Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.
JinkoSolar disclosed 85 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. JinkoSolar reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.
Risk Overview Q4, 2021
Risk Distribution
36% Finance & Corporate
25% Legal & Regulatory
14% Production
11% Ability to Sell
8% Macro & Political
6% Tech & Innovation
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
2020
Q4
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
JinkoSolar Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2021
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 31 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 31 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
85
+3
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
85
+3
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
7Risks added
4Risks removed
6Risks changed
Since Dec 2021
7Risks added
4Risks removed
6Risks changed
Since Dec 2021
Number of Risk Changed
6
-2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
6
-2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
See the risk highlights of JinkoSolar in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 85
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 31/85 (36%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights16 | 18.8%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Added
If the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is currently unable to inspect our auditor for U.S. reporting purpose in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections over our auditor deprives our investors with the benefits of such inspections.
Our auditor for U.S. reporting purpose, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Since our auditor for U.S. reporting purpose is located in China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our auditor is not currently inspected by the PCAOB.
This lack of the PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our independent registered public accounting firm. As a result, we and investors in our ordinary shares and ADSs are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm's audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Jiangxi Jinko's status as a publicly traded company that is controlled, but less than wholly owned, by our company could have an adverse effect on us.
As the result of actions that were taken in connection with the STAR Listing, including placement of shares by Jiangxi Jinko, our principal operating subsidiary, to certain PRC investors and our controlling shareholders, Jiangxi Jinko is no longer a wholly owned subsidiary of our company. This non-controlling interest in Jiangxi Jinko increased after completion of the STAR Listing, and the interests in Jiangxi Jinko of these minority shareholders may diverge from the interests of our company and our other subsidiaries in the future. We may face conflicts of interest in managing, financing or engaging in transactions with Jiangxi Jinko, or allocating business opportunities between our subsidiaries.
After the completion of the Star Listing, we own approximately 58.62% of Jiangxi Jinko and retain majority ownership of Jiangxi Jinko, but Jiangxi Jinko is managed by a separate board of directors and officers and those directors and officers owe fiduciary duties to the various stakeholders of Jiangxi Jinko, including shareholders other than our wholly-owned subsidiary. In the operation of Jiangxi Jinko's business, there may be situations that arise whereby the directors and officers of Jiangxi Jinko, in the exercise of their fiduciary duties, take actions that may be contrary to the best interests of our company.
After the completion of the Star Listing, given Jiangxi Jinko and our Company are public reporting companies listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the NYSE, respectively, each of them are subject to separate and potentially inconsistent accounting standards (PRC GAAP for Jiangxi Jinko and U.S. GAAP for our Company) as well as disclosure and other regulatory requirements. As a result, Jiangxi Jinko and our Company will periodically disclose information simultaneously pursuant to different laws and regulations, and the information disclosed by these two listed companies may differ due to distinct and potentially inconsistent accounting standards applicable to these two companies and disclosure requirements by different securities regulatory authorities in the composition of investors in the United States and PRC, and in the capital markets of the United States and the PRC. Different disclosures may lead to confusion or uncertainty among investors in the publicly traded shares of one or both of these companies. In addition, there might be certain additional requirements of the PRC law, including demands from the CSRC, the Shanghai Stock Exchange or other relevant authorities, that might have a bearing on holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs. For example, during the Star Listing process, in order to comply with the PRC law, some of our senior management resigned from our company, while retaining the same roles at Jiangxi Jinko. In the future, Jiangxi Jinko may issue options, restricted shares and other forms of share-based compensation to its directors, officers and employees, which could dilute our company's ownership in Jiangxi Jinko. In addition, Jiangxi Jinko may engage in capital raising activities in the future that could further dilute our company's ownership interest.
Our organizational structure has become and may in the future become more complex. We will need to continue to scale and adapt our operational, financial and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures, at both our company and Jiangxi Jinko. The continued expansion of our infrastructure will require us to commit substantial financial, operational and management resources before our revenue increases and without any assurances that our revenue will increase. In addition, holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may have limited opportunities to purchase Jiangxi Jinko's shares due to the STAR Listing.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
The grant of employee share options and other share-based compensation could adversely affect our net income.
As of the date of this annual report, share options with respect to 9,194,356 ordinary shares have been granted to our directors, officers and employees pursuant to our 2009 Long Term Incentive Plan. As of the date of this annual report, share options with respect to 10,183,968 ordinary shares have been granted to our directors, officers and employees pursuant to our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, and there are 289,896 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options granted under the plan. As of the date of this annual report, share options with respect to 354,000 ordinary shares have been granted to our directors, officers and employees pursuant to our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, and there are 339,252 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options granted under the plan. As of the date of this annual report, share options with respect to 8,495,000 ordinary shares have been granted to our directors, officers and employees pursuant to our 2022 Equity Incentive Plan, and there are 8,433,184 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options granted under the plan.
U.S. GAAP requires us to recognize share-based compensation as compensation expense in the consolidated statement of operations based on the fair value of equity awards on the date of the grant, with the compensation expense recognized over the period in which the recipient is required to provide service in exchange for the equity award. If we grant more share options to attract and retain key personnel, the expenses associated with share-based compensation may adversely affect our net income. However, if we do not grant share options or reduce the number of share options that we grant, we may not be able to attract and retain key personnel.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Our founders collectively have significant influence over our management and their interests may not be aligned with our interests or the interests of our other shareholders.
As of the date of this annual report, our founders, Xiande Li who is our chairman and chief executive officer, Kangping Chen who is our director, and Xianhua Li who is our director, beneficially owned 9.4%, 6.8% and 3.5%, respectively, or 19.7% in the aggregate, of our outstanding ordinary shares. If the founders act collectively, they will have a substantial influence over our business, including decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors, dividend policy and other significant corporate actions. They may take actions that are not in the best interest of our company or our securities holders. For example, this concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could deprive our shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and might reduce the price of our ADSs. On the other hand, if the founders are in favor of any of these actions, these actions may be taken even if they are opposed by a majority of our other shareholders, including you and those who invest in ADSs. In addition, under our current articles of association, the quorum required for the general meeting of our shareholders is two shareholders entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy or, if the shareholder is a corporation, by its duly authorized representative representing not less than one-third in nominal value of our total issued voting shares. As such, a shareholders resolution may be passed at our shareholders meetings with the presence of our founders only and without the presence of any of our other shareholders, which may not represent the interests of our other shareholders, including holders of ADSs.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
Dividends payable by us to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our shares or ADSs may become subject to PRC corporate income tax liabilities.
The Implementation Rules of the CIT Law provide that (i) if the enterprise that distributes dividends is domiciled in China, or (ii) if gains are realized from transferring equity interests of enterprises domiciled in China, then such dividends or capital gains are treated as China-sourced income. It is not clear how "domicile" will be interpreted under the CIT Law. It may be interpreted as the jurisdiction where the enterprise is incorporated or where the enterprise is a tax resident. Therefore, if our company and our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are considered PRC tax resident enterprises for tax purposes, any dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders or ADS holders, as well as any gains realized by such shareholders or ADSs holders from the transfer of our shares or ADSs, may be viewed as China-sourced income and, as a consequence, be subject to PRC corporate income tax at 10% or a lower treaty rate. If we are required to withhold PRC income tax on dividends we pay to our overseas shareholders or ADS holders, or if you are required to pay PRC income tax on gains from the transfer of our shares or ADSs, the value of your investment in our shares or ADSs may be materially adversely affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
The market price for our ADSs has been volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.
The market price for our ADSs has been and may continue to be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations, which could result in substantial losses to investors. The closing prices of our ADSs ranged from US$30.26 to US$72.31 per ADS in 2021. The price of our ADSs may continue to fluctuate in response to factors including the following:
- announcements of new products by us or our competitors;- technological breakthroughs in the solar and other renewable power industries;- reduction or elimination of government subsidies and economic incentives for the solar industry;- news regarding any gain or loss of customers by us;- news regarding recruitment or loss of key personnel by us or our competitors;- announcements of competitive developments, acquisitions or strategic alliances in our industry;- changes in the general condition of the global economy and credit markets;- general market conditions or other developments affecting us or our industry;- the operating and stock price performance of other companies, other industries and other events or factors beyond our control;- regulatory developments in our target markets affecting us, our customers or our competitors;- announcements regarding patent litigation or the issuance of patents to us or our competitors;- announcements of studies and reports relating to the conversion efficiencies of our products or those of our competitors;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations;- changes in financial projections or estimates about our financial or operational performance by securities research analysts;- changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other solar power technology companies;- release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding ordinary shares or ADSs;- sales or perceived sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs; and - commencement of, or our involvement in, litigation.
Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.
We cannot give any assurance that these factors will not occur in the future again. In addition, the securities market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. Particularly, concerns over economic slowdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemics have triggered a U.S. key market-wide circuit breaker for several times since March 9, 2020, leading to a historic drop for the U.S. capital market. No guarantee can be given on how the capital markets will react although actions have been taken worldwide to combat the spread of the COVID-19. These market fluctuations may also have a material adverse effect on the market price of our ADSs. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of their stock, many companies have been the subject of securities class action litigation. If we become involved in similar securities class action litigation in the future, it could result in substantial costs and diversion of our management's attention and resources and could harm our stock price, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Conversion of the convertible notes we offered may dilute the ownership interest of existing shareholders, including holders who had previously converted their convertible notes.
The conversion of some or all of the convertible notes will dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders and existing holders of our ADSs. Any sales in the public market of the ADSs issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ADSs. In addition, the existence of the convertible notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the convertible notes could depress the price of our ADSs.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
Provisions of the convertible notes we offered could also discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.
Certain provisions of the convertible notes could make it more difficult or more expensive for a third party to acquire us, or may even prevent a third party from acquiring us. For example, in terms of the convertible notes we offered in 2019, upon the occurrence of certain transactions constituting a fundamental change, holders of the convertible notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all of their convertible notes or any portion of the principal amount of the convertible notes in integral multiples of US$1,000. We may also be required to increase the conversion rate for conversions in connection with certain fundamental changes. By discouraging an acquisition of us by a third party, these provisions could have the effect of depriving the holders of our ordinary shares and holders of our ADSs of an opportunity to sell their ordinary shares and ADSs, as applicable, at a premium over prevailing market prices.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
It may be difficult to effect service of process on, or to enforce any judgments obtained outside the PRC against, us, our directors, or our senior management members who live inside the PRC.
A majority of our existing directors and senior management members reside in the PRC and a substantial part of our assets and the assets of such persons are located in the PRC. Accordingly, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process on any of these persons or to enforce judgments obtained outside of the PRC against us or any of these persons. The PRC does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments awarded by courts in many developed countries, including the Cayman Islands, the United States and the United Kingdom. Therefore, the recognition and enforcement in the PRC of judgments of a court in any of these jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or even impossible.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
Holders of ADSs have fewer rights than shareholders and must act through the depositary to exercise those rights.
As a holder of ADSs, you will not be treated as one of our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. Instead, the depositary will be treated as the holder of the shares underlying your ADSs. However, you may exercise some of the shareholders' rights through the depositary, and you will have the right to withdraw the shares underlying your ADSs from the deposit facility.
Holders of ADSs may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying ordinary shares in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under our current articles of association, the minimum notice period required to convene a general meeting is ten days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient notice of a shareholders' meeting to permit you to withdraw the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs to allow you to cast your vote with respect to any specific matter. In addition, the depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to you or carry out your voting instructions in a timely manner. We plan to make all reasonable efforts to cause the depositary to extend voting rights to you in a timely manner, but we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your ADSs. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and you may lack recourse if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested. In addition, in your capacity as an ADS holder, you will not be able to call a shareholder meeting.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than that under U.S. law, you may have less protection for your shareholder rights than you would under U.S. law.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands as amended from time to time and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as that from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. In addition, some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands.
In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before federal courts of the United States.
As we are a Cayman Islands exempted company and a substantial part of our consolidated assets are located outside of the United States and a substantial part of our current operations are conducted in China, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or China would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state against us and our officers and directors, most of whom are not residents of the United States and the substantial majority of whose assets are located outside the United States. In addition, it is uncertain whether the Cayman Islands or PRC courts would entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or in China against us or our officers and directors predicated on the federal securities laws of the United States. While there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), a judgment obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (a) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction, (b) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given, (c) is final, (d) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty, and (e) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. Because such a determination has not yet been made by a court of the Cayman Islands, it is uncertain whether such civil liability judgments from U.S. courts would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands.
As a result of all of the above, shareholders of a Cayman Islands company may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as shareholders of a company incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States. For example, contrary to the general practice in most corporations incorporated in the United States, Cayman Islands incorporated companies may not generally require that shareholders approve sales of all or substantially all of a company's assets. The limitations described above will also apply to the depositary who is treated as the holder of the shares underlying your ADSs.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
Our current articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could prevent a change in control even if such takeover is beneficial to our shareholders.
Our current articles of association contain provisions that could delay, defer or prevent a change in control of our company that could be beneficial to our shareholders. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other shareholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. As a result, these provisions could limit the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for our ADSs. These provisions might also discourage a potential acquisition proposal or tender offer, even if the acquisition proposal or tender offer is at a price above the then current market price of our ADSs. These provisions provide that our board of directors has authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADSs or otherwise. Our board of directors may decide to issue such preferred shares quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make the removal of our management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue such preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially adversely affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:
- the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, quarterly certifications by the principal executive and financial officers, or current reports on Form 8-K;- the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;- the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and - the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.
We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each financial year. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we may adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the NYSE corporate governance listing standards.
As a non-U.S. company with ADSs listed on the NYSE, we are subject to the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. However, in reliance on Section 303A.11 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, which permits a foreign private issuer to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country, we have adopted certain corporate governance practices that may differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. For example, we may include non-independent directors as members of our compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee, and our independent directors are not required to hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. Such home country practice differs from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards, because there are no specific provisions under the Companies Law (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands imposing such requirements. Accordingly, executive directors, who may also be our major shareholders or representatives of our major shareholders, may have greater power to make or influence major decisions than they would if we complied with all the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. While we may adopt certain practices that are in compliance with the laws of the Cayman Islands, such practices may differ from more stringent requirements imposed by the NYSE rules and as such, our shareholders may be afforded less protection under Cayman Islands law than they would under the NYSE rules applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. See "Item 16G. Corporate Governance."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
We may issue additional ordinary shares, other equity or equity-linked or debt securities, which may materially adversely affect the price of our ordinary shares or ADSs. Hedging activities may depress the trading price of our ordinary shares.
