Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Review Measures published by the Cybersecurity Administration of the PRC, which became effective on February 15, 2022, critical information infrastructure operators purchasing network products and services which affect or may affect national security, or online platform operators possessing personal information of more than one million users, seeking to be listed on foreign stock markets must apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. For a detailed description, please refer to risks disclosed under “Risk Factors—Risks Related to BC—Risks Related to BC’s Business Operations in the PRC—Compliance with the PRC’s new Data Security Law, Cyber Security Law, Cybersecurity Review Measures, Personal Information Protection Law, regulations and guidelines relating to the multi-level protection scheme on cyber security and any other future laws and regulations may entail significant expenses and could affect BC’s business” in the Proxy Statement.
According to Special Administrative Measure (Negative List) for Access of Foreign Investments (2021 Edition) which became effective on January 1, 2022 (the “Negative List”), if a PRC company, which engages in any business where foreign investment is prohibited under the Negative List or prohibited businesses, seeks an overseas offering or listing, it must obtain approval from competent governmental authorities. For a detailed description, please refer to “BC’s Business—Regulations on M&A and Overseas Listings” in the Proxy Statement.
However, applicable PRC laws and regulations may be tightened, and new laws or regulations may be introduced to impose additional government approval, license, and permit requirements. If BC or its subsidiaries fail to obtain and maintain such approvals, licenses, or permits required for its business, inadvertently conclude that such approval is not required, or respond to changes in the regulatory environment, BC or its subsidiaries could be subject to liabilities, penalties, and operational disruption, which may materially and adversely affect its business, operating results, financial condition and the value of our ordinary shares, significantly limit or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless.
Generally, cash is transferred through BC’s organization in the following manner: (i) funds are transferred to BC from Continent Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Cayman Islands company limited by shares (“CPI”) as needed through BJContinent Pharmaceuticals Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong with limited liability (“BJC Limited”), or from other domestic shareholders, in the form of capital contributions or shareholder loans; and (ii) dividends or other distributions may be paid by BC to CPI through BJC Limited, or to other domestic shareholders.
In September 2020, BC paid a cash dividend of $1.9 million to BJC Limited. As required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, the dividends paid by BC were subject to a withholding tax rate of 10%. Such amount was settled in full net of withholding PRC tax through multiple payments by August 2020.
Since BC’s inception to the date of this prospectus, there were no transfers, dividends, or distributions between BJC Limited, BC, BC’s wholly-owned subsidiary (Beijing Continent Biomedical Technology Co., Ltd., a company organized under the laws of the PRC (“BC Biomedical”)), or to investors (except as disclosed above and excluding shareholder capital contributions). BC intends to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of its business and does not anticipate paying any cash dividends on its capital stock in the foreseeable future. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any determination to pay cash dividends subsequent to the Transactions will be at the discretion of the combined company’s board of directors and will depend upon a number of factors, including the combined company’s results of operations, financial condition, future prospects, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors the combined company’s board of directors deems relevant. For more details, see “BC’s Business—Regulatory Requirements in the PRC—Dividends, Distributions and Other Transfers”, Audited Financial Statements of Beijing Continent Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. and “Selected Historical and Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information—Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Information” included in the Proxy Statement.
Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”), the SEC is required to identify issuers that retain an auditor that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determination that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered accounting firms headquartered in the PRC and in Hong Kong. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to conduct inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland PRC and Hong Kong in 2022, and as a result, the PCAOB vacated its December 2021 determinations. While vacating those determinations, the PCAOB noted that, should it encounter any impediment to conducting an inspection or investigation of auditors in mainland PRC or Hong Kong as a result of a position taken by any authority there, the PCAOB would act to immediately reconsider the need to issue new determinations consistent with the HFCAA and PCAOB Rule 6100.
If (i) the combined company’s operations require that it retain an auditor that is headquartered in mainland PRC to act as a principal auditor in order to comply with the standards of the PCAOB and (ii) the PCAOB retakes a position that is similar to its December 2021 determinations, then the combined company would be identified by the SEC as a Commission-Identified Issuer. In accordance with the HFCAA, the combined company’s securities would be prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if the SEC identifies the combined company as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years in the future. The combined company’s operations will likely require such an auditor to act as its principal auditor. For a detailed description of risks of and impacts on the combined company relating to the HFCAA and related regulations, please refer to risks disclosed under “Risk Factors—Risks Related to the Combined Company—The PRC-operations portion of the combined company’s audit may be conducted by an independent registered public accounting firm that is not subject to inspection by the PCAOB, which may negatively impact investor sentiment towards the combined company or its PRC operations, which could adversely affect the market price of the combined company’s common stock” in the Proxy Statement.
Our Common Stock is currently listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “CBIO.” We have applied to continue the listing of our Common Stock on Nasdaq under the symbol “GYRE” upon the completion of the Transactions. It is a condition to the completion of the Transactions that the Resale Shares be approved for listing on Nasdaq (subject only to official notice of issuance thereof), but there can be no assurance that such listing condition will be met. If such listing condition is not met, the Transactions will not be consummated unless the listing condition is waived pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement.
On October 26, 2023, the last reported sale price of our Common Stock as reported on Nasdaq was $0.5356 per share.
Investing in our Common Stock involves risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page
10 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to purchase these securities.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is October 27, 2023.