SECURITIES PURCHASE AGREEMENT

 

This Securities Purchase Agreement (this “Agreement”) is dated as of September 7, 2007, among Sino Gas International Holdings, Inc., a Utah corporation (the “Company”), and the investors listed on the Schedule of Buyers attached hereto as Annex A and identified on the signature pages hereto (each, an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”).

 

WHEREAS, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to Section 4(2) of the Securities Act (as defined below) and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder, the Company desires to issue and sell to each Investor, and each Investor, severally and not jointly, desires to purchase from the Company certain securities of the Company, as more fully described in this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company and the Investors agree as follows:

 

ARTICLE 1.

DEFINITIONS

 

1.1. Definitions. In addition to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated in this Section 1.1:

 

“2008 Annual Report” means the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008, as filed with the Commission.

 

“2008 Guaranteed ATNI” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12.

 

“2008 Make Good Shares” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12.

 

“Action” means any action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding (including any partial proceeding such as a deposition) or investigation pending or threatened in writing against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency, regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign), stock market, stock exchange or trading facility.

 

“Affiliate” means any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 144.

 

“Business Day” means any day except Saturday, Sunday and any day that is a federal legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action to close.

 

“Buy-In” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1(c).

 

 

“Closing” means the closing of the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to Article II.

 

“Closing Date” means the Business Day on which all of the conditions set forth in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 hereof are satisfied, or such other date as the parties holding at least two-thirds (66-2/3%) of the Shares may agree.

 

“Closing Escrow Agreement” means the Closing Escrow Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, between the Company, Roth Capital Partners, LLC and the escrow agent (the “Escrow Agent”) identified therein, in the form of Exhibit B hereto. 

 

“Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

“Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share, and any securities into which such common stock may hereafter be reclassified.

 

“Company US Counsel” means Guzov Ofsink, LLC.

 

“Company Deliverables” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2(a).

 

“Disclosure Materials” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(e).

 

“Effective Date” means the date that the initial Registration Statement required by Section 2(a) of the Registration Rights Agreement is first declared effective by the Commission.

 

“Evaluation Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(s).

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

“GAAP” means U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

 

“Intellectual Property Rights” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(p).

 

“Investment Amount” means, with respect to each Investor, the investment amount indicated on such Investor’s signature page to this Agreement.

 

“Investor Deliverables” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2(b).

 

“Investor Party” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.7.

 

“Lien” means any lien, charge, claim, encumbrance, security interest, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restrictions of any kind.

 

“Make Good Escrow Agreement” means the Make Good Escrow Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, among the Company, the Investors and the Escrow Agent identified therein, in the form of Exhibit C hereto.

 

 

“Material Adverse Effect” means any of (i) a material and adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document, (ii) a material and adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, prospects, business or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iii) an adverse impairment to the Company’s ability to perform on a timely basis its obligations under any Transaction Document.

 

“New York Courts” means the state and federal courts sitting in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan.

 

“Outside Date” means the thirtieth day following the date of this Agreement.

 

“Per Share Purchase Price” equals $2.25.

 

“Person” means an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind.

 

“PRC” means the People’s Republic of China, not including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

 

“PRC Counsel” shall mean The Global Law Firm.

 

“Proceeding” means an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened.

 

“Registration Rights Agreement” means the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of the date of this Agreement, among the Company and the Investors, in the form of Exhibit A hereto.

 

“Registration Statement” means a registration statement meeting the requirements set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement and covering the resale by the Investors of the Shares.

 

“Rule 144” means Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such rule may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same effect as such rule.

 

“SEC Reports” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(h).

 

“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

“Share Delivery Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1(c).

 

“Shares” means the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable to the Investors pursuant to this Agreement.

 

 

“Short Sales” include, without limitation, all “short sales” as defined in Rule 200 promulgated under Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act and all types of direct and indirect stock pledges, forward sale contracts, options, puts, calls, swaps and similar arrangements (including on a total return basis), and sales and other transactions through non-US broker dealers or foreign regulated brokers.

 

“Subsidiary” means any “significant subsidiary” as defined in Rule 1-02(w) of the Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission under the Exchange Act.

 

“Trading Day” means (i) a day on which the Common Stock is traded on a Trading Market (other than the OTC Bulletin Board), or (ii) if the Common Stock is not listed on a Trading Market (other than the OTC Bulletin Board), a day on which the Common Stock is traded in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the OTC Bulletin Board, or (iii) if the Common Stock is not quoted on any Trading Market, a day on which the Common Stock is quoted in the over-the-counter market as reported by the Pink Sheets LLC (or any similar organization or agency succeeding to its functions of reporting prices); provided, that in the event that the Common Stock is not listed or quoted as set forth in (i), (ii) and (iii) hereof, then Trading Day shall mean a Business Day.

 

“Trading Market” means whichever of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or OTC Bulletin Board on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading on the date in question.

 

“Transaction Documents” means this Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Closing Escrow Agreement, Make Good Escrow Agreement and any other documents or agreements executed in connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

“Warrant Repurchase Agreement” means the Warrant Purchase Agreement, Amendment and Waiver as of September __, 2007, by and among the Company, Vision Opportunity Master Fund, Ltd. and each of the other parties set forth on the signature pages thereof.

 

ARTICLE 2.

PURCHASE AND SALE

 

2.1. Closing. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, at the Closing the Company shall issue and sell to each Investor, and each Investor shall, severally and not jointly, purchase from the Company, the Shares representing such Investor’s Investment Amount. The Closing shall take place at the offices of Bryan Cave LLP, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 on the Closing Date or at such other location or time as the parties may agree.

 

2.2. Closing Deliveries. (a) At the Closing, the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered to each Investor the following (the “Company Deliverables”):

 

 

(i) a certificate evidencing a number of Shares equal to such Investor’s Investment Amount divided by the Per Share Purchase Price, registered in the name of such Investor;

 

(ii) the legal opinion of Company Counsel and PRC Counsel, in agreed form, addressed to the Investors;

 

(iii) the Registration Rights Agreement, duly executed by the Company;

 

(iv) the Closing Escrow Agreement, duly executed by all parties thereto; and

 

(v) the Make Good Escrow Agreement, duly executed by all parties thereto; and

 

(vi) the Warrant Repurchase Agreement, duly executed by all parties thereto.

 

(b) At the Closing, each Investor shall deliver or cause to be delivered the following (the “Investor Deliverables”):

 

(i) Unless otherwise agreed by the Company, to the Escrow Agent, for deposit and disbursement in accordance with the Closing Escrow Agreement, its Investment Amount, in immediately available funds, by wire transfer to an account designated in writing by the Escrow Agent for such purpose; and

 

(ii) to the Company, the Registration Rights Agreement and Make Good Escrow Agreement, duly executed by such Investor.