We may issue additional equity, equity-linked or debt securities for a number of reasons, including to finance our operations and business strategy (including in connection with acquisitions, strategic collaborations or other transactions), to satisfy our obligations for the repayment of existing indebtedness, to adjust our ratio of debt to equity, to satisfy our obligations upon the exercise of outstanding warrants or options or for other reasons. Any future issuances of equity securities or equity-linked securities could substantially dilute your interests and may materially adversely affect the price of our ordinary shares or ADSs. We cannot predict the timing or size of any future issuances or sales of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, or the effect, if any, that such issuances or sales may have on the market price of our ordinary shares or ADSs. Market conditions could require us to accept less favorable terms for the issuance of our securities in the future.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
Substantial future sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the price of our ordinary shares or ADSs to decline.
Sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline. As of December 31, 2021, we had 190,824,913 ordinary shares outstanding, excluding 103,803 ADS representing 415,212 ordinary shares reserved for future grants under our share incentive plans and conversion of our convertible notes, and 2,945,840 ordinary shares as treasury stock. The number of ordinary shares outstanding and available for sale will increase when our employees and former employees who are holders of restricted share units and options to acquire our ordinary shares become entitled to the underlying shares under the terms of their units or options. To the extent these shares are sold into the market, or are converted to ADSs which are sold into the market place, the market price of our ordinary shares or ADSs could decline.
Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 4.7%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
You may not receive dividends or other distributions on our ordinary shares and you may not receive any value for them, if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.
Under Cayman Islands law, we may only pay dividends out of our profits or our share premium account provided always that we are able to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of our business. Our ability to pay dividends will therefore depend on our ability to generate sufficient profits. We cannot give any assurance that we will declare dividends of any amounts, at any rate or at all in the future. We have not paid any dividends in the past. Future dividends, if any, will be paid at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital expenditure requirements, general financial conditions, legal and contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Our shareholders may, by ordinary resolution, declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. See "-Risks Related to Our Business and Industry-We rely principally on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiary, and limitations on their ability to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations" above for additional legal restrictions on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us.
The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on ordinary shares or other deposited securities underlying our ADSs, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible for making such distribution if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act but that are not properly registered or distributed under an applicable exemption from registration. The depositary may also determine that it is not feasible to distribute certain property through the mail. Additionally, the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing such distributions. In these cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. This means that you may not receive distributions we make on our ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may cause a material decline in the value of our ADSs.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
Our ability to make distributions and other payments to our shareholders depends to a significant extent upon the distribution of earnings and other payments made by our subsidiaries in the PRC.
We conduct a substantial part of our operations through our operating subsidiaries in China. Our ability to make distributions or other payments to our shareholders depends on payments from these operating subsidiaries in China, whose ability to make such payments is subject to PRC regulations. Regulations in the PRC currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with accounting standards and regulations in China. According to the relevant PRC laws and regulations applicable to our operating subsidiaries in China and their respective articles of association, these subsidiaries are each required to set aside 10% of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards each year as statutory common reserves until the accumulative amount of these reserves reaches 50% of their registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. As of December 31, 2021, these general reserves amounted to RMB700.2 million (US$109.9 million), accounting for 2.3% of the total registered capital of all of our operating subsidiaries in China. In addition, under the CIT Law and its Implementation Rules, dividends from our operating subsidiaries in China to us are subject to withholding tax to the extent that we are considered a non-PRC tax resident enterprise under the CIT Law. See "-Our China-sourced income is subject to PRC withholding tax under the CIT Law, and we may be subject to PRC corporate income tax at the rate of 25%." Furthermore, if our operating subsidiaries in China incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us such as requiring prior approval from relevant banks.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
Any failure to maintain effective internal control could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and the market price of the ADSs.
The SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), adopted rules requiring most public companies to include a management report on such company's internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management's assessment of the effectiveness of our company's internal control over financial reporting. In addition, when a company meets the SEC's criteria, an independent registered public accounting firm must report on the effectiveness of our company's internal control over financial reporting.
Our management and independent registered public accounting firm have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 was effective. However, we cannot assure you that in the future our management or our independent registered public accounting firm will not identify material weaknesses during the Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act audit process or for other reasons. In addition, because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result, if we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or should we be unable to prevent or detect material misstatements due to error or fraud on a timely basis, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could harm our business, results of operations and negatively impact the market price of the ADSs, and harm our reputation. Furthermore, we have incurred and expected to continue to incur considerable costs and to use significant management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our operating history may not be a reliable predictor of our prospects and future results of operations.
We commenced processing recoverable silicon materials in June 2006, and manufacturing silicon wafers in 2008. We commenced producing solar cells in July 2009 following our acquisition of Zhejiang Jinko, which has manufactured solar cells since June 2007, and we commenced producing solar modules in August 2009.
Although our revenue experienced significant growth in the past, we cannot assure you that our revenue will increase at previous rates or at all, or that we will be able to continue to operate profitably in future periods. We also experienced net losses in each quarter from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2013. Our operating history may not be a reliable predictor of our future results of operations, and past revenue growth experienced by us should not be taken as indicative of the rate of revenue growth, if any, that can be expected in the future. We believe that period to period comparisons of our operating results and our results for any period should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance.
Debt & Financing8 | 9.4%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We typically require a significant amount of cash to meet our capital requirements, including the expansion of our production capacity, as well as to fund our operations. As of December 31, 2021, we had RMB13.34 billion (US$2.09 billion) in outstanding short-term borrowings (including the current portion of long-term borrowings and failed sale-leaseback financing) and RMB9.90 billion (US$1.55 billion) in outstanding long-term borrowings (excluding the current portion of long-term borrowings and failed sale-leaseback financing). For details regarding our borrowings, see "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects-B. Liquidity and Capital Resources" in this annual report.
We may not have sufficient funds available to meet our payment obligations in light of the amount of bank borrowings due in the near term future. This level of debt and the imminent repayment of our notes and other bank borrowings could have significant consequences on our operations, including:
- reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes as a result of our debt service obligations, and limiting our ability to obtain additional financing;- limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, and increasing our vulnerability to, changes in our business, the industry in which we operate and the general economy; and - potentially increasing the cost of any additional financing.
Any of these factors and other consequences that may result from our substantial indebtedness could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations as well as our ability to meet our payment obligations under our debt.
In addition, we are exposed to various types of market risk in the normal course of business, including the impact of interest rate changes. As of December 31, 2021, RMB515.2 million (US$80.8 million) of our long-term borrowings bears interest at variable rates, generally linked to market benchmarks such as the benchmark interest rate issued by local banks. Any increase in interest rates would increase our finance expenses relating to our variable rate indebtedness and increase the costs of refinancing our existing indebtedness and issuing new debt. Furthermore, since the majority of our short-term borrowings came from Chinese banks, we are exposed to lending policy changes by the Chinese banks. If the Chinese government changes its macroeconomic policies and forces Chinese banks to tighten their lending practices, or if Chinese banks are no longer willing to provide financing to solar power companies, including us, we may not be able to extend our short-term borrowings or make additional borrowings in the future.
We may incur gain or loss in relation to our change in the fair value of our financial instruments. The change in fair value of financial instruments may fluctuate significantly from period to period due to factors that are largely beyond our control, and may result in us recording substantial gains or losses as a result of such changes. As a result of the foregoing, you may not be able to rely on period to period comparisons of our operating results as an indication of our future performance.
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
Our failure to maintain sufficient collateral under certain pledge contracts for our short-term loans may materially adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
As of December 31, 2021, we had short-term borrowings, including the current portion of long-term borrowings and failed sale-leaseback financing, of RMB3.02 billion (US$473.6 million), secured by certain of our inventory, land use rights, property, plant and equipment, bank deposit and accounts receivable. We cannot assure you that we will not be requested by the pledgees to provide additional collateral to bring the value of the collateral to the level required by the pledgees if our inventory depreciates in the future. If we fail to provide additional collateral upon request, the pledgees will be entitled to require the immediate repayment of the outstanding bank loans. In addition, the pledgees may auction or sell the inventory. Furthermore, we may be subject to liquidated damages pursuant to relevant pledge contracts. Although the pledgees have conducted regular site inspections on our inventory since the pledge contracts were executed, they have not requested us to provide additional collateral or take other remedial actions. However, we cannot assure you the pledgees will not require us to provide additional collateral in the future or take other remedial actions or otherwise enforce their rights under the pledge contracts and loan agreements. If any of the foregoing occurs, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
We rely principally on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our principal operating subsidiary, and limitations on their ability to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We are a holding company and rely principally on dividends paid by Jiangxi Jinko, our principal operating subsidiary, for cash requirements. Applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations permit payment of dividends by our PRC subsidiaries only out of their retained earnings, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards. Our PRC subsidiaries are required to set aside a certain percentage of their after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year as reserve funds for future development and employee benefits, in accordance with the requirements of relevant laws and provisions in their respective articles of associations. The percentage should not be less than 10%, unless the reserve funds reach 50% of our registered capital. In addition, under PRC laws, our PRC subsidiaries are prohibited from distributing dividends if there is a loss in the current year. As a result, our PRC subsidiaries may be restricted in their ability to transfer any portion of their net income to us whether in the form of dividends, loans or advances. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us could materially adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
We are exposed to significant guarantee liabilities and if the debtors default, our financial position would be materially and adversely affected.
In connection with our disposal of JinkoPower-a downstream business-in 2016, we entered into a master service agreement with JinkoPower, where we agreed to provide a guarantee for JinkoPower's financing obligations under certain of its loan agreements entered into within a three-year period from October 2016, amounted to RMB401.4 million (US$63.0 million) as of December 31, 2021. According to the master service agreement, we charge JinkoPower service fees for the guarantee we provided for its financing obligations as described above. In addition, we have provided guarantees to certain of our related parties. As of December 31, 2021, we had liabilities associated with guarantees to related parties of RMB12.1 million (US$1.9 million). In the event that JinkoPower or the relevant related parties (as the case may be) fail to perform their respective obligations or otherwise default under the relevant loan agreements or other contracts, we will become liable for their respective obligations under those loan agreements or other contracts, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition.
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
We require a significant amount of cash to fund our operations and future business developments. If we cannot obtain additional funding on terms satisfactory to us when we need it, our growth prospects and future profitability may be materially and adversely affected.
We require a significant amount of cash to fund our operations, including payments to suppliers for our polysilicon feedstock. We may also require additional cash due to changing business conditions or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue, as well as our research and development activities in order to remain competitive.
Our working capital was RMB64.6 million (US$10.1 million) as of December 31, 2021. Our management believes that our cash position as of December 31, 2021, the cash expected to be generated from operations, and funds available from borrowings under our credit facilities will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months from the date of this annual report.
Our ability to obtain external financing is subject to a number of uncertainties, including:
- our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flow;- the general condition of the global equity and debt capital markets;- regulatory and government support, such as subsidies, tax credits and other incentives;- the continued confidence of banks and other financial institutions in our company and the solar power industry;- economic, political and other conditions in the PRC and elsewhere; and - our ability to comply with any financial covenants under the debt financing.
Any additional equity financing may be dilutive to our shareholders and any debt financing may require restrictive covenants. Additional funds may not be available on terms commercially acceptable to us. Failure to manage discretionary spending and raise additional capital or debt financing as required may adversely impact our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. See "-Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations."
Debt & Financing - Risk 6
Uncertainty about the future of LIBOR and certain other interest "benchmarks" may adversely affect our business.
LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate, is widely used as a reference for setting interest rates on loans globally. LIBOR and certain other interest "benchmarks" may be subject to regulatory guidance and/or reform that could cause interest rates under our current or future debt agreements to perform differently than in the past or cause other unanticipated consequences.
On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), which regulates the LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR to the administrator of LIBOR after 2021. In June 2019, the FCA asked banks and markets to stop using the LIBOR as a basis for pricing contracts. These announcements indicate that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and has not been guaranteed since 2021. It is impossible to predict whether and to what extent banks will continue to provide LIBOR submissions to the administrator of LIBOR or whether any additional reforms to LIBOR may be enacted in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. At this time, no consensus exists as to what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR and it is impossible to predict the effect of any such alternatives on the value of LIBOR-based securities and variable rate loans or other financial arrangements, given LIBOR's role in determining market interest rates globally. On March 25, 2020, the FCA stated that although the central assumption that firms cannot rely on LIBOR being published after the end of 2021 has not changed, the outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted the timing of many firms' transition planning, and the FCA will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transition timelines and update the marketplace as soon as possible. It is unclear if after 2021 LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods calculating LIBOR will be established such that it continues to exist after 2021.
Moreover, on July 12, 2019, the Staff of the SEC's Division of Corporate Finance, Division of Investment Management, Division of Trading and Markets, and Office of the Chief Accountant issued a statement about the potentially significant effects on financial markets and market participants when LIBOR was discontinued in 2021 and no longer available as a reference benchmark rate. The Staff encouraged all market participants to identify contracts that reference LIBOR and begin transitions to alternative rates. On December 30, 2019, the SEC's Chairman, Division of Corporate Finance and Office of the Chief Accountant issued a statement to encourage audit committees in particular to understand management's plans to identify and address the risks associated with the elimination of LIBOR, and, specifically, the impact on accounting and financial reporting and any related issues associated with financial products and contracts that reference LIBOR, as the risks associated with the discontinuation of LIBOR and transition to an alternative reference rate will be exacerbated if the work is not completed in a timely manner.
Uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes or other reforms to LIBOR may adversely affect LIBOR rates and other interest rates. In the event that a published LIBOR rate was unavailable after 2021, the value of such securities, loans or other financial arrangements may be adversely affected, and, to the extent that we are the issuer of or obligor under any such instruments or arrangements, our cost thereunder may increase. Currently, the manner and impact of this transition and related developments, as well as the effect of these developments on our funding costs, investment and trading securities portfolios and business, is uncertain, which may adversely affect our business, prospects, liquidity, capital resources, financial performance or financial condition.
