Provisional Regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Trade andEconomic Cooperation on Certain Issues Concerning the Establishment ofCompanies Limited by Shares with Foreign Investment
Provisional Regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Trade andEconomic Cooperation on Certain Issues Concerning the Establishment ofCompanies Limited by Shares with Foreign Investment
(Promulgated on January 10, 1995)
Whole document
Provisional Regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation on Certain Issues Concerning the Establishment of
Companies Limited by Shares with Foreign Investment
(Promulgated on January 10, 1995)
Article 1
In order to further expand international economic co-operation and
technological exchange, to absorb foreign investment and to promote the
development of socialist market economy, foreign companies, enterprises
and other economic organizations or individuals (hereinafter referred to
as foreign shareholders) may incorporate themselves into a company limited
by shares with foreign investment (hereinafter referred to as the company)
with Chinese companies, enterprises or other economic organizations
(hereinafter referred to as Chinese shareholders) within Chinese territory
on the principle of equality and mutual benefit.
Article 2
In these Regulations, the term "a company limited by shares with
foreign investment" refers to an enterprise legal person established in
accordance with these Regulations, with the entire capital being divided
into shares of equal value, where the shareholders bear responsibilities
to the company to the extent of the number of the shares they hold and the
company bears responsibilities for its debts with all its assets, and
where the Chinese and foreign shareholders jointly hold the company's
stock, with the shares subscribed and held by foreign shareholders being
more than twenty-five per cent of the company's registered capital.
Article 3
The company is one of the forms of enterprises with foreign investment
and shall be governed by the relevant laws and regulations of the state
concerning enterprises with foreign investment.
Article 4
The establishment of such company shall be in conformity with the
state industrial policies concerning foreign investment. The state
encourages the establishment of production-oriented enterprises using
advanced technologies.
Article 5
The company may be established by means of promotion or offer.
Article 6
The company set up by means of promotion shall meet the conditions as
provided for in the Company Law on promoters, with at least one of the
promoters being a foreign shareholder.
The company established by means of offer shall meet the requirements
as provided for in the preceding paragraph, with at least one of the
promoters having records of continuously making profits in the recent
three consecutive years prior to the offer. In case the aforementioned
promoter is a Chinese shareholder, the last three years' financial
statements audited by a Chinese certified public accountant should be
furnished. In case the aforementioned promoter is a foreign shareholder,
the financial statements audited by a certified public accountant
registered in its country of residence should be furnished.
Article 7
The registered capital of the company shall be the total share capital
registered with the registration authority and actually paid in. The
minimum amount of the registered capital of the company shall be CNY 30
million, with the shares subscribed and held by foreign shareholders being
no less than twenty-five per cent of the registered capital.
Article 8
The transfer of the shares subscribed by the shareholders shall meet
the conditions stipulated in Article 7 of these Regulations. The
promoters' shares may be transferred after three years from the date of
registration of the company, subject to the approval by the original
examination and approval authority.
Article 9
After the promoters conclude an agreement to establish the company,
they may jointly entrust one of them to handle all matters regarding the
application for setting up the company. The detailed procedures are as
follows:
(1) the applicant shall submit an application for the setting up of
the company, feasibility study report, asset evaluation report, etc. to
the competent departments of the provinces, autonomous regions,
municipalities directly under Central Government and cities with
independent planning (hereinafter referred to as the competent
departments) where the applicant is located. Prospectus shall also be
submitted for the application of establishing a company through offer of
shares.
(2) the aforementioned documents, upon examination by and with the
consent of the competent departments, shall be submitted, through the
competent departments, to the foreign economic and trade departments of
the same provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under
Central Government and cities with independent planning. Upon approval of
the documents by foreign economic and trade departments, the promoters
shall officially sign an agreement for the establishment of the company
and its articles of association. And
(3) the agreement for the establishment of the company and the
articles of association signed by the promoters shall, upon examination by
and with consent of the foreign economic and trade departments of the
provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central
Government and cities with independent planning, be submitted to the
Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic cooperation for examination and
approval. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation shall
decide to approve or disapprove it within 45 days.
Article 10
All kinds of documents provided by the promoters shall be written in
the Chinese language. Where all promoters consider it necessary, a foreign
language agreed upon by all the promoters can be used simultaneously.