 

ARTICLE 3.

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

3.1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby makes the following representations and warranties to each Investor:

 

(a) Subsidiaries. The Company has no direct or indirect Subsidiaries other than as specified in the SEC Reports. Except as disclosed in the SEC Reports, the Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or comparable equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any and all Liens, and all the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or comparable equity interests of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights.

 

(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each Subsidiary are duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization (as applicable), with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted or as proposed to be conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. The Company and each Subsidiary are duly qualified to conduct their respective businesses and are in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

 

(c) Authorization; Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations thereunder. The execution and delivery of each of the Transaction Documents by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further consent or action is required by the Company, its Board of Directors or stockholders in connection therewith. Each Transaction Document has been (or upon delivery will have been) duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’ rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.

 

(d) No Conflicts. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.1(d), the execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents by the Company, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations and the rules and regulations of any self regulatory organization (including any Trading Market) to which the Company or its securities is subject), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), such as could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(e) Filings, Consents and Approvals. Except as set forth on Schedule 3.1(e), the Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any United States or PRC court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than (i) the filing with the Commission of one or more Registration Statements in accordance with the requirements of the Registration Rights Agreement, (ii) filings required by state securities laws, (iii) the filing of a Notice of Sale of Securities on Form D with the Commission under Regulation D of the Securities Act, (iv) the filings required in accordance with Section 4.5, (v) those that have been made or obtained prior to the date of this Agreement.

 

 

(f) Issuance of the Shares. The Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens, other than those existing pursuant to federal securities laws. The Company has reserved from its duly authorized capital stock the shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to this Agreement in order to issue the Shares and the 2008 Make Good Shares. When issued and delivered to the Investors pursuant to Section 4.12, the 2008 Make Good Shares will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The 2008 Make Good Shares are free and clear of all Liens, other than those existing pursuant to federal securities laws.

 

(g) Capitalization. Immediately prior to and immediately following the Closing, the number and class of all authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company, and all shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Company’s various option and incentive plans, is set forth on Schedule 3.1(g). All outstanding shares of capital stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and have been issued in compliance with all applicable securities laws. Except as specified in the SEC Reports or as set forth as set forth on Schedule 3.1(g), no securities of the Company are entitled to preemptive or similar rights, and no Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Except as specified in the SEC Reports or as set forth as set forth on Schedule 3.1(g), there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common Stock, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional shares of Common Stock, or securities or rights convertible or exchangeable into shares of Common Stock. Except as set forth in Schedule 3.1(g), the issue and sale of the Shares will not, immediately or with the passage of time, obligate the Company to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person (other than the Investors) and will not result in a right of any holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price under such securities. Except as set forth in Schedule 3.1(g), the Company has not issued any capital stock in a transaction commonly referred to in the PRC as a “1 ½ transaction.”

 

(h) SEC Reports; Financial Statements. The Company has filed all reports required to be filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the twelve months preceding the date hereof (the foregoing materials being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports” and, together with the Schedules to this Agreement (if any), the “Disclosure Materials”). As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved, except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.

 

 

(i) Press Releases. The press releases disseminated by the Company during the twelve months preceding the date of this Agreement individually and taken as a whole do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made and when made, not misleading.

 

(j) Material Changes. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, except as specifically disclosed in the SEC Reports, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables, accrued expenses and other liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or not required to be disclosed in filings made with the Commission and (C) other liabilities that would not, individually, or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting or the identity of its auditors, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or, except as set forth in Schedule 3(j), made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock, and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or Affiliate of the Company, except pursuant to existing Company stock option plans. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any request for confidential treatment of information or documents. The Company has not sustained any material loss or interference with the Company’s business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority.

 

(k) Litigation. There is no Action (i) which adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the Shares or (ii) except as specifically disclosed in the SEC Reports, which could, if there were an unfavorable decision, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof (in his or her capacity as such), is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim or violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty, except as specifically disclosed in the SEC Reports. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated any investigation or inquiry by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company (in his or her capacity as such). The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act.

 

 

(l) Labor Relations. No material labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company. The Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers or contractors which would result in a Material Adverse Effect to the Company.

 

(m) Compliance. Except as set forth on Schedule 3(m), neither the Company nor any Subsidiary (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any order of any court, arbitrator or governmental body, or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, banking, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in the cases of clauses (i) and (iii) above as could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is in compliance with all effective requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, that are applicable to it, except where such noncompliance could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(n) Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such permits could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such permits.

 

(o) Private Placement. Neither the Company nor any Person acting on the Company’s behalf has sold, offered to sell or solicited any offer to buy the Shares by means of any form of general solicitation or advertising. Neither the Company, any of its Affiliates nor any Person acting on the Company's behalf has, directly or indirectly, at any time within the past six months, made any offer or sale of any security or solicitation of any offer to buy any security under circumstances that would (A) eliminate the availability of the exemption from registration under Regulation D under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby or (B) cause the offering of the Securities pursuant to the Transaction Documents to be integrated with prior offerings by the Company for purposes of any applicable law, regulation or stockholder approval provisions, including, without limitation, under the rules and regulations of any Trading Market. The Company is not a United States real property holding corporation within the meaning of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980.

 

 

(p) Application of Takeover Protections. Except as described in the SEC Reports or as set forth on Schedule 3.1(p), the Company and its Board of Directors have taken all necessary action, if any, to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s charter documents or the laws of its state of incorporation that is or could become applicable to any of the Investors as a result of the Investors and the Company fulfilling their obligations or exercising their rights under the Transaction Documents, including, without limitation, as a result of the Company’s issuance of the Shares and the Investors’ ownership of the Shares.

 

(q) Title to Assets. The Company and the Subsidiaries have valid land use rights for all real property that is material to their respective businesses and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to their respective businesses, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries. Any real property and facilities or personal property held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases of which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance, except as could not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(r) Patents and Trademarks. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, copyrights, licenses and other similar rights that are necessary or material for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports and which the failure to so have could, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a written notice that the Intellectual Property Rights used by the Company or any Subsidiary violates or infringes upon the rights of any Person. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, to the knowledge of the Company, such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights. To the Company’s knowledge, the Company has not infringed the intellectual property rights of third parties and no third party, to the Company’s knowledge, is infringing the Intellectual Property Rights, in each case, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as disclosed in the SEC Documents, there are no material options, licenses or agreements relating to the Intellectual Property Rights, nor is the Company bound by or a party to any material options, licenses or agreements relating to the patents, patent applications, patent rights, inventions, know-how, trade secrets, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, service names, trade names or copyrights of any other person or entity.

 

 

(s) Insurance. Schedule 3.1(s) sets forth a list of the insurance policies currently held by the Company and its Subsidiaries. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be reasonably necessary to continue its business. 