Debt & Financing - Risk 7
We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC tax resident enterprises by non-PRC holding companies.
Under the current PRC tax regulations, indirect transfers of equity interests and other properties of PRC tax resident enterprises by non-PRC holding companies may be subject to PRC tax. In accordance with the Announcement of the State Taxation Administration on Several Issues concerning the Enterprise Income Tax on the Indirect Transfers of Properties by Non-Resident Enterprises ("STA Announcement 7"), issued by the STA on February 3, 2015, if a non-PRC tax resident enterprise indirectly transfers equities and other properties of a PRC tax resident enterprise and such indirect transfer will produce a result identical or substantially similar to direct transfer of equity interests and other properties of the PRC tax resident enterprise, the non-PRC tax resident enterprise may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate up to 10%. The Announcement of the State Taxation Administration on Matters Concerning Withholding of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises at Source ("STA Announcement 37"), which was issued by the STA on October 17, 2017 and became effective on December 1, 2017, renovates the principles and procedures concerning the indirect equity transfer tax withholding for a non-PRC tax resident enterprise. Failure to comply with the tax payment obligations by a non-PRC tax resident will result in penalties, including full payment of tax owed, fines and default interest on those tax.
According to STA Announcement 7, where a non-resident enterprise indirectly transfers equity interests or other properties of PRC tax resident enterprises, ("PRC Taxable Property") to avoid its tax liabilities by implementing arrangements without reasonable commercial purpose, such indirect transfer shall be re-characterized and recognized as a direct transfer of PRC Taxable Property. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer and attributable to PRC Taxable Property may be subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%. In the case of an indirect transfer of property of establishments of a foreign enterprise in the PRC, the applicable tax rate would be 25%. STA Announcement 7 also illustrates certain circumstances which would indicate a lack of reasonable commercial purpose. STA Announcement 7 further sets forth certain "safe harbors" which would be deemed to have a reasonable commercial purpose. As a general principle, the STA also issued the Administration of General Anti-Tax Avoidance (Trial Implementation) ("GATA"), which became effective on February 1, 2015 and empowers the PRC tax authorities to apply special tax adjustments for "tax avoidance arrangements."
There is uncertainty as to the application of STA Announcement 7 as well as the newly issued STA Announcement 37 and GATA. For example, it may be difficult to evaluate whether or not the transaction has a reasonable commercial purpose, and such evaluation may be based on ambiguous criteria which have not been formally declared or stated by tax authorities. As a result, any of our disposals or acquisitions of the equity interests of non-PRC entities which indirectly hold PRC Taxable Property or any offshore transaction related to PRC Taxable Property, including potential overseas restructuring, might be deemed an indirect transfer under PRC tax regulations. Therefore, we may be at risk of being taxed under STA Announcement 7 and STA Announcement 37 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with STA Announcement 7 and STA Announcement 37 or to establish that we should not be taxed thereunder, which may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Debt & Financing - Risk 8
You may be subject to limitations on transfers of your ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deem it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or government body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.
Corporate Activity and Growth3 | 3.5%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
As a foreign company, our acquisitions of PRC companies may take longer and be subject to higher level of scrutiny by the PRC government, which may delay or prevent any intended acquisition.
Circular 10 established additional procedures and requirements including the requirements that in certain instances foreign investors obtain MOFCOM's approval when they acquire equity or assets of a PRC domestic enterprise. According to Article 35 of the Foreign Investment Law, a security review system for foreign investment will be established in the country, under which the security review shall be conducted for any foreign investment affecting or having the possibility to affect national security. According to Article 40 of the Foreign Investment Law, where any country or region takes any discriminatory prohibitive or restrictive measures, or other similar measures against the People's Republic of China in terms of investment, the People's Republic of China may take corresponding measures against the said country or region in light of the actual conditions. In the future, we may want to grow our business in part by acquiring complementary businesses, although we do not have plans to do so at this time. Complying with Circular 10 the Foreign Investment Law and other relevant regulations to complete these transactions could be time-consuming and costly, and could result in an extensive review by the PRC government and its increased control over the terms of the transaction, and any required approval processes may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
Changed
Although we completed the STAR Listing, we may not achieve the results contemplated by our business strategy (including with respect to use of proceeds from that offering) and therefore the price of our ADSs may not increase, or may even drop.
In January 2020, we completed the initial public offering of Jiangxi Jinko on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Sci-Tech innovation board (the "STAR Listing"). Jiangxi Jinko is our majority owned principal operating subsidiary. We conduct substantially all of our business through Jiangxi Jinko and its subsidiaries. Although the STAR Listing has been completed, we cannot assure you that we will realize any or all of our anticipated benefits of the STAR Listing. Our completion of the STAR Listing may not have the anticipated effects of strengthening our market position and operations in the PRC. Jiangxi Jinko has broad discretion in the use of the proceeds from the STAR Listing, and it may not spend or invest those proceeds in a manner that results in our operating success or with which holders of our shares and ADSs agree. Our failure to successfully leverage the completion of the STAR Listing to expand our production capacity in the PRC could result in a decrease in the price of the ADSs. In addition, we cannot assure you that the success of Jiangxi Jinko will have an attendant positive effect on the price of the ADSs.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We may continue to undertake acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or other strategic alliances, and such undertakings may be unsuccessful.
We may continue to grow our operations through acquisitions, participation in joint ventures or other strategic alliances with suppliers or other companies in China and overseas along the solar power industry value chain in the future. Such acquisitions, participation in joint ventures and strategic alliances may expose us to new operational, regulatory, market and geographical risks as well as risks associated with additional capital requirements and diversion of management resources. Our acquisitions may expose us to the following risks:
- There may be unforeseen risks relating to the target's business and operations or liabilities of the target that were not discovered by us through our legal and business due diligence prior to such acquisition. Such undetected risks and liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations in the future.
- There is no assurance that we will be able to maintain relationships with previous customers of the target, or develop new customer relationships in the future. Loss of our existing customers or failure to establish relationships with new customers could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
- Acquisitions will generally divert a significant portion of our management and financial resources from our existing business and the integration of the target's operations with our existing operations has required, and will continue to require, significant management and financial resources, potentially straining our ability to finance and manage our existing operations.
- There is no assurance that the expected synergies or other benefits from any acquisition or joint venture investment will actually materialize. If we are not successful in the integration of a target's operations, or are otherwise not successful in the operation of a target's business, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue from its operations to recover costs and expenses of the acquisition.
- Acquisition or participation in new joint venture or strategic alliance may involve us in the management of operation in which we do not possess extensive expertise.
The materialization of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 21/85 (25%)Above Sector Average
Regulation14 | 16.5%
Regulation - Risk 1
Existing regulations and policies and changes to these regulations and policies may present technical, regulatory and economic barriers to the purchase and use of solar power products, which may significantly reduce demand for our products.
The market for electricity generation products is heavily influenced by government regulations and policies concerning the electric utility industry, as well as by policies adopted by electric utility companies. These regulations and policies often relate to electricity pricing and technical interconnection requirements for customer-owned electricity generation. In a number of countries, these regulations and policies are being modified and may continue to be modified. Customer purchases of, or further investment in the research and development of, alternative energy sources, including solar power technology, could be deterred by these regulations and policies, which could result in a significant reduction in the demand for our products. For example, without a regulatory mandated exception for solar power systems, utility customers may be charged interconnection or standby fees for putting distributed power generation on the electric utility grid. These fees could increase the cost of and reduce the demand for solar power, thereby harming our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, we anticipate that solar power products and their installation will be subject to oversight and regulation in accordance with national and local regulations relating to building codes, safety, environmental protection, utility interconnection, and metering and related matters. Any new government regulations or utility policies pertaining to solar power products may result in significant additional expenses to the users of solar power products and, as a result, could eventually cause a significant reduction in demand for our products.
Regulation - Risk 2
Added
Changes in United States and China relations and related regulations may adversely impact our business, our operating results, our ability to raise capital and the price of our ADSs.
Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated. The U.S. government has taken a range of action relating to U.S-China relations, including imposing several rounds of tariffs affecting certain products manufactured in China, imposing sanctions, export controls and investment restrictions against Chinese companies, imposing sanctions on certain officials of the PRC and Hong Kong governments, enacting legislation such as the UFLP Act and the HFCA Act, and implementing enhanced reviews of companies with significant China-based operations. Partially in response to these actions, the PRC government has also taken steps affecting U.S.-China relations, including the issuance of the Unreliable Entity List in 2019 and the enactment of the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law in 2021. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions. Rising political tensions between China and the U.S. could reduce levels of trade, investment, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. The measures taken by the U.S. and Chinese governments may also restrict our ability to do business with entities both within and outside of China and may cause investors to lose confidence in Chinese companies and counterparties, including us. In addition, new legislation, executive orders, tariffs, laws or regulations may be adopted that negatively affect companies with significant connections to the U.S. or to China, our industry or on us. Any unfavorable government policies on cross-border relations or international trade, including increased scrutiny on companies with significant China-based operations may affect the competitive position of our products, the hiring of research and development personnel, our ability to sell our polysilicon products in the U.S. and possible certain other markets, the demand for our products or the products of companies that use our products as raw materials, our ability to raise capital, and the market price of our ADSs.
The SEC has issued statements focused on companies with significant China-based operations. For example, on July 30, 2021, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler , issued a Statement on Investor Protection Related to Recent Developments in China, in which he reported that he has directed the SEC staff to engage in targeted additional reviews of filings for companies with significant China-based operations. Consistent with that directive, on December 20, 2021, the SEC posted an illustrative letter containing sample comments to companies with the majority of their operations in the PRC or Hong Kong. The statement and sample comment letter also addressed risks inherent in companies with a variable interest entity, or a VIE, structure, which are used by some companies in China that operate in sectors that are subject to foreign ownership limitations. We do not have a VIE structure and are not in an industry that is subject to foreign ownership limitations. Further, we have reviewed the letter and believe that we have full and complete applicable disclosures as suggested in that letter. However, our periodic reports and other filings with the SEC may be subject to enhanced review by the SEC, and this additional scrutiny could affect our ability to effectively raise capital in the United States.
In response to the SEC's July 30 statement, the CSRC announced on August 1, 2021, that the CSRC will continue to collaborate "closely with different stakeholders including investors, companies, and relevant authorities to further promote transparency and certainty of policies and implementing measures." There is no assurance that the tension between the two nations will ease soon.
If any new legislation, executive orders, tariffs, laws and/or regulations are implemented, if existing trade agreements are renegotiated or if the U.S. or Chinese governments take retaliatory actions due to the U.S.-China tension, such changes could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, our ability to raise capital and the price of our ADSs.
Regulation - Risk 3
We are subject to anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed by the U.S. government. We are also subject to safeguard investigation and other foreign trade investigations initiated by the U.S. government and anti-dumping investigation and safeguard investigations initiated by governments in our other markets.
Our direct sales to the U.S. market accounted for 25.4%, 28.7% and 15.7% of our total revenues in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. In 2011, SolarWorld Industries America Inc., a solar panel manufacturing company in the United States, filed anti-dumping and countervailing duty petitions with the United States Department of Commerce (the "U.S. Department of Commerce") and United States International Trade Commission (the "U.S. International Trade Commission") against the Chinese solar industry, accusing Chinese producers of crystalline silicon photovoltaic ("CSPV") cells, whether or not assembled into modules, of selling their products (i.e., CSPV cells or modules incorporating these cells) in the United States at less than fair value, and of receiving financial assistance from the Chinese governments that benefited the production, manufacture, or exportation of such products. JinkoSolar was on the list of the solar companies subject to such investigations by the U.S. Department of Commerce. On November 9, 2011, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that it launched the anti-dumping duty and countervailing duty investigation into the accusations. On December 7, 2012, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order. As a result, cash deposits were required to pay on import into the United States of the CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules from China. The announced cash deposit rates applicable to us were 13.94% (for anti-dumping) and 15.24% (for countervailing). The actual anti-dumping duty and countervailing duty rates at which entries of covered merchandise are finally assessed may differ from the announced deposit rates because they are subject to the subsequent administrative reviews by U.S. Department of Commerce.
In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the first administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. In July 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final results of this first administrative review, according to which the anti-dumping and countervailing rates applicable to us were 9.67% and 20.94%, respectively. Such rates apply as the final rates on the import into the United States of the CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules from China, from May 25, 2012 to November 30, 2013 for dumping, and from March 26, 2012 to December 31, 2012 for countervailing, respectively. Such rates were the cash deposit rates applicable to us from July 14, 2015. In February 2015 and February 2016, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the second administrative and the third administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China, respectively. The U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final results of the second administrative review in June and July of 2016 and the final results of the third administrative review in July 2017. As we were not included in the second and the third administrative review, the rates applicable to us remained at 9.67% (for anti-dumping) and 20.94% (for countervailing) after this review. In February 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the fourth administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. In July 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce published the final results of the fourth administrative review. As we were not included in this anti-dumping administrative review, the anti-dumping deposit rates applicable to us remained at 9.67%. The countervailing deposit rates applicable to us were 13.20% after this review. On October 30, 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the final results of the fourth countervailing administrative review. As a result, the countervailing deposit rates applicable to us were 10.64% after this amendment. On October 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the final results of the fourth countervailing administrative review pursuant to the final judgement of the United States Court of International Trade; the final subsidy rate applicable to us for the entries made during the period from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015 was changed to 4.22%. In November 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission initiated five-year reviews to determine whether revocation of the anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules from China, would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury. In March 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that revocation of the countervailing order would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of a net countervailable subsidy. In March 2019, the U.S. International Trade Commission determined that revocation of the countervailing order would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of countervailable subsidies. In February 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the fifth administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. In July and August 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final results of the fifth administrative review, according to which the anti-dumping and countervailing deposit rates applicable to us were 4.06% and 12.76%, respectively. In December 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the final results of the fifth countervailing administrative review. As a result, the countervailing deposit rate applicable to us was 12.7% after this amendment. In March 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the sixth administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final result of the sixth anti-dumping administrative review, according to which the anti-dumping deposit rate applicable to us was 68.93%. In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the final result of the sixth anti-dumping administrative review, according to which the anti-dumping deposit rate applicable to us was 95.5% after such amendment. In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final result of the sixth countervailing administrative review, according to which the countervailing deposit rate applicable to us was 12.67%. In April 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the final result of the sixth countervailing administrative review, according to which the countervailing deposit rate applicable to us was 11.97% after such amendment. In February 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the seventh administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. In August and October 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final results of the seventh administrative review, according to which the anti-dumping and countervailing deposit rate applicable to us was 0% and 19.28%, respectively. In February 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the eighth administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. The eighth administrative review is pending as of the date of this annual report. In February 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the ninth administrative review of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. The ninth administrative review is pending as of the date of this annual report, and therefore, the final anti-dumping and countervailing rates applicable to us are subject to change.
