on Canadian company law and the common law of Antigua and Barbuda is derived from comparatively limited judicial precedent in Antigua and Barbuda, as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in Antigua and Barbuda.

The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Antigua and Barbuda law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. Among other things, Antigua and Barbuda has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provides significantly less protection to investors. Further, Antigua and Barbuda’s body of securities law, and the experience of its courts in addressing corporate and securities law issues of a type often experienced by public companies, is likely less developed than that of some of the other jurisdictions where publicly traded China-based companies are incorporated, such as the Cayman Islands.

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It may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or our directors or officers in Antigua and Barbuda courts or to enforce or protect your rights under U.S. securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, you may be unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers under the laws of Antigua and Barbuda.

There is doubt as to whether Antigua and Barbuda courts would enforce judgments of United States courts obtained in actions against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the Securities Act, or in original actions brought against us or such persons predicated upon the Securities Act. There is no treaty in effect between the United States and Antigua and Barbuda providing for such enforcement, and there are grounds upon which Antigua and Barbuda courts may not enforce judgments of United States courts. In addition, Antigua and Barbuda corporations may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the federal courts of the United States.

PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between the PRC and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between jurisdictions. If there are no treaties or reciprocity arrangements between the PRC and a foreign jurisdiction where a judgment is rendered, matters relating to the recognition and enforcement of the foreign judgment in the PRC may be resolved through diplomatic channels. The PRC does not have any treaties or other arrangements with the United States or Antigua and Barbuda that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. As a result, it is generally difficult to enforce in the PRC a judgment rendered by a U.S. or Antigua and Barbuda court.

As a result of all of the above, as well as the fact that substantially all of our property, assets and operations are located in China and all of our major shareholders, directors and officers and substantially all of their assets are located outside of the United States, you may be unable to protect your shareholder interests through actions against us or our officers, directors or major shareholders.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) is currently unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections over our auditor deprives our investors with the benefits of such inspections.

Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firms that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this annual report, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with applicable professional standards. Since our auditor is located in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities, our auditor is not currently inspected by the PCAOB. As a result, we and investors in our shares are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our shares to lose confidence in the audit, reported financial information, and the quality of our financial statements.

Our shares will be prohibited from trading in the United States under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“HFCAA”) in 2024 if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China, or in 2023 if proposed changes to the law are enacted. The delisting of our shares, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.

The HFCAA, which was signed into U.S. law on December 18, 2020, states that if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection for the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The PCAOB identified our auditor as one of the registered public accounting firms that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely.

Whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditor before the issuance of our financial statements on the annual report on Form 20-F for the year ending December 31, 2023 which is due by April 30, 2024, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor’s, control. If our shares are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our shares when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our shares. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and prospects.

On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two. On February 4, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill which contained, among other things, an identical provision. If this provision is enacted into law and the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA is reduced from three years to two, then our shares could be prohibited from trading in the United States in 2023.

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