 

(t) Transactions With Affiliates and Employees. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee or partner.

 

(u) Internal Accounting Controls. Except as set forth in Schedule 3.1(u), the Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company has established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its Subsidiaries, is made known to the certifying officers by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which the Company’s Form 10-KSB or 10-QSB, as the case may be, is being prepared. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s controls and procedures in accordance with Item 307 of Regulation S-B under the Exchange Act for the Company’s most recently ended fiscal quarter or fiscal year-end (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed Form 10-KSB or Form 10-QSB the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no significant changes in the Company’s internal controls (as such term is defined in Item 308(c) of Regulation S-B under the Exchange Act) or, to the Company’s knowledge, in other factors that could significantly affect the Company’s internal controls.

 

 

(v) Solvency. Based on the financial condition of the Company as of the Closing Date (and assuming that the Closing shall have occurred), (i) the Company’s fair saleable value of its assets exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect of the Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known contingent liabilities) as they mature, (ii) the Company’s assets do not constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business for the current fiscal year as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, and projected capital requirements and capital availability thereof, and (iii) the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash, would be sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its debt when such amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt).

 

(w) Certain Fees. Except as described in Schedule 3.1(w), no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Investors shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims (other than such fees or commissions owed by an Investor pursuant to written agreements executed by such Investor which fees or commissions shall be the sole responsibility of such Investor) made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

(x) Certain Registration Matters. Assuming the accuracy of the Investors’ representations and warranties set forth in Section 3.2(b)-(e), the offer and sale of the Shares by the Company to the Investors under the Transaction Documents is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Company is eligible to register its Common Stock for resale by the Investors under Form SB-2 promulgated under the Securities Act. Except as specified in Schedule 3.1(x), the Company has not granted or agreed to grant to any Person any rights (including “piggy-back” registration rights) to have any securities of the Company registered with the Commission or any other governmental authority that have not been satisfied.

 

(y) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. Except as specified in the SEC Reports, the Company has not, in the two years preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements thereof. The Company is, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with the listing and maintenance requirements for continued listing of the Common Stock on the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is currently listed or quoted. The issuance and sale of the Shares under the Transaction Documents does not contravene the rules and regulations of the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is currently listed or quoted, and no approval of the shareholders of the Company thereunder is required for the Company to issue and deliver to the Investors the maximum number of Shares contemplated by Transaction Documents.

 

 

(z) Investment Company. The Company is not, and is not an Affiliate of, and immediately following the Closing will not have become, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

(aa) No Additional Agreements. The Company does not have any agreement or understanding with any Investor with respect to the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents other than as specified in the Transaction Documents.

 

(bb) Consultation with Auditors. The Company has consulted its independent auditors concerning the accounting treatment of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents, and in connection therewith has furnished such auditors complete copies of the Transaction Documents.

 

(cc) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any agent or other person acting on behalf of any of the Company or any Subsidiary, has, directly or indirectly, (i) used any funds, or will use any proceeds from the sale of the Shares, for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed to disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any Subsidiary (or made by any Person acting on their behalf of which the Company is aware) which is in violation of law, or (iv) except as set forth in Schedule 3.1(cc), has violated in any material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder .

 

(dd) PFIC. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is or intends to become a “passive foreign investment company” within the meaning of Section 1297 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

(ee) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, Affiliate or Person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the sale of the Shares, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person or entity, towards any sales or operations in Cuba, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar or any other country sanctioned by OFAC or for the purpose of financing the activities of any Person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

 

(ff) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of each of the Company and any Subsidiary are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with the money laundering statutes of applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any applicable governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company and/or any Subsidiary with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

 

(gg) Material Contracts. All material agreements that were required to be filed as exhibits to the SEC Documents under Item 601 of Regulation S-K (collectively, the “Material Agreements”) to which the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company is a party, or the property or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company are subject, have been filed as exhibits to the SEC Documents. All Material Agreements are valid and enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except (i) as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, or moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ and contracting parties’ rights generally, and (ii) as enforceability may be subject to general principles of equity and except as rights to indemnity and contribution may be limited by state or federal securities laws or public policy underlying such laws. The Company is not in breach of or default under any of the Material Agreements, and to the Company's knowledge, no other party to a Material Agreement is in breach of or default under such Material Agreement, except in each case, for such breaches or defaults as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not received a notice of termination nor is the Company otherwise aware of any threats to terminate any of the Material Agreements.

 

(hh) Environmental Matters. Except as otherwise described in Schedule 3.2(hh)_or as would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any Law, order, permit or other requirement relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including without limitation, laws and regulations relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum and petroleum products (collectively, “Materials of Environmental Concern”), or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Materials of Environmental Concern (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), which violation includes, but is not limited to, noncompliance with any permits or other governmental authorizations required for the operation of the business of the Company or its Subsidiaries under applicable Environmental Laws, or noncompliance with the terms and conditions thereof, nor has the Company or any of its Subsidiaries received any written communication, whether from a governmental authority, citizens group, employee or otherwise, that alleges that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any Environmental Law, except, in each case, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, expect to result in material expenditures or remediation costs by the Company or its Subsidiaries; (ii) there is no claim, action or cause of action filed with a court or Governmental Authority, no investigation with respect to which the Company has received written notice, and no written notice by any person or entity alleging potential liability for investigatory costs, cleanup costs, governmental responses costs, natural resources damages, property damages, personal injuries, attorneys’ fees or penalties arising out of, based on or resulting from the presence, or release into the environment, of any Material of Environmental Concern at any location owned, leased or operated by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, now or in the past (collectively, “Environmental Claims”), pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any person or entity whose liability for any Environmental Claim the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has retained or assumed either contractually or by operation of law, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate expect to result in material expenditures or remediation costs by the Company or its Subsidiaries; (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no past, present or anticipated future actions, activities, circumstances, conditions, events or incidents, including, without limitation, the release, emission, discharge, presence or disposal of any Material of Environmental Concern, that reasonably could result in a violation of any Environmental Law, require expenditures to be incurred pursuant to Environmental Law, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate expect to result in material expenditures or remediation costs by the Company or its Subsidiaries; and (iv) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to any pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened proceeding under Environmental Law to which a governmental authority is a party and which is reasonably likely to result in monetary sanctions of $50,000 or more.

 

 

(ii) Taxes. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has filed all necessary federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns and has paid or accrued all taxes shown as due thereon except for taxes being contested in good faith by the Company for which adequate reserves have been established, and neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has knowledge of a tax deficiency which has been asserted in writing against it which would reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

(jj) Additional PRC Representations and Warranties.