On February 8, 2022, Auxin Solar Inc. ("Auxin"), a U.S. manufacturer of solar modules, requested that the U.S. Department of Commerce to open nationwide inquiries as to whether crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules containing such cells (solar cells and modules) that are produced and/or assembled in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand or Vietnam using parts and components from China and exported to the United States, are circumventing the anti-dumping and countervailing orders on solar cells and modules from China. On March 25, 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined to initiate the circumvention inquiries (the "Anti-Circumvention Case"). The Anti-Circumvention Case is pending as of the date of this annual report.
In 2013, SolarWorld Industries America Inc. filed a separate petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission resulting in the institution of new anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations against import of certain CSPV products from China. The petitions accused Chinese producers of such certain CSPV modules of dumping their products in the United States and receiving countervailable subsidies from the Chinese government. This action excluded from its scope the CSPV cells, whether or not assembled into modules, from China. In February 2015, following the affirmative injury determination made by U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order. As a result, the final cash deposits were required to pay on import into the United States of the CSPV modules assembled in China consisting of CSPV cells produced in a customs territory other than China. The announced cash deposit rates applicable to us were 65.36% (for anti-dumping) and 38.43% (for countervailing). The actual anti-dumping duty and countervailing duty rates at which entries of covered merchandise are finally assessed may differ from the announced deposit rates because they are subject to the administrative reviews by the U.S. Department of Commerce. In April 2016 and April 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the first and the second administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV modules assembled in China consisting of CSPV cells produced in a customs territory other than China, respectively. In July and September 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the final results of this first administrative review. The second administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order were rescinded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in August 2017 and November 2017, respectively. In April 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the third administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV modules assembled in China consisting of CSPV cells produced in a customs territory other than China. The final results of the third administrative reviews were 165.04% (for anti-dumping) and 94.83% (for countervailing). We were not included in this third administrative reviews, therefore, the cash deposit rates applicable to us remained at 65.36% (for anti-dumping) and 38.43% (for countervailing). In May 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the fourth administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV modules assembled in China consisting of CSPV cells produced in a customs territory other than China. The fourth administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order were rescinded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in September and October 2019, respectively. In April 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated the fifth administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order with respect to CSPV modules assembled in China consisting of CSPV cells produced in a customs territory other than China. The fifth administrative reviews of the anti-dumping duty order and countervailing duty order were rescinded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in August 2020. In January 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission initiated five-year reviews to determine whether revocation of the anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders with respect to CSPV modules assembled in China, consisting of CSPV cells produced in a customs territory other than China, would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury. In May 2020, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that revocation of the antidumping and countervailing orders would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of dumping and countervailing subsidies. In September 2020, the U.S. International Trade Commission determined that revocation of the countervailing and antidumping duty orders would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States within a reasonably foreseeable time.
In May 2017, U.S. International Trade Commission initiated global safeguard investigation to determine whether CSPV cells (whether or not partially or fully assembled into other products) were being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat thereof, to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported articles ("Section 201 Investigation"). The Section 201 Investigation was not country specific. They involved imports of the products under investigation from all sources, including China. In September 2017, the U.S. International Trade Commission voted affirmatively in respect of whether imports of CSPV cells (whether or not partially or fully assembled into other products) were causing serious injury to domestic producers of CSPV products. On January 22, 2018, the U.S. President made the final decision to provide a remedy to the U.S. industry, and the CSPV cells/modules concerned were subject to the safeguard measures established in the U.S. President's final result, which included that the CSPV cells and modules imported would be subject to additional duties of 30%, 25%, 20% and 15% from the first year to the fourth year, respectively, except for the first 2.5 GW of all imported CSPV cells concerned in each of those four years, which are excluded from the additional tariff. On October 10, 2020, the U.S. President issued a proclamation and determined that the section 201 duty of the fourth year beginning in February 2021 would be 18%, instead of 15%. In August 2021, a joint petition seeking an extension of the safeguard measure was filed. On December 8, 2021, in response to petitions by representatives of the domestic industry, U.S. International Trade Commission issued its determination and report, finding that safeguard action on CSPV cells (whether or not partially or fully assembled into other products)continues to be necessary to prevent or remedy the serious injury to the domestic industry, and that there is evidence that the domestic industry is making a positive adjustment to import competition ("Section 201 Extension Investigation"). On February 4, 2022, the U.S. President determined an extension of this safeguard measure for another four year and made the final decision, which included that the CSPV cells and modules imported would be subject to additional duties of 14.75%, 14.5%, 14.25% and 14% through the first year to the fourth year, respectively, except for bifacial modules and the first 5 GW of all imported CSPV cells concerned in each of those four years, which are excluded from the additional tariff. It is believed that the costs of solar power projects in the United States may increase and the demand for solar PV products in the United States may be adversely impacted due to the decision of the White House under the Section 201 Investigation. Although we opened our manufacturing facility in the United States, and the products manufactured in such facility will not be subject to tariffs, we will still be subject to tariffs if we ship our products from our manufacturing facilities overseas into the United States. Our imports of solar cells and modules into the United States were subject to the duties imposed by Section 201 Investigation starting from February 2018. Accordingly, our business and profitability of these products may be materially and adversely impacted by the decision of the U.S. President under the Section 201 Investigation.
In August 2017, the United States Trade Representative initiated an investigation pursuant to the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the "Trade Act"), to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation were actionable under the Trade Act ("Section 301 Investigation"). The findings from the United States Trade Representative with the assistance of the interagency Section 301 committee showed that the acts, policies, and practices of the Chinese government related to technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation were unreasonable or discriminatory and burdened or restricted the U.S. commerce. On March 22, 2018, the U.S. President directed his administration to take a range of actions responding to China's acts, policies, and practices involving the unfair and harmful acquisition of U.S. technology. These actions included imposing an additional duty of 25% on products from China in aerospace, information and communication technology, and machinery. On April 3, 2018, the United States Trade Representative proposed a list of products from China which would be subject to the additional duty. In June and July 2018, the United States Trade Representative proposed three lists of products from China which were worth approximately US$250 billion (US$34 billion for List 1, US$16 billion for List 2 and US$200 billion for List 3), among which, products on List 1 and List 2 would be imposed a 25% additional duty and products on List 3 would be imposed a 10% additional duty. Certain of our production equipment and raw materials exported from China to be used in our new manufacturing facility in the United States and our solar PV products exported from China were covered by these three lists. In July, August and September 2018, the United States Trade Representative published that the Customs and Border Protection would begin to collect additional duties on the products exported from China on List 1 on July 6, 2018, those on List 2 on August 23, 2018 and those on List 3 on September 24, 2018, respectively. On March 5, 2019, the United States Trade Representative determined that the rates of additional duty for the products on List 3 would remained at 10% until further notice. On May 9, 2019, the United States Trade Representative determined to increase the rates of additional duty for the products on List 3 from 10% to 25% with an effective date on May 10, 2019. In August 2019, the United States Trade Representative determined to impose an additional 10% duty on the fourth list of products of Chinese origin with an annual aggregate trade value of approximately US$300 billion ("List 4"). Certain of our production equipment and raw materials of Chinese origin to be used in our new manufacturing facility in the United States were covered by List 4. The tariff subheadings under List 4 were separated into two lists with different effective dates: the list set forth in annex A of the notice issued by the United States Trade Representative became effective on September 1, 2019; and the list set forth in annex C of the notice became effective on December 15, 2019. On August 30, 2019, the United States Trade Representative determined to increase the rate of additional duty for the products covered by List 4 from 10% to 15%. On December 18, 2019, the United States Trade Representative determined to suspend indefinitely the imposition of additional 15% duty on products covered by annex C of List 4. On January 15, 2020, the United States Trade Representative determined to reduce the rate of the additional duty on products covered by annex A of List 4 from 15% to 7.5%, which became effective on February 14, 2020. The lists of products, which the United States Trade Representative may further revise, may affect the solar industry and the operation of our new manufacturing facility in the United States.
In December 2014, Canada initiated the anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on imports of CSPV modules from China. In June 2015, the Canada Border Services Agency ("CBSA") found that the CSPV modules under investigation had been dumped and subsidized. In July 2015, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal found that the dumping and subsidizing of the above-mentioned goods had not caused injury, but were threatening to cause injury to the domestic industry. As a result, import into Canada of our CSPV modules under investigation from China was subject to the anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The countervailing duty rate (RMB per Watt) applicable to Jiangxi Jinko and Zhejiang Jinko are 0.028 and 0.046, respectively. For anti-dumping duties, CBSA had set normal value for the imported CSPV modules and the anti-dumping duty would be the difference between the export price and normal value if the export price is lower the normal value. No anti-dumping duties would apply if the export price is equal or more than the normal value. In May 2020, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal ("CITT") and CBSA initiated an expiry review investigation to determine whether the expiry of their above findings made in June and July 2015 respectively are likely to result in the continuation or resumption of dumping and/or subsidizing of the CSPV modules originating in or exported from China. In October 2020, the CBSA has determined that the expiry of its finding is likely to result in the continuation or resumption of dumping and subsidizing of CSPV modules originating in or exported from China. In March 2021, CITT had determined to continue its abovementioned finding made in July 2015 concerning the dumping and subsidizing of CSPV modules originating in or exported from China. The CBSA will therefore continue to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on the CSPV modules originating in or exported from China.
In July 2016, Turkish Ministry of Economy initiated anti-dumping investigation against photovoltaic panels and modules classified in Turkish Customs Tariff Code 8541.40.90.00.14, from China. In July 2017, Turkish Ministry of Economy made the final affirmative result of this investigation, pursuant to which import into Turkey of our CSPV panels and modules under investigation from China would be subject to the anti-dumping duty. The anti-dumping duty applicable to us was US$20 per m2.
In July 2017, the Department of Commerce of India initiated anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of solar cells whether or not assembled partially or fully in modules or panels or on glass or some other suitable substrates originating in or exported from mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia. Such investigation was terminated in March 2018 by the Department of Commerce of India as requested by Indian Solar Manufacturers Association, representing applicants of the domestic industry.
In December 2017, the Directorate General of Safeguards of India initiated a safeguard investigations concerning imports of "solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels" ("PUC") into India to protect the domestic producers of like and directly competitive articles (to the solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels) from serious injury/threat of serious injury caused by such increased imports (the "India Safeguard Investigations"). The India Safeguard Investigations were not country specific and involved imports for the products under investigation from all sources, including China. In January 2018, the Directorate General of Safeguards Customs and Central Excise recommended a provisional safeguard duty to be imposed at the rate of 70% ad valorem on the imports of PUC falling under Customs Tariff Item 85414011 of the Customs Tariff Act, 1975 from all countries, including PRC and Malaysia, except some developing countries. In May 2018, Indian central government overruled the Directorate General of Safeguards Customs and Central Excise's recommendation of provisional safeguard duty at the rate of 70% ad valorem on the imports of PUC. On July 16, 2018, Directorate General of Trade Remedies published the final findings of Safeguard Investigations and recommended to impose the safeguard duty for a period of two years. As of July 30, 2018, Ministry of Finance of India issued a Notification No. 01/2018-Customs (SG) to impose safeguard duty at the following rate effective from July 30, 2018:
- 25% ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable, if any, when imported during the period from July 30, 2018 to July 29, 2019 (both days inclusive);- 20% ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable, if any, when imported during the period from July 30, 2019 to January 29, 2020 (both days inclusive); and - 15% ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable, if any, when imported during the period from January 30, 2020 to July 29, 2020 (both days inclusive).
Nothing contained in this notification shall apply to imports of PUC from countries notified as developing countries vide notification no.19/2016-custom (NT) dated February 5, 2016 except PRC and Malaysia.
In March 2020, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies of India initiated a review examining the need for continued imposition of safeguards duty on imports of solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels into India. On July 18, 2020, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies of India issued the final findings of review investigation for continued imposition of safeguards duty and recommended extension of safeguards duty for a period of another one year. On July 29, 2020, Ministry of Finance of India issued a Notification No.02/2020-Customs (SG) to impose safeguard duty at the following rate effective from July 30, 2020:
- 14.9% ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable, if any, when imported during the period from July 30, 2020 to January 29, 2021 (both days inclusive); and - 14.5% ad valorem minus anti-dumping duty payable, if any, when imported during the period from January 30, 2021 to July 29, 2021 (both days inclusive).
Nothing contained in this notification shall apply to imports of PUC from countries notified as developing countries vide notification No. 19/2016-Customs (N.T.) dated the February 5, 2016, except the PRC, Thailand and Vietnam. Such safeguard duty was terminated on July 29, 2021 by the Department of Commerce of India.
In May 2021, the Department of Commerce of India initiated anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of solar cells whether or not assembled partially or fully in modules or panels or on glass or some other suitable substrates originating in or exported from mainland China, Thailand and Vietnam. Such investigation is pending as of the date of this annual report.
Imposition of anti-dumping and countervailing orders in one or more markets may result in additional costs to us, our customers or both, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.
Regulation - Risk 4
Added
The potential enactment of the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act would decrease the number of non-inspection years from three years to two, thus reducing the time period our ADSs may be prohibited from over-the-counter trading or delisted as indicated in the HFCA Act. If this bill were enacted, our ADSs could be delisted from the exchange and prohibited from over-the-counter trading in the U.S. in 2023.