However, the examined, approved and effectuated Chinese version shall be
authentic.
Article 11
The application for establishing a company shall lay down the
following:
(1) names, domiciles and the legal representative of the promoters;
(2) name, domicile and aims of the company to be established;
(3) method to establish the company, total value of shares, share
category, value per share, proportion of the shares subscribed by
promoters and the scope and means of the offer;
(4) the production and management situations of the promoters,
including information about production and management, assets and
liabilities and profitabilities in the recent three years (only applicable
to promoters who establish a company by means of offer);
(5) the fields of capital investment and business scope of the
company;
(6) time of the application, signature of the legal representative of
the promoters and official stamp of the promoters' unit; and.
(7) other matters that need to be elaborated.
Article 12
The promoters' agreement shall include the following main contents:
(1) names and domiciles of the promoters; name, nationality, domicile
and post of the legal representative;
(2) name and domicile of the company to be established;
(3) objectives and business scope of the company;
(4) means of establishment and structure of the company;
(5) the company's registered capital, total shares, share category
and the number, form and subscription period of the shares subscribed by
promoters;
(6) rights and obligations of the promoters;
(7) liability for breach of agreement;
(8) application of law and settlement of disputes;
(9) effectiveness and termination of the agreement;
(10) time and place of signature of the agreement, signature of the
promoters; and
(11) other matters that need to be notified.
Article 13
After the promoters' agreement to establish the company and the
articles of association are approved by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and
Economic Cooperation, the promoters shall, within 30 days, open a
special-purpose bank account with a bank by presenting the certificate of
approval issued by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.
The promoters shall make full payment in one installment of all the shares
subscribed within 90 days from the date of issue of the certificate of
approval. The promoters shall undertake the joint and several liability
for the subscription before all the capital subscribed to the company by
themselves is paid. The promoters are also jointly liable for the debts
and expenses arising from actions to establish the company if the company
fails to be established.
Article 14
Where the company is established by means of promotion, after the
promoters have made full payment for shares subscribed in accordance with
the provisions of Article 11, an election for the board of directors and
the board of supervisors shall be made. The board of directors shall
submit the document of approval to establish the company, articles of
association, certificate of capital verification, etc. to the
registration authority and apply for the registration.
Where the company is established by means of offer, after the full
payment has been made for the shares issued, it must be verified and given
certificate by an authorized investment verification organization. The
promoters shall within 30 days, hold the founding meeting of the company
and elect the board of directors and the board of supervisors. The board
of directors shall submit document of approval, the company's articles of
association, certificate of capital verification, memorandum of the
founding meeting, etc. to the registration authority to apply for the
registration.
The registration authority shall complete the registration formalities
and issue the business licence within 30 days after it receives all
documents for registration.
Article 15
Where existing Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, Chinese-foreign
cooperative joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises
(hereinafter referred to as "enterprises with foreign investment") apply
to reorganize themselves into a company, the enterprises with foreign
investment must have a record of making profits for the recent 3
consecutive years. The investors of the original foreign investment
enterprises shall act as the promoters (or together with other promoters)
to sign the agreement for the set up of the company and the articles of
association and then submit them to the original examination and approval
authority in the location of the original foreign investment enterprise
for preliminary examination and approval and onward submission to the
Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation for final approval.
The following documents shall be submitted where an enterprise with
foreign investment applies for such reorganization:
(1) contract, articles of association of the original enterprise with
foreign investment;
(2) decision of the board of directors of the original enterprise with
foreign investment on the reorganization of the enterprise;
(3) agreement of the investors of the original foreign investment
enterprise on the termination of the original contract and articles of
association;
(4) asset evaluation report of the original enterprise with foreign
investment;
(5) the promoter's (including but not limited to the investors of the
original enterprise with foreign investment) agreement;
(6) articles of association of the company;
(7) business licence, certificate of approval, and the financial
report of the recent 3 consecutive years;
(8) application letter for the establishment of the company;
(9) the promoters' credit references; and
(10) feasibility study report.
Article 16
After the foregoing applications are approved by the Ministry of
Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the promoters shall go through the
procedure of alteration of registration after the issuance of approval
certificate and full payment of the capital shares subscribed.
Article 17
Upon the completion of the formalities for the alteration of
registration, all the rights and obligations of the original enterprise
with foreign investment shall be fully assumed by the company.