 

(i) All material consents, approvals, authorizations or licenses requisite under PRC law for the due and proper establishment and operation of the Company’s Subsidiaries doing business in the PRC (the “PRC Subsidiaries”) have been duly obtained from the relevant PRC governmental authorities and are in full force and effect.

 

(ii) All filings and registrations with the PRC governmental authorities required in respect of the Company, GAS Investment China Co., Ltd. (“Gas BVI”) and the PRC Subsidiaries and their capital structure and operations including, without limitation, to the extent applicable, tax bureau and customs authorities, have been duly completed in accordance with the relevant PRC rules and regulations, except where the failure to complete such filings and registrations does not, and would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and the Subsidiaries have complied with all relevant PRC laws and regulations regarding the contribution and payment of the registered capital of the PRC Subsidiaries, the payment schedules of which have been approved by the relevant PRC governmental authorities. There are no outstanding rights of, or commitments made by the Company or any Subsidiary to sell any equity interests of any PRC Subsidiary.

 

(iii) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in receipt of any letter or notice from any relevant PRC governmental or quasi-governmental authority notifying it of the revocation, or otherwise questioning the validity, of any licenses or qualifications issued to it or any subsidy granted to it by any PRC governmental authority, or the need for compliance or remedial actions in respect of the activities carried out by the Company or such Subsidiary.

 

 

(iv) The Company and the Subsidiaries have conducted their respective business activities within their permitted scope of business or have otherwise operated their respective businesses in compliance with all relevant legal requirements and with all requisite licenses and approvals granted by competent PRC governmental authorities other than such non-compliance that do not, and would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. As to licenses, approvals and government grants and concessions requisite or material for the conduct of any part of the Company or any Subsidiaries’ business which is subject to periodic renewal, neither the Company nor such Subsidiary has any knowledge of any grounds on which such requisite renewals will not be granted by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.

 

(v) With regard to employment and staff or labor, the Company and the Subsidiaries have complied with all applicable PRC laws and regulations in all material respects, including without limitation, laws and regulations pertaining to welfare fund contributions, social benefits, medical benefits, insurance, retirement benefits, pensions or the like.

 

(vi) Each of the Company, the Subsidiaries and their respective directors are aware of the content of the PRC Rules on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Commerce (“MOFCOM”), the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the State Tax Administration, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC (“SAFE”) on August 8, 2006 (the “M&A Rules”), and, in particular, the relevant provisions thereof which purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, formed for listing purposes and controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The Company has received legal advice specifically with respect to the M&A Rules from its PRC counsel to the effect that such approval requirements are not applicable to the Company or to the listing or quotation of the Company’s securities on any Trading Market.

 

(vii) The Company and the Subsidiaries have taken all necessary steps to comply with, and to ensure compliance by, each of their respective stockholders, option holders, directors, officers, and employees that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen, with any applicable rules and regulations of the relevant PRC government agencies (including, without limitation, the Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange) relating to overseas investment by PRC residents and citizens or overseas listing by offshore special purpose vehicles controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies and individuals(the “PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations”), including, without limitation, ensuring that each such stockholder, option holder, director, officer and employee that is, or is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by, a PRC resident or citizen, complete any registration and other procedures required under applicable PRC Overseas Investment and Listing Regulations.

 

 

(viii) Except as set forth in Schedule 3.1(ee), the PRC Subsidiaries are not currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to their respective equity holders, nor are any of them prohibited, from making any other distribution on their respective equity interests, or from repaying any loans or advances. Except as set forth in Schedule 3.1 (ee), any dividends or other distributions declared with respect to after-tax retained earnings on the equity interests of Beijing Zhong Ran Wei Ye Gas Co., Ltd. may lawfully be paid to Gas BVI in Renminbi that may be converted into U.S. dollars and freely transferred out of the PRC, free and clear of any tax, withholding or deduction in the PRC, and without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in the PRC except for the routine PRC foreign exchange procedures.

 

(ix) Neither the Company, nor any Subsidiary, nor any of their respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity under BVI or PRC law, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any BVI, PRC, New York or U.S. federal court, from service of process, attachment upon or prior to judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with the Transaction Documents; and, to the extent that the Company, or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, each of the Company and the Subsidiaries waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such enforcement as provided in Section 6.9 of this Agreement.

 

(kk) Disclosure. The Company confirms that neither it nor any Person acting on its behalf has provided any Investor or its respective agents or counsel with any information that the Company believes constitutes material, non-public information except insofar as the existence and terms of the proposed transactions hereunder may constitute such information. The Company understands and confirms that the Investors will rely on the foregoing representations and covenants in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. The Company’s representations and warranties set forth in this Agreement are true and correct and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Each Investor acknowledges and agrees that the Company has made or makes no representations or warranties with respect to its business or the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in this Section 3.1 and the Investor has relied solely on those representations and its review of the SEC Reports in making its investment decision.

 

3.2. Representations and Warranties of the Investors. Each Investor hereby, for itself and for no other Investor, represents and warrants to the Company as follows:

 

(a) Organization; Authority. Such Investor is an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization with the requisite corporate, partnership or other power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by the applicable Transaction Documents and otherwise to carry out its obligations thereunder. The execution, delivery and performance by such Investor of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement has been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or, if such Investor is not a corporation, such partnership, limited liability company or other applicable like action, on the part of such Investor. Each of this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement has been duly executed by such Investor, and when delivered by such Investor in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and legally binding obligation of such Investor, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, liquidation or similar laws relating to, or affecting generally the enforcement of, creditors’ rights and remedies or by other equitable principles of general application.

 

 

(b) Investment Intent. Such Investor is acquiring the Shares as principal for its own account for investment purposes only and not with a view to or for distributing or reselling such Shares or any part thereof, without prejudice, however, to such Investor’s right at all times to sell or otherwise dispose of all or any part of such Shares in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws. Subject to the immediately preceding sentence, nothing contained herein shall be deemed a representation or warranty by such Investor to hold the Shares for any period of time. Such Investor is acquiring the Shares hereunder in the ordinary course of its business. Such Investor does not have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any Person to distribute any of the Shares.

 

(c) Investor Status. At the time such Investor was offered the Shares and at the time of sale, it was an “accredited investor” as defined in Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act. Such Investor is not a registered broker-dealer under Section 15 of the Exchange Act. Each Investor also has such sophistication, knowledge and skill as to be able to fully evaluate the risks of investing in the Company.

 

(d) General Solicitation. Such Investor is not purchasing the Shares as a result of any advertisement, article, notice or other communication regarding the Shares published in any newspaper, magazine or similar media or broadcast over television or radio or presented at any seminar or any other general solicitation or general advertisement.