In June 2021, the United States Senate passed a bill that would amend the HFCA Act to accelerate the imposition of trading prohibitions once an issuer is identified from three years to two years, and a companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on December 14, 2021. In February, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the America Competes Act of 2022, which includes the same amendments as the bill passed by the Senate. However, the America Competes Act includes a broader range of legislation not related to the HFCA Act in response to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act passed by the Senate in 2021. The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate needs to agree on amendments to these respective bills to align the legislation and pass their amended bills before the President can sign into law. It is unclear when the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives will resolve the differences in the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act and the America Competes Act of 2022 bills currently passed. If the bill amending the HFCA Act is approved by both houses of Congress and signed by the President, our securities could be subject to a trading prohibition following our filing of our annual report on Form 20-F for 2022, which will be due on May 1, 2023.
Regulation - Risk 5
Added
Recent regulatory developments in China may subject us to additional regulatory review and disclosure requirements, expose us to government interference, or otherwise restrict or completely hinder our ability to offer securities and raise capital outside China, which could adversely affect our business operations and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
A significant part of our business operations in China are conducted in China, we are exposed to legal and other risks associated with our operations in China. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a company with operations in China, including us, to conduct its business, and may exert substantial intervention and influence over the manner our operations. Any actions by the PRC government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas or foreign investment in companies having operations in China, including us, could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless. Recently, the PRC government initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in China with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision over China-based companies listed overseas, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews and new laws and regulations related to data security, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. While we do not believe that these regulatory changes would have any material impact on us, we cannot guarantee that the authorities will agree with us or will not promulgate new regulations that restrict our business operations or access to capital.On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Severe and Lawful Crackdown on Illegal Securities Activities. These opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing China-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. These opinions and any related implementation rules to be enacted may subject us to additional compliance requirement in the future. As these opinions were recently issued, official guidance and interpretation of the opinions remain unclear in several respects at this time. Therefore, we cannot assure you that we will remain fully compliant with all new regulatory requirements of these opinions or any future implementation rules on a timely basis, or at all.
With the trend of strengthening anti-monopoly supervision around the world, the PRC government has issued a series of anti-monopoly laws and regulations in 2021, paying more attention to corporate compliance. On February 7, 2021, the Antimonopoly Commission of the State Council of the PRC promulgated the Guidelines for Anti-monopoly in the field of Platform Economy. On November 15, 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation of the PRC promulgated the Guidelines for the Overseas Anti-monopoly Compliance of Enterprises. We believe that these regulations have little impact on us, but we cannot guarantee that regulators will agree with us or that these regulations will not affect our business operations in the future.
Cybersecurity and data privacy and security issues are subject to increasing legislative and regulatory focus in China. On July 30, 2021, the State Council of the PRC promulgated the Regulation on the Protection of the Security of Critical Information Infrastructure, which took effect on September 1, 2021. This regulation require, among others, certain competent authorities to identify critical information infrastructures. If any critical information infrastructure is identified, the relevant authorities shall promptly notify the relevant operator and the Ministry of Public Security. The CAC and a number of other departments under the State Council promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review on December 28, 2021, which became effective on February 15, 2022. According to this regulation, critical information infrastructure operators purchasing network products and services and data processors carrying out data processing activities, which affect or may affect national security, are required to conduct cybersecurity review. We believe that these regulations are not applicable to us, because we are neither a critical information infrastructure operator nor a data processor within the meanings of these regulation. However, we cannot guarantee that the regulators will agree with us. As of the date hereof, we have not been involved in any investigations on cybersecurity review made by the CAC,and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions in such respect. However, as these are new regulations, there remains uncertainties as to how they will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering.
We may be subject to PRC laws relating to the collection, use, sharing, retention security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. These PRC laws apply not only to third-party transactions, but also to transfers of information between us and our wholly foreign-owned enterprises in China, and other parties with which we have commercial relations. For example, on September 1, 2021, the PRC Data Security Law became effective, which imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals conducting data-related activities, and introduces a data classification and hierarchical protection system based on the importance of data in economic and social development, as well as the degree of harm it will cause to national security, public interests, or legitimate rights and interests of individuals or organizations when such data is tampered with, destroyed, leaked, or illegally acquired or used. In addition, the Standing Committee of PRC National People's Congress promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law (the "PIPL") on August 20, 2021, which took effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL further emphasizes processors' obligations and responsibilities for personal information protection and sets out the basic rules for processing personal information and the rules for cross-border transfer of personal information. As of the date hereof, we have not been involved in any investigations on data security or privacy compliance issues in connection with the PRC Data Security Law or the PIPL, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions in such respect. In addition, we do not expect to have significant data security or privacy issues given that the nature of our business does not involving collecting and use of vast personal data. However, we cannot guarantee that the regulators will agree with us or will not in the future adopt new regulations that restrict our business operations.
Since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is highly uncertain how soon legislative or administrative regulation making bodies will respond and what existing or new laws or regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations will be modified or promulgated, if any, or the potential impact such modified or new laws and regulations will have on our daily business operation, our ability to accept foreign investments and listing on a U.S. or other foreign exchanges. PRC laws and their interpretations and enforcement continue to develop and are subject to change, and the PRC government may adopt other rules and restrictions in the future.
Regulation - Risk 6
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Future equity offerings of our subsidiary, Jiangxi Jinko, in China's A-share market may be subject to approval of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, CSRC and other regulatory agencies in China, which could impose uncertainty on our capital raising activities.
The Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Projects by Foreign Investors (the "M&A Rules") require an overseas special purpose vehicle that is controlled by PRC companies or individuals formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies using shares of such special purpose vehicle or held by its shareholders as considerations to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicles securities on an overseas stock exchange. However, the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. If CSRC approval is required, it is uncertain whether it would be possible for us to obtain the approval. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval would subject us to sanctions imposed by the CSRC and other PRC regulatory agencies.
On December 24, 2021, the State Council issued a draft of the Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Draft Provisions, and the CSRC issued a draft of Administration Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Draft Administration Measures, for public comments. The Draft Provisions and the Draft Administration Measures propose to establish a new filing-based regime to regulate overseas offerings and listings by domestic companies. According to the Draft Provisions and the Draft Administration Measures, an overseas offering and listing by a domestic company, whether directly or indirectly, shall be filed with the CSRC. Specifically, the examination and determination of an indirect offering and listing will be conducted on a substance-over-form basis, and an offering and listing shall be considered as an indirect overseas offering and listing by a domestic company if the issuer meets the following conditions: (i) the operating income, gross profit, total assets, or net assets of the domestic enterprise in the most recent fiscal year was more than 50% of the relevant line item in the issuer's audited consolidated financial statement for that year; and (ii) senior management personnel responsible for business operations and management are mostly PRC citizens or are ordinarily resident in the PRC, and the main place of business is in the PRC or carried out in the PRC. According to the Draft Administration Measures, the issuer or its affiliated domestic company, as the case may be, shall file with the CSRC for its initial public offering, follow-on offering and other equivalent offing activities. Particularly, the issuer shall submit the filing with respect to its initial public offering and listing within three business days after its initial filing of the listing application, and submit the filing with respect to its follow-on offering within three business days after completion of the follow-on offering. Failure to comply with the filing requirements may result in fines to the relevant domestic companies, suspension of their businesses, revocation of their business licenses and operation permits, and fines on the controlling shareholder as well as other responsible persons. The Draft Administration Measures also sets forth certain regulatory red lines for overseas offerings and listings by domestic enterprises.
As of the date of this annual report, the Draft Provisions and the Draft Administration Measures were released for public comments only. There are uncertainties as to whether the Draft Provisions and the Draft Administration Measures would be further amended, revised or updated. Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the enactment timetable and final content of the Draft Provisions and the Draft Administration Measures. As the CSRC may formulate and publish guidelines for filings in the future, the Draft Administration Measures does not provide detailed requirements of the substance and form of the filing documents. In a Q&A released on its official website, the respondent CSRC official indicated that the proposed new filing requirement will start with new companies and the existing companies seeking to carry out activities like follow-on financing. As for the filings for the existing companies, the regulator will grant adequate transition period and apply separate arrangements.
Given the substantial uncertainties surrounding the latest CSRC filing requirements at this stage, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the filings and fully comply with the relevant new rules on a timely basis, if at all. If it is determined that CSRC approval is required for any of our securities offerings, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies for failure to obtain or delay in obtaining CSRC approval for our offerings. These sanctions may include fines and penalties on our operations in China, limitations on our operating privileges in China, delays in or restrictions on the repatriation of the proceeds from our offerings into the PRC, restrictions on or prohibition of the payments or remittance of dividends by our subsidiaries in China, or other actions that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs.
Regulation - Risk 7
Changed
Uncertainties and limitations with respect to the PRC legal system, including the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on us.
We are incorporated in Cayman Islands and are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China and, in particular, laws applicable to wholly foreign owned companies. The PRC legal system is based on written statutes. Prior court decisions have limited precedential value. Since 1979, PRC legislation and regulations have significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involve uncertainties and inconsistencies, which may limit legal protections available to us. For example, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce the legal protection that we enjoy either by law or contract. However, since PRC administrative authorities and courts have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult than in more developed legal systems to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. These uncertainties may impede our ability to obtain or maintain licenses and permits or enforce the contracts we have entered into with our business partners, clients and suppliers. In addition, such uncertainties, including the inability to obtain or maintain licenses and permits and enforce our contracts, could materially adversely affect our business and operations. Rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice. Recently, Chinese regulators have announced regulatory actions aimed at providing the Chinese government with greater oversight over certain sectors of China's economy, including the for-profit education sector and technology platforms that have a quantitatively significant number of users located in China. Although the solar energy industry does not appear to be the focus of these regulatory actions, we cannot guarantee that the Chinese government will not in the future take regulatory actions that materially adversely affect the business environment and financial markets in China as they relate to us, our ability to operate our business, our liquidity and our access to capital.
Furthermore, intellectual property rights and confidentiality protections in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other countries. Accordingly, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, or the preemption of national laws by local regulations. In addition, due to jurisdictional limitations, matters of comity and various other factors, the SEC, U.S. Department of Justice and other U.S. authorities may be limited in their ability to pursue bad actors, including in instances of fraud, in the PRC. For example, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for investigations or litigation in the PRC. Similar limitations apply to the pursuit of actions against individuals, including officers, directors and individual gatekeepers, who may have engaged in fraud or other wrongdoing. See "-It may be difficult to effect service of process on, or to enforce any judgments obtained outside the PRC against, us, our directors, or our senior management members who live inside the PRC." Moreover, local authorities in the PRC may be constrained in their ability to assist U.S. authorities and overseas investors. In addition, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator, including the SEC, PCAOB, and the Department of Justice, can directly conduct investigations or evidence collection activities within the PRC and no entity or individual in China may provide documents and information relating to securities business activities to overseas regulators without Chinese government approval. Furthermore, shareholder claims that are common in the U.S., including class action under securities laws and fraud claims, generally are difficult or impossible to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in the PRC. Investors in the PRC may not have the ability to pursue or seek certain legal claims and remedies against China-based Issuers, or their officers, directors, and gatekeepers in U.S. courts as private plaintiffs, and may have to rely on domestic legal claims and remedies that are available in the PRC, which can be significantly different from those available in the United States and difficult to pursue. These uncertainties and limitations could limit the legal protections available to us and other foreign investors, including you. In addition, any litigation in China may be protracted and result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
Regulation - Risk 8
Changed
Our ADSs may be delisted and prohibited from trading in the over-the-counter market under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report, according to which our auditor is subject to the determinations that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely. Under the current law, delisting and prohibition from over-the-counter trading in the U.S. will take place in 2024. If this happens there is no certainty that we will be able to list our shares on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the U.S. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.
The U.S. Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, was enacted into law on December 18, 2020. Under the HFCA Act, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021 for filings made in 2022, the SEC will prohibit our securities, including our ADSs, from being traded on a U.S. national securities exchange, including the NYSE, or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments implementing the disclosure and submission requirements of the HFCAA, pursuant to which the SEC will identify an issuer as a "Commission Identified Issuer" if the issuer has filed an annual report containing an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and will then impose a trading prohibition on an issuer after it is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for three consecutive years. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. The PCAOB identified our auditor as one of the registered public accounting firms that the PCAOB in unable to inspect of investigate completely. In March 2022, the SEC issued its first "Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCA Act" indicating that those companies are now formally subject to the delisting provision if they remain on the list for three consecutive years. We anticipate being added to the list shortly after the filing of this annual report on Form 20-F and will be a Commission Identified Issuer. If an issuer is a Commission Identified Issuer for three consecutive years (which will be determined after the third such annual report), the SEC will issue an order that will implement the trading prohibitions described above.
Whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditor before the issuance of our financial statements on Form 20-F for the year ending December 31, 2023 which is due by April 30, 2024, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor's, control. If our shares and ADSs are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs. Also, such a prohibition would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.
Regulation - Risk 9
We may fail to comply with laws and regulations regarding PV production in China.
On January 15, 2018, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (the "MIIT") promulgated the Standard Conditions of Photovoltaic Production Industry, or the Photovoltaic Production Rule, in place of its old version, which establishes a basic regulatory framework for PV production industry. The Photovoltaic Production Rule provides, among other matters, requirements in relation to the production layout, project establishment filing and enterprise qualification, requirements with regard to the production scale, product quality, cell efficiency, energy consumption and operational life span of various PV products, and requirements related to quality management and obtaining the pollution discharge permits and other environmental requirements. On February 23, 2021, the MIIT published the Standard Conditions of Photovoltaic Production Industry (2021 version), which took effect as of March 15, 2021. The 2021 version is enacted in substantially the form published for public comment, which among other things, strengthens requirements with regard to the investment standard, product quality and cell efficiency, and sets forth encouragement in intelligent manufacturing. Such tightened requirements may increase our compliance and production costs. Our failure to comply with these rules and the laws and regulations related thereto, if and when effective, could result in fines, sanctions, suspension, revocation or non-renewal of approvals, permits or licenses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to promptly and adequately respond to changes of laws and regulations, or that our employees and contractors will act in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations relating to PV production may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 10
The approval of the MOFCOM for or in connection with our corporate restructuring in 2007 and 2008 may be subject to revocation, which will have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and trading price of our ADSs.
On August 8, 2006, six PRC governmental and regulatory agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (the "MOFCOM"), and the CSRC promulgated a rule entitled "Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of
Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors", or Circular 10, which became effective on September 8, 2006 and was amended in June 2009. Article 11 of Circular 10 requires PRC domestic enterprises or domestic natural persons to obtain the prior approval of MOFCOM when an offshore company established or controlled by them proposes to merge with or acquire a PRC domestic company with which such enterprises or persons have a connected relationship.