The obligations committed by the Chinese and foreign investors of the
enterprise with foreign investment in the original contract and articles
of association should be specified in the promoter's agreement and
articles of association and made applicable to the company to be
established.
Article 18
A state-owned enterprise or a collectively-owned enterprise which
applies for reorganizing itself into a company shall meet the following
requirements in addition to other provisions as provided for in these
Regulations:
(1) the enterprise shall have an operational period of no less than
five years, and have records of taking profits in the recent three
consecutive years;
(2) shares of the enterprise as subscribed with freely convertible
foreign currencies and held by foreign shareholders shall take more than
twenty-five per cent of the registered capital of the enterprise; and
(3) the business scope of the enterprise shall be in line with the
state's industrial policies for enterprises with foreign investment.
The agreement for the setting up of the company and the articles of
association signed by Chinese and foreign shareholders as promoters shall
be submitted to the local examination and approval authority for
preliminary examination and approval and onward submission to the Ministry
of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation for final approval.
The following documents shall be submitted in order to apply for the
reorganization:
(1) asset evaluation report of the enterprise;
(2) application letter for the establishment of the company;
(3) feasibility study report;
(4) promoters' agreement;
(5) the company's articles of association;
(6) business license and balance sheets for the recent three
consecutive years of the enterprises;
(7) credit references of the promoters; and
(8) other necessary documents.
Article 19
Upon the approval by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation for the above mentioned application, the promoters shall,
after the issuance of the approval certificate and full payment of the
share capital subscribed, apply to the registration authority for the
alteration of registration.
Article 20
A company limited by shares applying for reorganizing itself into the
company shall meet the following requirements in addition to other
provisions as provided for in these Regulations:
(1) the establishment of the company limited by shares was duly
approved by the State;
(2) the shares subscribed with freely convertible foreign currencies
and held by Foreign Shareholders shall take more than twenty-five per cent
of the company's registered capital; and
(3) the business scope of the company limited by shares shall be in
line with the industrial policies for enterprises with foreign investment.
Article 21
Where a company limited by shares applies to reorganize itself into a
company by means of issuing Renminbi Special Shares (B Shares) to the
public, the following documents shall be submitted:
(1) the decision of the shareholders' meeting on reorganizing itself
into a company;
(2) asset evaluation report of the original company limited by shares;
(3) application report on the reorganizing itself into the company;
(4) agreement on the additions and amendments to the articles of
association of the original company limited by shares;
(5) approval document from the security administration authority on
the public offer of Renminbi Special Shares (B Shares); and
(6) other necessary documents.
Article 22
Where a company limited by shares applies to reorganize itself into a
company by increasing capital and making public offer of new shares or
reverting to offering shares to be held by foreign shareholders, it shall
submit, in addition to the documents set out in item (1), (2), (3) and (4)
in the preceding article, the share subscribing agreement entered into
between the company limited by shares and the specifically-targeted
subscriber (s) as well as other necessary documents.
Article 23
A company limited by shares, which is listed and makes public offer of
shares outside the Chinese territory to foreign investors (including but
not limited to H shares and N shares) and applies for the reorganization
into the company, should submit the following documents in addition to
documents set out in item (1), (2), (3) and (4) of Article 21:
(1) approval document from the security administration authority on
the overseas listing;
(2) approval document from the security administration authority
outside the Chinese territory on the public listing of the original
company limited by shares; and
(3) transaction records of the overseas listed shares of the original
company limited by shares.
Article 24
Upon approval by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation on the above mentioned application, the original company
limited by shares shall apply for the alteration of registration by
presenting the approval document and the public offering certificate to
the administration authority for industry and commerce.
Article 25
Other matters relating to the company that are not provided for in
these Provisional Regulations shall be handled in accordance with the
Company Law and Special Regulations of the State Council on Offer and
Listing of Shares Outside the Territory by Companies Limited by Shares.
Article 26
The tax holidays for tax exemption and reduction etc. shall not be
recalculated for a company reorganized by an enterprise with foreign
investment.
Article 27
These Provisional Regulations are applicable to the companies
established with investment by companies, enterprises, and other economic
organizations or individuals from the regions of Hong Kong, Macao and
Taiwan.
Article 28
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation shall take
charge of the interpretation of these Provisional Regulations.
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