 

(e) Access to Information. Such Investor acknowledges that it has reviewed the Disclosure Materials and has been afforded (i) the opportunity to ask such questions as it has deemed necessary of, and to receive answers from, representatives of the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the offering of the Shares and the merits and risks of investing in the Shares; (ii) access to public information about the Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective financial condition, results of operations, business, properties, management and prospects sufficient to enable it to evaluate its investment; and (iii) the opportunity to obtain such additional public information that the Company possesses or can acquire without unreasonable effort or expense that is necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the investment. Neither such inquiries nor any other investigation conducted by or on behalf of such Investor or its representatives or counsel shall modify, amend or affect such Investor’s right to rely on the truth, accuracy and completeness of the Disclosure Materials and the Company’s representations and warranties contained in the Transaction Documents.

 

 

(f) Certain Trading Activities. Such Investor has not directly or indirectly, nor has any Person acting on behalf of or pursuant to any understanding with such Investor, engaged in any transactions in the securities of the Company (including, without limitations, any Short Sales involving the Company’s securities) since the time that such Investor was first contacted by the Company or Roth Capital Partners, LLC regarding the investment in the Company contemplated by this Agreement. Such Investor covenants that neither it nor any Person acting on its behalf or pursuant to any understanding with it will engage in any transactions in the securities of the Company (including Short Sales) prior to the time that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are publicly disclosed.

 

(g) Independent Investment Decision. Such Investor has independently evaluated the merits of its decision to purchase Shares pursuant to the Transaction Documents, and such Investor confirms that it has not relied on the advice of any other Investor’s business and/or legal counsel in making such decision. Such Investor has not relied on the business or legal advice of Roth Capital Partners, LLC or any of its agents, counsel or Affiliates in making its investment decision hereunder, and confirms that none of such Persons has made any representations or warranties to such Investor in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents.

 

The Company acknowledges and agrees that no Investor has made or makes any representations or warranties with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby other than those specifically set forth in this Section 3.2.

 

ARTICLE 4.

OTHER AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES

 

4.1. (a) The Shares may only be disposed of by the Investors in compliance with state and federal securities laws. In connection with any transfer of the Shares other than pursuant to an effective registration statement, to the Company, to an Affiliate of an Investor or in connection with a pledge as contemplated in Section 4.1(b), the Company may require the transferor thereof to provide to the Company an opinion of counsel selected by the transferor, the form and substance of which opinion shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to the effect that such transfer does not require registration of such transferred Shares under the Securities Act.

 

(b) Certificates evidencing the Shares will contain the following legend, until such time as they are not required under Section 4.1(c):

 

THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND, ACCORDINGLY, MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AS EVIDENCED BY A LEGAL OPINION OF COUNSEL TO THE TRANSFEROR TO SUCH EFFECT, THE SUBSTANCE OF WHICH SHALL BE REASONABLY ACCEPTABLE TO THE COMPANY. THESE SECURITIES MAY BE PLEDGED IN CONNECTION WITH A BONA FIDE MARGIN ACCOUNT SECURED BY SUCH SECURITIES.

 

 

The Company acknowledges and agrees that an Investor may from time to time pledge, and/or grant a security interest in some or all of the Shares pursuant to a bona fide margin agreement in connection with a bona fide margin account and, if required under the terms of such agreement or account, such Investor may transfer pledged or secured Shares to the pledgees or secured parties. Such a pledge or transfer would not be subject to approval or consent of the Company and no legal opinion of legal counsel to the pledgee, secured party or pledgor shall be required in connection with the pledge, but such legal opinion may be required in connection with a subsequent transfer following default by the Investor transferee of the pledge. No notice shall be required of such pledge. At the appropriate Investor’s expense, the Company will execute and deliver such reasonable documentation as a pledgee or secured party of Shares may reasonably request in connection with a pledge or transfer of the Shares including the preparation and filing of any required prospectus supplement under Rule 424(b)(3) of the Securities Act or other applicable provision of the Securities Act to appropriately amend the list of Selling Stockholders thereunder. Except as otherwise provided in Section 4.1(c), any Shares subject to a pledge or security interest as contemplated by this Section 4.1(b) shall continue to bear the legend set forth in this Section 4.1(b) and be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in Section 4.1(a).

 

(c) Certificates evidencing Shares shall not contain any legend (including the legend set forth in Section 4.1(b)): (i) following a sale or transfer of such Shares pursuant to an effective registration statement (including a Registration Statement), or (ii) following a sale or transfer of such Shares pursuant to Rule 144 (assuming the transferee is not an Affiliate of the Company), or (iii) while such Shares are eligible for sale under Rule 144(k). If an Investor shall make a sale or transfer of Shares either (x) pursuant to Rule 144 or (y) pursuant to a registration statement and in each case shall have delivered to the Company or the Company’s transfer agent the certificate representing Shares containing a restrictive legend which are the subject of such sale or transfer and a representation letter in customary form (the date of such sale or transfer and Share delivery being the “Share Delivery Date”) and (1) the Company shall fail to deliver or cause to be delivered to such Investor a certificate representing such Shares that is free from all restrictive or other legends by the third Trading Day following the Share Delivery Date and (2) following such third Trading Day after the Share Delivery Date and prior to the time such Shares are received free from restrictive legends, the Investor, or any third party on behalf of such Investor, purchases (in an open market transaction or otherwise) shares of Common Stock to deliver in satisfaction of a sale by the Investor of such Shares (a “Buy-In”), then the Company shall pay in cash to the Investor (for costs incurred either directly by such Investor or on behalf of a third party) the amount by which the total purchase price paid for Common Stock as a result of the Buy-In (including brokerage commissions, if any) exceed the proceeds received by such Investor as a result of the sale to which such Buy-In relates. The Investor shall provide the Company written notice indicating the amounts payable to the Investor in respect of the Buy-In.

 

 

4.2. Furnishing of Information. As long as Investors own the Shares, the Company covenants to timely file (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to the Exchange Act. As long as any Investor the Shares, if the Company is not required to file reports pursuant to such laws, it will prepare and furnish to the Investors and make publicly available in accordance with Rule 144(c) such information as is required for the Investors to sell the Shares under Rule 144. The Company further covenants that it will take such further action as any holder of Shares may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Person to sell the Shares without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144.

 

4.3 Integration. The Company shall not, and shall use its best efforts to ensure that no Affiliate of the Company shall, sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any security (as defined in Section 2 of the Securities Act) that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Shares in a manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the sale of the Shares to the Investors, or that would be integrated with the offer or sale of the Shares for purposes of the rules and regulations of any Trading Market.

 

4.4 Subsequent Registrations. Except as set forth on Schedule 4.4, the Company may not file any registration statement (other than on Form S-8) with the Commission with respect to any securities of the Company prior to the time that all Shares are registered pursuant to one or more effective Registration Statement(s), and the prospectuses forming a portion of such Registration Statement(s) is available for the resale of all Shares.