On January 1, 2020, the Foreign Investment Law of the People's Republic of China (the "Foreign Investment Law") came into effect. On February 5, 2020, the MOFCOM stated in a reply to the public that the provisions in Circular 10 do not conflict with the Foreign Investment Law and its implementing regulations should continue to apply. The MOFCOM will, in conjunction with the implementation of the Foreign Investment Law and its implementing regulations, study relevant issues related to Circular 10 and start relevant work at appropriate time to further improve the foreign mergers and acquisitions system under the framework of the Foreign Investment Law.
We undertook a restructuring in 2007, or the 2007 Restructuring, and our founders and JinkoSolar Investment Limited ("JinkoSolar Investment") (previously known as JinkoSolar Technology Limited and Paker Technology Limited), obtained the approval of Jiangxi MOFCOM, for the acquisition of certain equity interest in Jiangxi Desun and the pledge by our founders of their equity interest in Jiangxi Desun to JinkoSolar Investment, or the 2007 acquisition and pledge. However, because our founders are PRC natural persons and they controlled both JinkoSolar Investment and Jiangxi Desun, the 2007 acquisition and pledge would be subject to Article 11 of Circular 10 and therefore subject to approval by MOFCOM at the central government level. To remedy this past non-compliance, we undertook another corporate restructuring in 2008, or the 2008 Restructuring, under which the share pledge was terminated on July 28, 2008 and JinkoSolar Investment transferred all of its equity interest in Jiangxi Desun to Long Faith Creation Limited ("Long Faith"), an unrelated Hong Kong company, on July 31, 2008. In addition, on November 11, 2008, we received written confirmation from Jiangxi MOFCOM in its reply to our inquiry that there had been no modification to the former approvals for the 2007 acquisition and pledge and JinkoSolar Investment's transfer of its equity interest in Jiangxi Desun to Long Faith, and we might continue to rely on those approvals for further transactions. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that MOFCOM will not revoke such approval and subject us to regulatory actions, penalties or other sanctions because of such past non-compliance. If the approval of Jiangxi MOFCOM for the 2007 acquisition and pledge were revoked and we were not able to obtain MOFCOM's retrospective approval for the 2007 acquisition and pledge, Jiangxi Desun may be required to return the tax benefits to which only a foreign-invested enterprise was entitled and which were recognized by us during the period from April 10, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and the profit distribution to JinkoSolar Investment in December 2008 may be required to be unwound. Under an indemnification letter issued by our founders to us, our founders have agreed to indemnify us for any monetary losses we may incur as a result of any violation of Circular 10 in connection with the restructuring we undertook in 2007. We cannot assure you, however, that this indemnification letter will be enforceable under the PRC law, our founders will have sufficient resources to fully indemnify us for such losses, or that we will not otherwise suffer damages to our business and reputation as a result of any sanctions for such non-compliance.
Meanwhile, given the uncertainty with respect to what constitutes a merger with or acquisition of a PRC domestic enterprise and what constitutes circumvention of its approval requirements under the Circular 10, we cannot assure you that the 2008 Restructuring is in all respects compliance with Circular 10. If MOFCOM subsequently determines that its approval of the 2008 Restructuring was required, we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions by MOFCOM or other PRC regulatory agencies. Such actions may include compelling us to terminate the contracts between Jiangxi Desun and us, the limitation of our operating privileges in China, the imposition of fines and penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or prohibition on the payment or remittance of dividends by Jiangxi Jinko or others that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs.
Regulation - Risk 11
Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to receive and use our revenue effectively.
Certain portions of our revenue and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. If our revenue denominated in Renminbi increases or expenses denominated in Renminbi decrease in the future, we may need to convert a portion of our revenue into other currencies to meet our foreign currency obligations, including, among others, payment of dividends declared, if any, in respect of our ADSs. Under China's existing foreign exchange regulations, foreign currency under current account transactions, such as dividend payments and trade-related transactions are generally convertible. Accordingly, our operating subsidiaries in China are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies without prior approval from the SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. On January 1, 2020, the Foreign Investment Law and its implementing regulations came into effect. According to the Foreign Investment Law, a foreign investor may, in accordance with the law, freely transfer into or out of the PRC its contributions, profits, capital earnings, income from asset disposal, intellectual property rights royalties acquired, compensation or indemnity legally obtained, income from liquidation, etc., made or derived within the territory of the PRC in RMB or any foreign currency, subject to no illegal restriction by any entity or individual in terms of the currency, amount, frequency of such transfer into or out of the PRC, etc. The foreign exchange control in the field of foreign investment has been continuously relaxed. However, in practice, laws and regulations regarding the legality of foreign exchange projects still need to be followed. The SAFE issued the Circular on Further Promoting the Reform of Foreign Exchange Administration and Improving Examination of Authenticity and Compliance on January 26, 2017, pursuant to which the SAFE restated the procedures and reemphasized the bona-fide principle for banks to follow during their review of certain cross-border profit remittance. We cannot assure you that the PRC government would not take further measures in the future to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions. Foreign exchange transactions by our operating subsidiaries in China under capital accounts continue to be subject to significant foreign exchange controls and require the approval of, or registration with, PRC governmental authorities. In particular, if one of our operating subsidiaries in China borrows foreign currency loans from us or other foreign lenders, these loans must be registered with the SAFE.
If we finance our subsidiaries in China by means of additional capital contributions, these capital contributions must be filed or approved by certain government authorities, including the MOFCOM or its local counterparts. On August 29, 2008, the SAFE promulgated Circular 142, which used to regulate the conversion by a foreign-invested company of foreign currency into Renminbi by restricting how the converted Renminbi may be used. On March 30, 2015, the SAFE issued the Circular on Reforming the Administration Approach Regarding the Foreign Exchange Capital Settlement of Foreign-invested Enterprises ("Circular 19"), which became effective on June 1, 2015 and replaced Circular 142. Circular 19 provides that the conversion from foreign currency registered capital of foreign-invested enterprises into the Renminbi capital may be at foreign-invested enterprises' discretion, which means that the foreign currency registered capital of foreign-invested enterprises for which the rights and interests of monetary contribution has been confirmed by the local foreign exchange bureau (or the book-entry of monetary contribution has been registered) can be settled at the banks based on the actual operational needs of the enterprises. However, Circular 19 does not materially change the restrictions on the use of foreign currency registered capital of foreign-invested enterprises that Circular 142 has set forth. On June 9, 2016, the SAFE promulgated the Circular on Reforming and Standardizing the Administrative Provisions on Capital Account Foreign Exchange ("Circular 16"), which applies to all domestic enterprises in China. Circular 19 and Circular 16 continue to prohibit foreign-invested enterprises from, among other things, spending Renminbi capital converted from its foreign currency registered capital on expenditures beyond its business scope. Therefore, Circular 19 and Circular 16 may significantly limit the ability of our operating subsidiaries in China to transfer and use Renminbi funds from its foreign currency denominated capital, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 12
PRC regulations may subject our future mergers and acquisitions activity to national security review.
In February 2011, the General Office of the State Council of China (the "State Council") promulgated Circular 6, a notice on the establishment of a security review system for mergers and acquisitions of domestic enterprises by foreign investors. Circular 6 became effective on March 4, 2011. To implement Circular 6, MOFCOM promulgated the MOFCOM Security Review Rules on August 25, 2011, which became effective on September 1, 2011. According to Circular 6 and the MOFCOM Security Review Rules, national security review is required to be undertaken to complete mergers and acquisitions (i) by foreign investors of enterprises relating to national defense and (ii) through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control of a domestic enterprise that could raise national security concerns. When determining whether to subject a specific merger or acquisition to national security review, the MOFCOM will look at the substance and actual impact of the transaction. Bypassing national security review by structuring transactions through proxies, trusts, indirect investments, leases, loans, control through contractual arrangements or offshore transactions by foreign investors is prohibited.
Under the framework of the Foreign Investment Law that came into effect on January 1, 2020, the scope of national security review expands from mergers and acquisitions to all foreign investment activities. According to Article 35 of the Foreign Investment Law, a security review system for foreign investment will be established in the country, under which the security review shall be conducted for any foreign investment affecting or having the possibility to affect national security. According to Article 40 of the Foreign Investment Law, where any country or region takes any discriminatory prohibitive or restrictive measures, or other similar measures against China in terms of investment, China may take corresponding measures against the said country or region in light of the actual conditions.
In addition, even if a merger or acquisition by foreign investors is not currently subject to national security review, or is determined to have no impact on national security after such review, it may still be subject to future review. A change in conditions (such as change of business activities, or amendments to relevant documents or agreements) may trigger the national security review requirement, then the foreign investor to the merger or acquisition must apply for the relevant approval with the MOFCOM.
Currently, there are no public provisions or official interpretations specifically providing that our current businesses fall within the scope of national security review and there is no requirement that foreign investors to those merger and acquisition transactions completed prior to the promulgation of Circular 6 take initiatives to submit such transactions to MOFCOM for national security review. However, as there is no clear statutory interpretation on the implementation of the security review system, there is no assurance that the relevant PRC regulatory authorities will have the same view as us when applying them. If our future merger and acquisition transactions and other indirect investments are subject to the national security review, the application of the national security review may further complicate our future merger and acquisition and investment activities, and our expansion strategy may be adversely affected as a result.
Regulation - Risk 13
PRC regulations relating to overseas investment by PRC residents may restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activities and adversely affect the implementation of our strategy as well as our business and prospects.
On July 4, 2014, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of China (the "SAFE") issued the Circular on the Administration of Foreign Exchange Issues Related to Overseas Investment, Financing and Roundtrip Investment by Domestic Residents through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles (the "SAFE Circular 37"), which replaced the former circular commonly known as "SAFE Circular 75" promulgated on October 21, 2005. The SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents to register with the competent local SAFE branch in connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore special purpose vehicle, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents' legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests. The SAFE Circular 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the special purpose vehicle, such as increase or decrease of capital contribution by PRC individuals, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material event. In the event that a PRC shareholder holding interests in a special purpose vehicle fails to fulfill the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange activities, and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls.
We believe that all of our beneficial owners who are PRC citizens or residents have completed their registrations with the competent local SAFE branch in accordance with the SAFE Circular 75 before the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37. However, we may not at all times be fully aware or informed of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC citizens or residents, and we may have little control over either our present or prospective direct or indirect PRC resident beneficial owners or the outcome of such registration procedures. We cannot assure you that the SAFE registrations of our present beneficial owners or future beneficial owners who are PRC citizens or residents have been or will be amended to reflect, among others, the shareholding information or equity investment as required by the SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules at all times. The failure of these beneficial owners to comply with the registration procedures set forth in the SAFE Circular 37 may subject such beneficial owners and our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Such failure may also result in restrictions on our PRC subsidiaries' ability to distribute profits to us or our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, it is unclear how the SAFE Circular 37 and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions will be interpreted and implemented by the relevant PRC government authorities. We cannot predict how these regulations will affect our business operations or future strategy.
On December 25, 2006, the People's Bank of China promulgated the Measures for Administration of Individual Foreign Exchange, and on January 5, 2007, the SAFE promulgated relevant Implementation Rules. On February 15, 2012, the SAFE promulgated the Notice on Various Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Equity Incentive Plans of Overseas Listed Companies (the "Stock Option Notice"). The Stock Option Notice terminated the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration of Domestic Individuals' Participating in an Employee Stock Holding Plan or Stock Option Plan of an Overseas Listed Company issued by the SAFE on March 28, 2007. According to the Stock Option Notice, PRC citizens who are granted shares or share options by a company listed on an overseas stock market according to its employee stock holding plan or stock incentive plan are required to register with the SAFE or its local counterparts by following certain procedures.
We and our employees who are PRC citizens and individual beneficiary owners, or have been granted restricted shares or share options, are subject to the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules and its relevant implementation regulations. The failure of our PRC individual beneficiary owners and the restricted holders to complete their SAFE registrations pursuant to the SAFE's requirement or the Individual Foreign Exchange Rules may subject these PRC citizens to fines and legal sanctions. It may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries, and limit our PRC subsidiaries' ability to distribute dividends to us, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business.
On December 26, 2017, the NDRC promulgated the Administrative Measures for the Outbound Investment of Enterprises (the "new ODI Measure"), which took effect from March 1, 2018, and replaced the Administrative Measures for Approval and Record-filing on Overseas Investment Projects promulgated by the NDRC on April 8, 2014. The new ODI Measure will further enhance supervision of overseas investments through reports of seriously unfavorable events, inquiry letters and related supervision systems. Where PRC citizens make investments abroad through overseas enterprises under their control, the new ODI Measure will apply mutatis mutandis.
Besides overseas investments of PRC subsidiaries, all of our overseas investments may subject to supervision and inspection under the new ODI Measure, which may materially increase the complexity of regulatory compliance aspect of our overseas investments. However, the implementation and interpretation of the new ODI Measure are uncertain and will subject to the practice of the NDRC.
Regulation - Risk 14
Our ability to access financing could be adversely affected by PRC regulations.
Laws, regulations and policies issued in the PRC may apply to our company. For example, the NDRC issued the NDRC Circular, which came into effect on September 14, 2015. The NDRC Circular requires domestic enterprises and/or their overseas controlled enterprises or branches to procure the registration of any issue of debt securities outside the PRC with the NDRC prior to such issue, and to notify the NDRC of the particulars of such issue within a prescribed timeframe after such issue. The NDRC's acceptance of any application for registration is subject to the availability of a sufficient amount within the NDRC's stipulated foreign debt aggregate quota (the "Aggregate Quota"). Registrations for issue of foreign debt may not be accepted by the NDRC for either administrative reasons or due to the Aggregate Quota having been fully utilized at the time of filing. There is also no assurance that any registration with the NDRC will not be revoked or amended in the future.
The application of relevant laws, regulations and policies issued in the PRC, such as the NDRC Circular, could therefore restrict our ability to raise debt financing and could also impose registration and reporting requirements that could affect our ability to raise debt financing in a timely manner.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 2.4%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
We are exposed to various risks related to legal or administrative proceedings or claims that could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and reputation, and may cause loss of business.
Litigation in general can be expensive, lengthy and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. We and/or our directors and officers may be involved in allegations, litigation or legal or administrative proceedings from time to time.
In November 2018, one of our customers in Singapore (the "Singapore Customer") filed two Notices of Arbitration ("NoAs") in two arbitrations with Arbitration No. ARB374/18/PPD ("ARB 374") and Arbitration No. ARB375/18/PPD ("ARB 375"), respectively, against Jinko Solar Import & Export Co., Ltd. ("Jinko IE") at Singapore International Arbitration Centre. These NoAs were subsequently amended by the Singapore Customer, and Jinko IE received the amended Notices of Arbitration from the Singapore Customer on December 20, 2018. The Singapore Customer claimed respectively in ARB 374 and ARB 375 that the photovoltaic solar modules supplied by Jinko IE to the Singapore Customer under the purchase agreement dated December 25, 2012 ("2012 Contract") and January 28, 2013 ("2013 Contract") were defective. The Singapore Customer sought, inter alia, orders that Jinko IE replace the modules and/or that Jinko IE compensate the Singapore Customer for any and all losses sustained by the Singapore Customer as a result of the supply of allegedly defective modules. In January 2019, Jinko IE issued its responses to the NoAs in ARB 374 and ARB 375, disputing the Singapore Customer's reliance on the arbitration clauses in the 2012 Contract and the 2013 Contract, denying all claims raised by the Singapore Customer, and disputing that the Singapore Customer was entitled to the reliefs claimed in the arbitrations. Arbitration tribunals in both ARB 374 and ARB 375 were constituted on September 5, 2019, which directed on January 14, 2020 that (i) the Singapore Customer shall submit its statement of claim in both ARB 374 and ARB 375 and Jinko IE shall submit its statement of defense no later than five months after Singapore Customer's submission of statement of claim; and (ii) the hearing of the arbitrations shall be bifurcated with the liability issue to be first determined by the tribunals, and then depending on the outcome of the liability issue, the issue of remedies/damages payable to be determined in the subsequent proceedings in such manner as may be directed by the tribunals. On August 7, 2020, the Singapore Customer submitted its statement of claim in both ARB 374 and ARB 375. In the statement of claim, the Singapore Customer maintained its claim that the photovoltaic solar modules supplied by Jinko IE to them under the 2012 Contract and the 2013 Contract were defective, and that Jinko IE should be liable in respect of all the modules supplied under the 2012 Contract and the 2013 Contract. On December 16, 2020, following Jinko IE's request, the tribunals in both ARB 374 and ARB 375 directed that Jinko IE's statement of defense should be submitted by February 11, 2021. On February 11, 2021, Jinko IE submitted its statement of defense and relevant evidence. In the statement of defense, Jinko IE (i) requested the tribunal to declare that it lacks jurisdiction over the dispute; and (ii) denied all the Singapore Customer claims and requested the same be dismissed by the tribunal. On February 22, 2021, upon mutual agreement by Jinko IE and the Singapore Customer, the tribunal directed that ARB 374 and ARB 375 should be consolidated. On August 24, 2021, the tribunal decided Jinko IE and the Singapore Customer' respective Redfern Schedules. On October 5, 2021, Jinko IE and the Singapore Customer exchanged documents pursuant to the tribunal's decision on the Redfern Schedules. On February 19, 2022, the Singapore Customer filed its Reply Memorial (accompanied by all evidence, including factual exhibits, written witness statements, expert reports and legal authorities relied upon. According to the current schedule, Jinko IE shall submit its Rejoinder Memorial no later than June 19, 2022. Based on the limited information currently available to us, it is difficult to provide an in-depth assessment of the Singapore Customer's claims. We believe that Jinko IE has reasonable grounds to challenge the Singapore Customer's claims in the arbitrations on jurisdiction and merits and will vigorously defend against the claims made by the Singapore Customer. Information available prior to issuance of the financial statements did not indicate that it is probable that a liability had been incurred at the date of the financial statements and we are also unable to reasonably estimate the range of any liability or reasonably possible loss, if any.
In March 2019, Moura Fábrica Solar – Fabrico e Comércio de Painéis Solares, Lda. ("MFS") submitted a request for arbitration at International Chamber of Commerce (Case No. 24344/JPA) against Projinko Solar Portugal, Unipessoal Lda ("Projinko") in connection with dispute arising out of (i) a business unit lease agreement (the "Business Unit Lease Agreement") entered into on August 23, 2013 between MFS and Jinko Solar (Switzerland) AG ("Jinko Switzerland"), (ii) an assignment agreement dated May 26, 2014, whereby Jinko Switzerland assigned and transferred to Projinko all rights, title, interest, liabilities and obligations under the Business Unit Lease Agreement, and (iii) an amendment agreement relating to the Business Unit Lease Agreement dated December 29, 2015 (the Business Unit Lease Agreement, the assignment agreement and the amendment agreement are collectively referred to as "Lease Agreements"). In order to ensure the performance of parties' respective obligations under the Lease Agreements, a guarantee from the parent company of MFS, Acciona Energia, S.A.U. and a bank guarantee was granted in favor of Projinko, and a guarantee from the parent company of Projinko, Jiangxi Jinko, and a bank guarantee was also granted in favor of MFS. The notice of request for arbitration had not been duly and effectively served by MFS to Projinko. In July 2019, MFS submitted a request at International Chamber of Commerce to join Jinko Switzerland and Jiangxi Jinko as two additional parties, alleging they were indispensable to the current dispute and claiming against Projinko, Jiangxi Jinko and Jinko Switzerland recovery of two drawdowns by Projinko under the bank guarantee in the amount of €1,965,170 and €846,604, respectively, with the interests thereon as well as economic damages suffered by MFS as a result thereof.
In September 2019, Jiangxi Jinko and Jinko Switzerland submitted to the International Chamber of Commerce that they rejected to arbitrate any dispute with MFS and were not bound by valid and effective arbitration agreement with MFS; Jiangxi Jinko and Jinko Switzerland also opposed the constitution of an arbitration tribunal and the jurisdiction of any arbitration tribunal that may be constituted in the present case. On July 3, 2020, MFS submitted a statement of claim claiming against Projinko, Jiangxi Jinko and Jinko Switzerland for recovery of two drawdowns by Projinko under the bank guarantee in an aggregated amount of €2,812,000, with the interests thereon as well as economic damages suffered by MFS as a result thereof. On September 3, 2020, Projinko, Jiangxi Jinko and Jinko Switzerland submitted their statements of defense requesting the tribunal dismiss all claims made by MFS against Projinko, Jiangxi Jinko and Jinko Switzerland; Projinko also submitted its counterclaim against MFS requesting the tribunal order MFS to pay Projinko €1,008,170 plus accrued interest as a recovery of drawdown by MFS under the bank guarantee granted in favor of MFS. On January 12, 2020, pursuant to the parties' joint request, the tribunal declared the proceedings suspended until further notice to allow for settlement discussions. In March 2021, the parties fully executed the settlement agreement for the dispute. According to the settlement agreement, the parties automatically and reciprocally release each other from the dispute on the condition that Jinko Switzerland delivers to MFS a payment in the amount of €750,000. In April 2021, Jinko Switzerland made the payment and MFS has confirmed receipt of the same. The parties have provided a letter to the tribunal to withdraw all claims and request the termination of the arbitration proceedings. In June 2021, the arbitration tribunal confirmed that the arbitration proceedings were formally terminated by agreement of all parties per their filed joint letter.
In March 2019, Hanwha Q CELLS (defined below) filed patent infringement lawsuits against our company and a number of our subsidiaries.
(i) On March 4, 2019, Hanwha Q CELLS USA Inc. and Hanwha Solutions Corporation (The plaintiff has been changed from Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corporation to Hanwha Solutions Corporation (registration no. 110111-0360935) during the course of the proceedings because of restructuring undertaken by its affiliate(s) in relation to ownership of the patent in suit) (collectively, "Plaintiffs A") filed suit against JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd and several of its subsidiary entities, i.e. JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc, Jinko Solar (U.S.) Industries Inc, Jinko Solar Co., Ltd, Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co., Ltd and Jinko Solar Technology Sdn.Bhd (collectively "Respondents") at the U.S. International Trade Commission ("ITC"). In the complaint, it was alleged that certain photovoltaic solar cells and modules containing these solar cells supplied by the Respondents infringed U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215 purportedly owned by Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corporation and Plaintiffs A requested a permanent limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order be issued against the Respondents' allegedly infringing products. On March 5, 2019, Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corporation filed a suit against the Respondents before the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ("District Court") alleging that certain photovoltaic solar cells and modules containing these solar cells supplied by the Respondents infringed U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215 allegedly owned by Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corporation and sought reliefs including compensation for alleged infringement activities, enhanced damages and reasonable attorney fees. On April 9, 2019, the ITC published the Notice of Institution on Federal Register. On April 15, 2019, the District Court granted our motion to stay the court litigation pending final resolution of the ITC. On May 3, 2019, the Respondents submitted their response to the complaint of Plaintiffs A to the ITC requesting ITC among other things to deny all relief requested by Plaintiffs A. On September 13, 2019, the Respondents filed motion for summary determination of non-infringement with ITC. On April 10, 2020, the administrative law judge issued the initial determination granting the Respondents' motion for summary determination of non-infringement. On June 3, 2020, the ITC determined to affirm the initial determination issued by the administrative law judge granting respondents' motions for summary determination of non-infringement and terminate the investigation (the "Final Determination"). On July 31, 2020, Plaintiffs A filed its petition to review with the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit against the ITC's Final Determination. On August 27, 2020, the Respondents filed the motion to intervene of such appeal. Plaintiffs A filed its opening appeal brief in November 2020. The Respondents filed the principal brief in February 2021. On July 12, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the ITC's findings that Respondents' products do not infringe U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215.
(ii) On March 4, 2019, Hanwha Q CELLS GmbH ("Plaintiff B"), filed a patent infringement claim against JinkoSolar GmbH before the Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany alleging that certain photovoltaic solar cells and modules containing these solar cells supplied by JinkoSolar GmbH infringed EP2 220 689 purportedly owned by Plaintiff B. On April 10, 2019, JinkoSolar GmbH filed the first brief with the court stating JinkoSolar GmbH would defend itself against the complaint. On September 9, 2019, JinkoSolar GmbH filed its statement of defense with the court (the "Statement of Defense"), requesting that the claim be dismissed and that Plaintiff B to bear the costs of the legal dispute. On March 3, 2020, Plaintiff B filed its reply to the Statement of Defense with the court. On April 20, 2020, JinkoSolar GmbH filed its rejoinder with the court commenting on Plaintiff B's reply on March 3, 2020. On May 5, 2020, the oral hearing regarding the validity of the EP2 220 689, Plaintiff B's entitlement to sue, and the infringement was held before the Düsseldorf Regional Court. On June 16, 2020, the Düsseldorf Regional Court sided with Plaintiff B and ordered that the third party cell technology contained in certain modules delivered by JinkoSolar GmbH infringes Plaintiff B's patent (the "Judgment"). JinkoSolar GmbH filed its notice of appeal on July 14, 2020. On October 16, 2020, JinkoSolar GmbH submitted grounds of appeal to the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. On March 1, 2021, JinkoSolar GmbH submitted appeal joinder to the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. On September 28, 2020, Plaintiff B has submitted the request for penalty to Düsseldorf Regional Court, claiming that JinkoSolar GmbH violated the Judgment by continuing to promote infringing products and requesting imposition of penalty for such violation. Though not specified in Plaintiff B's request, in general we do not expect the amount of such penalty to exceed €250,000. On November 30,2020, JinkoSolar GmbH submitted its response to Plaintiff B's request for penalty. On April 6, 2021, JinkoSolar GmbH submitted its second response to Plaintiff B's request for penalty. On August 23, 2021, Düsseldorf Regional Court dismissed Plaintiff B's request for penalty.
(iii) On March 12, 2019, Hanwha Solutions Corporation (The plaintiff has been changed from Hanwha Q CELLS & Advanced Materials Corporation to Hanwha Solutions Corporation during the course of the proceedings) and Hanwha Q CELLS Australia Pty Ltd ("Plaintiffs C", together with Plaintiffs A and Plaintiff B, "Hanwha Q CELLS Plaintiffs") filed suit at Federal Court of Australia ("FCA") against Jinko Solar Australia Holdings Co. Pty Ltd ("Jinko AUS"). It was alleged that certain photovoltaic solar cells and modules containing these solar cells supplied by Jinko AUS infringed Australian Patent No. 2008323025 purportedly owned by Plaintiffs C. The relief sought by Plaintiffs C includes a declaration of infringement, injunctions restraining future acts of commercial exploitation by way of importing, offering to supply and supplying the relevant products; ancillary relief by way of delivery up for destruction of allegedly infringing product and pecuniary remedies by way of damages (including additional damages) or, at Hanwha's election, an account of profits; and declarations and injunctions based on the misleading or deceptive conduct claim. It is expected that issues relating to pecuniary relief and their quantum will be separated and deferred for determination after the liability hearing. The FCA served Jinko AUS as the Respondent and the first case management hearing was held on April 12, 2019. The FCA heard the application, and made orders for the conduct of the proceeding at the first case management hearing, following which Jinko AUS submitted its defense and cross-claim to Plaintiffs C's statement of claim on July 22, 2019. Shortly before the second case management hearing which was held on October 2, 2019, Plaintiffs C requested an amendment to Australian Patent No. 2008323025 ("Amendment Application") on the stated basis of overcoming prior art relevant to validity and it also appeared that one of the amendments sought by Plaintiffs C was with a view to improving its position in relation to Jinko AUS's defense to infringement. Plaintiffs C's Amendment Application was opposed by Jinko AUS and the other Australian respondents and FCA directed Plaintiffs C to give discovery and produce documents in respect to the Amendment Application. The third case management hearing was held on December 13, 2019, after which Jinko AUS submitted particulars of opposition to the Amendment Application and requested for further and better discovery in respect to the Amendment Application. As a result, Hanwha subsequently dropped the amendment in relation to Jinko AUS's defense to infringement and opposition to the remaining Amendment Application continued for some time but was ultimately not pursued by Jinko AUS and the other Australian respondents. The FCA granted Plaintiffs C's Amendment Application on August 28, 2020. Following the order directed by FCA at the case management hearing held on November 16, 2020, Plaintiffs C's has filed its infringement statement at FCA on December 17, 2020 and refers to certain testing undertaken in South Korea in 2018 prior to the commencement of the proceeding, and Jinko AUS has filed a precise non-infringement statement identifying the reasons why certain photovoltaic solar cells and modules supplied by Jinko AUS do not infringe Australian Patent No. 2008323025 on March 9, 2021. The final hearing has been listed for evidence for three weeks commencing September 12, 2022.