 

4.5 Securities Laws Disclosure; Publicity. By 8:30 a.m. (New York time) on the Trading Day following the execution of this Agreement, and by 8:30 a.m. (New York time) on the Trading Day following the Closing Date, the Company shall issue press releases disclosing the transactions contemplated hereby and the Closing. On the Trading Day following the execution of this Agreement, the Company will file a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing the material terms of the Transaction Documents (and attach as exhibits thereto the Transaction Documents), and on the Trading Day following the Closing Date the Company will file an additional Current Report on Form 8-K to disclose the Closing. In addition, the Company will make such other filings and notices in the manner and time required by the Commission and the Trading Market on which the Common Stock is listed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not publicly disclose the name of any Investor, or include the name of any Investor in any filing with the Commission (other than the Registration Statement and any exhibits to filings made in respect of this transaction in accordance with periodic filing requirements under the Exchange Act) or any regulatory agency or Trading Market, without the prior written consent of such Investor, except to the extent such disclosure is required by law or Trading Market regulations. The Company and the Investors shall consult with each other in issuing any press releases with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Company nor the Investors shall issue any such press release or otherwise make any such public statement without the prior consent of the Company, with respect to any press release of Investors, or without the prior consent of Investors, with respect to any press release of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be withheld or delayed, except if such disclosure is required by law, in which case the disclosing party shall promptly provide the other party with prior notice of such public statement or communication.

 

 

4.6 Limitation on Issuance of Future Priced Securities. During the six months following the Closing Date, the Company shall not issue any “Future Priced Securities” as such term is described by NASD IM-4350-1.

 

4.7 Indemnification of Investors. In addition to the indemnity provided in the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company will indemnify and hold the Investors and their directors, officers, shareholders, partners, employees and agents (each, an “Investor Party”) harmless from any and all losses, liabilities, obligations, claims, contingencies, damages, costs and expenses, including all judgments, amounts paid in settlements, court costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of investigation (collectively, “Losses”) that any such Investor Party may suffer or incur as a result of or relating to (i) any misrepresentation, breach or inaccuracy of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by the Company in any Transaction Document or (ii) any action instituted against an Investor, or any of them or their respective Affiliates, by any stockholder of the Company who is not an Affiliate of such Investor, with respect to any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents (unless such action is based upon a breach of such Investor’s representation, warranties or covenants under the Transaction Documents or any agreements or understandings such Investor may have with any such stockholder or any violations by the Investor of state or federal securities laws or any conduct by such Investor which constitutes fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or malfeasance). In addition to the indemnity contained herein, the Company will reimburse each Investor Party for its reasonable legal and other expenses (including the cost of any investigation, preparation and travel in connection therewith) incurred in connection therewith, as such expenses are incurred. Except as otherwise set forth herein, the mechanics and procedures with respect to the rights and obligations under this Section 4.7 shall be the same as those set forth in Section 5 of the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

4.8 Non-Public Information. The Company covenants and agrees that neither it nor any other Person acting on its behalf will provide any Investor or its agents or counsel with any information that the Company believes constitutes material non-public information, unless prior thereto such Investor shall have executed a written agreement regarding the confidentiality and use of such information. The Company understands and confirms that each Investor shall be relying on the foregoing representations in effecting transactions in securities of the Company. In the event of a breach of the foregoing covenant by the Company or any Person acting on its or their behalf, the Company shall, upon written notice of such breach, make public disclosure of such material non-public information. In the event that the Company has not made such public disclosure within two Business Days of such written notice, in addition to any other remedy provided herein or in the Transaction Documents or otherwise available, an Investor shall have the right to make a public disclosure, in the form of a press release, public advertisement or otherwise, of such material non-public information without the prior approval by the Company, its Subsidiaries, or any Person acting on its or their behalf. No Investor shall have any liability to the Company, its Subsidiaries, or any Person acting on its or their behalf for any such disclosure.

 

 

4.9 Listing of Shares; Reservation of Shares. The Company agrees, (i) if the Company applies to have the Common Stock traded on any other Trading Market, it will include in such application the Shares, and will take such other action as is necessary or desirable to cause the Shares to be listed on such other Trading Market as promptly as possible, and (ii) it will take all action reasonably necessary to continue the listing and trading of its Common Stock on a Trading Market and will comply in all material respects with the Company’s reporting, filing and other obligations under the bylaws or rules of the Trading Market. As of the date hereof, the Company has reserved and the Company shall continue to reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock for the purpose of enabling the Company to issue the Shares and the 2008 Make Good Shares pursuant to this Agreement.

 

4.10 Outstanding Warrants. Set forth on Schedule 4.10 is a list of all outstanding warrants after giving effect to the warrant repurchases to be effected pursuant to the Warrant Repurchase Agreement.

 

4.11 Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares hereunder for, among other things, the repurchase of the warrant to be repurchased pursuant to the Warrant Repurchase Agreement and for working capital purposes. 

 

4.12 Make Good Obligation.

 

(a) The Company agrees that if (i) the After-Tax Net Income for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 reported in the 2008 Annual Report is less than $11,000,000 (the “2008 Guaranteed ATNI”) or (ii) if the evaluation of the Company’s internal controls for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act reveals a “”Material Weakness” within the meaning of PCAOB Auditing Standard No 2, the Company shall transfer to each Investor on a pro rata basis (based upon such Investor’s Investment Amount relative to the aggregate Investment Amount of all Investors hereunder) for no additional consideration, 1,500,000 shares of Common Stock (the “2008 Make Good Shares”). “After Tax Net Income” means income after income taxes determined in accordance with GAAP plus (a) any cash or non-cash charges relating to the transaction contemplated by this Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, and (b) any cash or non cash charges for derivative instruments, or arising out of any non cash compensatory awards made to officers, directors, employees or consultants. If (i) the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 as reported in the 2008 Annual Report indicates that the 2008 Guaranteed ATNI has been achieved or exceeded, and (ii) if the Company’s 2008 Annual Report does not disclose a “Material Weakness,” no transfer of the 2008 Make Good Shares to the Investors shall be required by this Section and all 2008 Make Good Shares deposited with the Make Good Escrow Agent (as defined in the Make Good Escrow Agreement) shall be returned to the Company in accordance with the Make Good Escrow Agreement. Transfers of 2008 Make Good Shares required under this Section shall be made to Investors within ten Business Days after the date which the 2008 Annual Report is filed with the Commission and otherwise in accordance with the Make Good Escrow Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in the event that the release of any 2008 Make Good Shares to the Investors or the Company is deemed to be an expense or deduction from revenues or income of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, as required under GAAP, then such expense or deduction shall be excluded for purposes of determining whether or not the 2008 Guaranteed ATNI has been achieved by the Company.

 

 

(b) In connection with the foregoing, the Company agrees that within one Trading Day following execution of this Agreement, the Company will deposit all 2008 Make Good Shares into escrow in accordance with the Make Good Escrow Agreement along with bank medallion guaranteed stock powers endorsed in blank, and the handling and disposition of the 2008 Make Good Shares shall be governed by this Section 4.12 and the Make Good Escrow Agreement. The parties hereby agree that the Company’s obligation to transfer shares of Common Stock to Investors pursuant to this Section shall continue to run to the benefit of an Investor who shall have transferred or sold all or any portion of its Shares, and that Investors shall have the right to assign its rights to receive all or any such shares of Common Stock to other Persons in conjunction with negotiated sales or transfers of any of its Shares.

 

(c)  The Company covenants and agrees that upon any transfer under this Section of 2008 Make Good Shares to the Investors in accordance with Section 4 of the Make Good Escrow Agreement, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause its transfer agent to reissue as soon as is reasonably possible such 2008 Make Good Shares in the applicable Investor’s name and deliver the same as directed by such Investor.

 

4.13 Equal Treatment of Investors. No consideration shall be offered or paid to any Person to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of this Agreement unless the same consideration is also offered to all of the parties to this Agreement.

 

4.14 Lock-Up. The Company shall take such actions as are required to ensure that none of its directors and executive officers shall sell shares of Common Stock that such director or executive officer beneficially owns as of the Closing Date during the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the date that is 60 days following the Effective Date without the consent of the Investors; provided, however, that a director or executive officer may transfer an unlimited number of shares of such Common Stock for estate or tax planning purposes, so long as such transfer is to a Person that is and remains at all times controlled by such executive officer and such Person enters into a lock-up agreement with the Company with respect to such transferred shares that contains provisions substantially similar to those provided for in this Section 4.14. The foregoing limitation shall expire with respect to any officer, upon his or her termination of employment with the Company.

 

4.15 Promptly following the Closing, but in no event later than ninety (90) days after the Closing, the Company and the stockholders named below shall have delivered documentation to the Investors evidencing that each such stockholder has complied with the registration requirements under Circular 75 issued by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC on October 21, 2005, titled "Notice Regarding Certain Administrative Measures on Financing and Inbound Investments by PRC Residents Through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles", effective as of November 1, 2005 ("Circular 75"), or any successor rule or regulation under PRC law, in relation to their acquisition of shares of the Company. The stockholders to which the above sentence is applicable are as follows: Eloten Group Ltd., Leading King Investment Ltd., Zhong Zhi Min, Li Shu Wang, Chen Si, Xiang Shu Ying, Chong Shun, Liu Xiao Bing, Zhuo Qing Hui, Bian Shu Kui, Chen Fang, Shang Jian Zhong, and Wang Wei Dong. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be deemed to have breached this Section (i) if a stockholder completes and submits his, her or its application in good faith and in all material respects and either (A) the applicable governmental authority determines unilaterally not to approve such application or (B) such application is not approved with such 90 day period as a result of an adverse change in applicable law or interpretation of the law then in effect or (ii) in the event of abuse of discretion on the part of the applicable governmental authority which abuse is outside the control of the Company.

 

 

ARTICLE 5

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CLOSING

 

5.1 Conditions Precedent to the Obligations of the Investors to Purchase Shares. The obligation of each Investor to acquire Shares at the Closing is subject to the satisfaction or waiver by such Investor, at or before the Closing, of each of the following conditions:

 

(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct in all material respects (except that any representations and warranties that are qualified by materiality shall be true and correct in all respects) as of the date when made and as of the Closing as though made on and as of such date;

 

(b) Performance. The Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by it at or prior to the Closing;

 

(c) No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction that prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents;

 

(d) Adverse Changes. Since the date of execution of this Agreement, no event or series of events shall have occurred that reasonably could have or result in a Material Adverse Effect;

 

(e) No Suspensions of Trading in Common Stock; Listing. Trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended by the Commission or any Trading Market (except for any suspensions of trading of not more than one Trading Day solely to permit dissemination of material information regarding the Company) at any time since the date of execution of this Agreement, and, at any time prior to the Closing Date, trading in securities generally as reported by Bloomberg Financial Markets shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum prices shall not have been established on securities whose trades are reported by such service, or on any Trading Market, nor shall a banking moratorium have been declared either by the United States or New York State authorities nor shall there have occurred any material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or any material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each case, in the reasonable judgment of each Purchaser, makes it impracticable or inadvisable to purchase the Shares at the Closing and the Common Stock shall have been at all times since such date listed for trading on a Trading Market;

 

 

(f) Officer’s Certificate. The Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company shall provide a certificate addressed to the Investors to the effect that the conditions set forth in Sections 5.1(a)-(f) shall have been satisfied;

 

(g) Warrant Purchase Agreement. The Warrant Purchase Agreement shall have been executed and all of the transactions contemplated thereby shall close simultaneously with the Closing;

 

(h) Secretary’s Certificate. The Secretary of the Company shall have delivered to the Investors a certificate, executed by the Secretary of the Company and dated as of the Closing Date, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Investors as to (i) the resolutions as adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors adopting and approving the Transaction Documents and authorizing the issuance of the Shares and the 2008 Make Good Shares, (ii) the Articles of Incorporation and (iii) the Bylaws, each as in effect at the Closing; and

 

(i) Company Deliverables. The Company shall have delivered the Company Deliverables in accordance with Section 2.2(a).  

 

5.2. Conditions Precedent to the Obligations of the Company to sell Shares. The obligation of the Company to sell Shares at the Closing is subject to the satisfaction or waiver by the Company, at or before the Closing, of each of the following conditions:

 

(a) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of each Investor contained herein shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date when made and as of the Closing Date as though made on and as of such date;

 

(b) Performance. Each Investor shall have performed, satisfied and complied in all material respects with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by the Transaction Documents to be performed, satisfied or complied with by such Investor at or prior to the Closing;

 

(c) No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction that prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents; and

 

(d) Investors Deliverables. Each Investor shall have delivered its Investors Deliverables in accordance with Section 2.2(b).

 

 

ARTICLE 6.

MISCELLANEOUS

 

6.1. Fees and Expenses. Each party shall pay the fees and expenses of its advisers, counsel, accountants and other experts, if any, and all other expenses incurred by such party incident to the negotiation, preparation, execution, delivery and performance of the Transaction Documents. The Company shall pay all stamp and other taxes and duties levied in connection with the issuance of the Shares.

 

6.2. Entire Agreement. The Transaction Documents, together with the Exhibits and Schedules thereto, contain the entire understanding of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, discussions and representations, oral or written, with respect to such matters, which the parties acknowledge have been merged into such documents, exhibits and schedules.

 

6.3. Notices. Any and all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to be provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective on the earliest of (a) the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile (provided the sender receives a machine-generated confirmation of successful transmission) at the facsimile number specified in this Section prior to 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on a Trading Day, (b) the next Trading Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile at the facsimile number specified in this Section on a day that is not a Trading Day or later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on any Trading Day, (c) the Trading Day following the date of mailing, if sent by U.S. nationally recognized overnight courier service, or (d) upon actual receipt by the party to whom such notice is required to be given. The address for such notices and communications shall be as follows:

 

or such other address as may be designated in writing hereafter, in the same manner, by such Person.

 

6.4. Amendments; Waivers; No Additional Consideration. No provision of this Agreement may be waived or amended except in a written instrument signed by the Company and the Investors holding at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the Shares. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of either party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right. No consideration shall be offered or paid to any Investor to amend or consent to a waiver or modification of any provision of any Transaction Document unless the same consideration is also offered to all Investors who then hold Shares.

 

 

6.5. Construction. The headings herein are for convenience only, do not constitute a part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof. The language used in this Agreement will be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties to express their mutual intent, and no rules of strict construction will be applied against any party. This Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any provisions of this Agreement or any of the Transaction Documents.

 

6.6. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties and their successors and permitted assigns. The Company may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Investors. Any Investor may assign any or all of its rights under this Agreement to any Person to whom such Investor assigns or transfers any Shares, provided such transferee agrees in writing to be bound, with respect to the transferred Shares, by the provisions hereof that apply to the “Investors.”

 

6.7. No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement is intended for the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and is not for the benefit of, nor may any provision hereof be enforced by, any other Person, except as otherwise set forth in Section 4.12 (as to each Investor Party).

 

6.8. Governing Law. All questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without regard to the principles of conflicts of law thereof. Each party agrees that all Proceedings concerning the interpretations, enforcement and defense of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any other Transaction Documents (whether brought against a party hereto or its respective Affiliates, employees or agents) shall be commenced exclusively in the New York Courts. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New York Courts for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein (including with respect to the enforcement of the any of the Transaction Documents), and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any Proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such New York Court, or that such Proceeding has been commenced in an improper or inconvenient forum. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents to process being served in any such Proceeding by mailing a copy thereof via registered or certified mail or overnight delivery (with evidence of delivery) to such party at the address in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service shall constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Each party hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. If either party shall commence a Proceeding to enforce any provisions of a Transaction Document, then the prevailing party in such Proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such Proceeding.

 

 

6.9. Survival. The representations, warranties, agreements and covenants contained herein shall survive the Closing and the delivery of the Shares.

 

6.10. Execution. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile signature page were an original thereof.

 

6.11. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable in any respect, the validity and enforceability of the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and the parties will attempt to agree upon a valid and enforceable provision that is a reasonable substitute therefor, and upon so agreeing, shall incorporate such substitute provision in this Agreement.

 

6.12. Rescission and Withdrawal Right. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in (and without limiting any similar provisions of) the Transaction Documents, whenever any Investor exercises a right, election, demand or option under a Transaction Document and the Company does not timely perform its related obligations within the periods therein provided, then such Investor may rescind or withdraw, in its sole discretion from time to time upon written notice to the Company, any relevant notice, demand or election in whole or in part without prejudice to its future actions and rights.

 

6.13. Replacement of Shares. If any certificate or instrument evidencing any Shares is mutilated, lost, stolen or destroyed, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued in exchange and substitution for and upon cancellation thereof, or in lieu of and substitution therefor, a new certificate or instrument, but only upon receipt of evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Company of such loss, theft or destruction and customary and reasonable indemnity, if requested. The applicants for a new certificate or instrument under such circumstances shall also pay any reasonable third-party costs associated with the issuance of such replacement Shares. If a replacement certificate or instrument evidencing any Shares is requested due to a mutilation thereof, the Company may require delivery of such mutilated certificate or instrument as a condition precedent to any issuance of a replacement.

 

6.14. Remedies. In addition to being entitled to exercise all rights provided herein or granted by law, including recovery of damages, each of the Investors and the Company will be entitled to specific performance under the Transaction Documents. The parties agree that monetary damages may not be adequate compensation for any loss incurred by reason of any breach of obligations described in the foregoing sentence and hereby agrees to waive in any action for specific performance of any such obligation the defense that a remedy at law would be adequate.

 

 

6.15. Payment Set Aside. To the extent that the Company makes a payment or payments to any Investor pursuant to any Transaction Document or an Investor enforces or exercises its rights thereunder, and such payment or payments or the proceeds of such enforcement or exercise or any part thereof are subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside, recovered from, disgorged by or are required to be refunded, repaid or otherwise restored to the Company, a trustee, receiver or any other person under any law (including, without limitation, any bankruptcy law, state or federal law, common law or equitable cause of action), then to the extent of any such restoration the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such enforcement or setoff had not occurred.

 

6.16. Independent Nature of Investors’ Obligations and Rights. The obligations of each Investor under any Transaction Document are several and not joint with the obligations of any other Investor, and no Investor shall be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Investor under any Transaction Document. The decision of each Investor to purchase Shares pursuant to the Transaction Documents has been made by such Investor independently of any other Investor. Nothing contained herein or in any Transaction Document, and no action taken by any Investor pursuant thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the Investors as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the Investors are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such obligations or the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Documents. Each Investor acknowledges that no other Investor has acted as agent for such Investor in connection with making its investment hereunder and that no Investor will be acting as agent of such Investor in connection with monitoring its investment in the Shares or enforcing its rights under the Transaction Documents. Each Investor shall be entitled to independently protect and enforce its rights, including without limitation the rights arising out of this Agreement or out of the other Transaction Documents, and it shall not be necessary for any other Investor to be joined as an additional party in any proceeding for such purpose. The Company acknowledges that each of the Investors has been provided with the same Transaction Documents for the purpose of closing a transaction with multiple Investors and not because it was required or requested to do so by any Investor.

 

6.17. Limitation of Liability. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company acknowledges and agrees that the liability of an Investor arising directly or indirectly, under any Transaction Document of any and every nature whatsoever shall be satisfied solely out of the assets of such Investor, and that no trustee, officer, other investment vehicle or any other Affiliate of such Investor or any investor, shareholder or holder of shares of beneficial interest of such a Investor shall be personally liable for any liabilities of such Investor.

 

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SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

	SINO GAS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Date: September 7, 2007	By:	/s/ Chen Fang Name: Chen Fang
		Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

SIGNATURE PAGES FOR INVESTORS FOLLOW]

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.

 

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Securities Purchase Agreement to be duly executed by their respective authorized signatories as of the date first indicated above.