We believe that Hanwha Q CELLS Plaintiffs' claims in all the above-mentioned cases are lacking legal merit, and will vigorously defend against the claims made by them. We are considering all legal avenues including challenging the validity of U.S. Patent No. 9,893,215 ("the ‘215 Patent"), EP 2 220 689 and Australian Patent No. 2008323025 (collectively, the "Asserted Patents"), and demonstrating our non-infringement of the Asserted Patents. On June 3, 2019, we filed a petition for inter partes review ("IPR") of the ‘215 Patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Appeal Board ("PTAB"). IPR is a trial proceeding conducted at the PTAB to review the patentability of one or more claims in a patent. On December 10, 2019, the PTAB instituted the IPR proceedings of the patentability of claims 12-14 of the ‘215 patent claims in view of prior art. On September 9, 2020, we attended the oral hearing of IPR of the ‘215 patent. On December 9, 2020, the PTAB issued the final decision on our petition for IPR, finding that all challenged claims 12-14 of the ‘215 patent are unpatentable. On February 8, 2021, the patent owner of ‘215 Patent, Hanwha Solutions Corporation, appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit against such final decision issued by the PTAB ("215 IPR Appeal"). On February 24, 2021, we filed the certificate of interest to participate in 215 IPR Appeal. On May 28, 2021, Hanwha Solutions Corporation filed its opening appeal brief. On July 19, 2021, Hanwha Solutions Corporation filed a motion to remand the case to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. On October 4, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Hanwha Solutions Corporation's motion to remand.
On June 24, 2019, Jinko filed with the European Patent Office a Notice of Intervention in the opposition proceeding regarding the validity of the EP 2 220 689. On March 25 and March 26, 2021, the opposition oral hearing regarding the validity of the EP2 220 689 was held before the European Patent Office. During the hearing, the European Patent Office held that the EP2 220 689 was maintained in amended form. An additional hearing is to be held on September 28 and 29, 2022.
On May 7, 2021, one of our Spanish customers (the "Spanish Customer") submitted a Request for arbitration at International Chamber of Commerce (Case No. 26251/JPA) against Jiangxi Jinko in connection with dispute arising out of a PV Module Sales Contract entered into in August, 2020 ("Contract"). In the Request, X-Elio's claims are based on (1) Jiangxi Jinko's alleged breaches of the Contract by being unable to deliver the goods at the initially agreed shipping dates and price; (2) the subsequent termination of the Contract by the Spanish Customer; (3) alleged replacement purchases the Spanish Customer has made to replace the goods originally ordered from Jiangxi Jinko; and (4) alleged further costs and other indirect damages purportedly incurred by the Spanish Customer as a consequence of Jiangxi Jinko's alleged breaches and relating to the PV plant in Australia for which the goods had been intended. On July 21, 2021, Jiangxi Jinko submitted the Answer to the Request and Counterclaim, denying that the Spanish Customer is entitled to the relief it requests and raising a counterclaim for damages its loss of profit as well as wasted costs expended in reliance on the performance of the Contract. On January 28, 2022, the tribunal confirmed the Terms of Reference and Procedural Order No.1 signed by the Spanish Customer and Jiangxi Jinko, according to which, except any extension granted by the tribunal, (1) the Spanish Customer will submit Statement of Claim before April 6, 2022 and Jiangxi Jinko will submit Statement of Defense and Counterclaim before June 6, 2022, (2) the Spanish Customer will submit Statement of Reply and Defense to Counterclaim before September 6, 2022, Jiangxi Jinko will submit Statement of Rejoinder and Reply on Counterclaim before November 4, 2022 and the Spanish Customer will submit Rejoinder on Counterclaim before December 19 2022, (3) the hearing will be held during the week of April 17, 2023. On April 6, 2022, the Spanish Customer submitted Statement of Claim, which maintained the claims as the Request and additionally claimed the legal interest accrued on the amounts requested. As of the date of the issuance of the financial statements, this case is still at a preliminary stage and based on the information currently available, the company does not believe that it is probable that Jiangxi Jinko has incurred a loss. Additionally, because of the preliminary stage of this matter, the company is unable to estimate an amount of reasonably possible loss or range of loss.
Information available prior to issuance of the financial statements did not indicate that it is probable that a liability had been incurred at the date of the financial statements and we are also unable to reasonably estimate the range of any liability or reasonably possible loss, if any.
In addition, failure to maintain the integrity of internal or customer data could result in harm to our reputation or subject us to costs, liabilities, fines or lawsuits.
Regardless of the merits, responding to allegations, litigation or legal or administration proceedings and defending against litigation can be time-consuming and costly, and may result in us incurring substantial legal and administrative expenses, as well as divert the attention of our management. Any such allegations, lawsuits or proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our business operations. Further, unfavorable outcomes from these claims or lawsuits could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We may face termination and late charges and risks relating to the termination and amendment of certain equipment purchases contracts.
We transact with a limited number of equipment suppliers for all our principal manufacturing equipment and spare parts, including our silicon ingot furnaces, squaring machines, wire saws, diffusion furnaces, firing furnaces and screen print machine. We may rely on certain major suppliers to provide a substantial portion of the principal manufacturing equipment and spare parts as part of our expansion plan in the future. If we fail to develop or maintain our relationships with these and other equipment suppliers, or should any of our major equipment suppliers encounter difficulties in the manufacturing or shipment of its equipment or spare parts to us, including due to natural disasters or otherwise fail to supply equipment or spare parts according to our requirements, it will be difficult for us to find alternative providers for such equipment on a timely basis and on commercially reasonable terms. As a result, our production and result of operation could be adversely affected.
Taxation & Government Incentives4 | 4.7%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
The reduction, modification, delay or elimination of government subsidies and other economic incentives in solar energy industry may reduce the profitability of our business and materially adversely affect our business.
We believe that market demand for solar power and solar power products in the near term will continue to substantially depend on the availability of government incentives because the cost of solar energy currently exceeds, and we believe will continue to exceed in the near term, the cost of conventional fossil fuel energy and certain non-solar renewable energy, particularly in light of the low level of oil prices in recent years. Examples of government sponsored financial incentives to promote solar energy include subsidies from the central and local governments, preferential tax rates and other incentives. The availability and size of such subsidies and incentives depend, to a large extent, on political and policy developments relating to environmental concerns and other macro-economic factors. Moreover, government incentive programs are expected to gradually decrease in scope or be discontinued as solar power technology improves and becomes more affordable relative to other types of energy. Negative public or community response to solar energy projects could adversely affect the government support and approval of our solar energy business. Adverse changes in government regulations and policies relating to solar energy industry and their implementation, especially those relating to economic subsidies and incentives, could significantly reduce the profitability of our business and materially adversely affect the state of the industry.
We received government grants totaling RMB63.0 million, RMB192.0 million and RMB465.7 million (US$73.1 million) for 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively, which included government grants for our production scale expansion, technology upgrades and export market development. We cannot assure you that we will continue to receive government grants and subsidies in future periods at a similar level or at all.
As a substantial part of our operations are in the PRC, the policies and regulations adopted by the PRC government towards the solar energy industry are important to the continuing success of our business. Although there has been regulatory support for solar power generation such as subsidies, preferential tax treatment and other economic incentives in recent years, future government policies may not be as supportive. The PRC central government may reduce or eliminate existing incentive programs for economic, political, financial or other reasons. In addition, the provincial or local governments may delay the implementation or fail to fully implement central government regulations, policies or initiatives. Until the solar energy industry becomes commercially profitable without subsidies, a significant reduction in the scope or the discontinuation of government incentive programs in the PRC or other jurisdictions could materially and adversely affect market demand for our products and negatively impact our revenue and profitability.
Besides the PRC, various foreign governments have used policy initiatives to encourage or accelerate the development and adoption of solar power and other renewable energy sources, including certain countries in Europe, notably Italy, Germany, France, Belgium and Spain; certain countries in Asia, including Japan, India and South Korea; countries in North America, such as the United States and Canada; as well as Australia. Examples of government-sponsored financial incentives to promote solar power include capital cost rebates, FIT, tax credits, net metering and other incentives to end-users, distributors, project developers, system integrators and manufacturers of solar power products.
Governments may reduce or eliminate existing incentive programs for political, financial or other reasons, which will be difficult for us to predict. Reductions in FIT programs may result in a significant fall in the price of and demand for solar power and solar power products. For example, subsidies have been reduced or eliminated in some countries such as China, Germany, Italy, Spain and Canada. In May 2018, the National Development and Reform Commission of China (the "NDRC"), the Ministry of Finance and the National Energy Administration in China (the "NEA") issued a joint notice temporarily halting subsidies for utility-scale solar projects, slashing the quota on distributed solar projects which are eligible for subsidies in 2018 and greatly reducing FIT. The German market represents a major portion of the European solar market for ground-mounted systems and a stable residential and commercial rooftop market. The first subsidy-free grid parity projects of the industry were connected to the grid in 2020, which act as a driver for the additional market growth. Starting from 2011, major export markets for solar power and solar power products such as Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom continued to reduce their FIT as well as other incentive measures. For example, from 2012 to 2021, the Japanese government cut down its FIT from JPY40 to JPY19 for projects below 10 KW, from JPY42 to JPY12 for certain projects of 10 KW to 50 KW, and to JPY11 for projects above 50 KW. In 2022, the Japanese government further cut down its FIT to JPY17 for projects below 10 KW and to JPY11 for certain projects of 10 KW or above.
In 2021, we generated 75.2% of our total revenue from overseas markets, and North America, Asia Pacific (except China which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Europe represented 16.2%, 25.1% and 18.3% of our total revenue, respectively. As a result, any significant reduction in the scope or discontinuation of government incentive programs in the overseas markets, especially where our major customers are located, could cause demand for our products and our revenue to decline and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In addition, the announcement of a significant reduction in incentives in any major market may have an adverse effect on the trading price of our ADSs.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
Our China-sourced income is subject to PRC withholding tax under the CIT Law, and we may be subject to PRC corporate income tax at the rate of 25%.
We are a Cayman Islands holding company with a substantial part of our operations conducted through our operating subsidiaries in China. Under the Corporate Income Tax Law of the PRC (the "CIT Law") which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was amended on February 24, 2017 and December 29, 2018, and the Regulation on the Implementation of the CIT Law (the "Implementation Rules of the CIT Law") which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was amended on April 23, 2019, China-sourced passive income of non-PRC tax resident enterprises, such as dividends paid by a PRC subsidiary to its overseas parent and gains on sales of securities, is generally subject to a 10% withholding tax. Under an arrangement between China and Hong Kong, such dividend withholding tax rate is reduced to 5% if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a Hong Kong tax resident enterprise which directly owns at least 25% of the PRC company distributing the dividends and has owned such equity for at least 12 consecutive months before receiving such dividends. For example, as JinkoSolar Investment is a Hong Kong company and has owned 73.3% of the equity interest in Jiangxi Jinko directly for more than 12 consecutive months to date, any dividends paid by Jiangxi Jinko to JinkoSolar Investment will be entitled to a withholding tax at the reduced rate of 5% after obtaining approval from the competent PRC tax authority, provided that JinkoSolar Investment is deemed the beneficial owner of such dividends and that JinkoSolar Investment is not deemed to be a PRC tax resident enterprise as described below. However, according to the Circular of the State Taxation Administration on How to Understand and Identify a "Beneficial Owner" under Tax Treaties ("STA Circular 601"), effective on October 27, 2009, and the Announcement of the State Taxation Administration on the Determination of "Beneficial Owners" in the Tax Treaties ("STA Announcement 30"), effective on June 29, 2012, an applicant for treaty benefits, including benefits under the arrangement between China and Hong Kong on dividend withholding tax, that does not carry out substantial business activities or is an agent or a conduit company may not be deemed a "beneficial owner" of the PRC subsidiary and therefore, may not enjoy such treaty benefits. If JinkoSolar Investment is determined to be ineligible for such treaty benefits, any dividends paid by Jiangxi Jinko to JinkoSolar Investment will be subject to the PRC withholding tax at a 10% rate instead of a reduced rate of 5%. On February 3, 2018, the State Taxation Administration of China (the "STA") released Announcement of the State Taxation Administration on Issues concerning the "Beneficial Owner" in Tax Treaties (the "STA Announcement 9") which replaced STA Circular 601 and STA Announcement 30. The STA Announcement 9 comprehensively updates the assessment principles for the determination of beneficial ownership under agreements between China and other jurisdictions for the avoidance of double taxation. The STA Announcement 9 has also tightened the first two unfavorable factors of STA Circular 601. This will be challenging for some non-resident taxpayers as their treaty benefits may be denied for the lack of beneficial ownership status.
The CIT Law, however, also provides that enterprises established outside China whose "de facto management bodies" are located in China are considered "PRC tax resident enterprises" and will generally be subject to the uniform 25% PRC corporate income tax rate as to their global income. Under the Implementation Rules of the CIT Law, "de facto management bodies" is defined as the bodies that have, in substance, overall management control over such aspects as the production and operation, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. On April 22, 2009, the STA promulgated the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies ("STA Circular 82"). According to STA Circular 82, an offshore-incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its "de facto management body" in China only if certain conditions are met. Despite of those conditions, as STA Circular 82 only applies to enterprises incorporated outside China controlled by PRC enterprises or a PRC enterprise, it remains unclear how the PRC tax authorities will determine the location of "de facto management bodies" for offshore enterprises that are controlled by individual PRC tax residents or non-PRC enterprises, as our company and JinkoSolar Investment. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the PRC tax authorities would regard our company or JinkoSolar Investment as PRC tax resident enterprises. If our company and JinkoSolar Investment are regarded by PRC tax authorities as PRC tax resident enterprises for PRC corporate income tax purposes, any dividends distributed from Jiangxi Jinko to JinkoSolar Investment and ultimately to our company could be exempt from the PRC withholding tax, while our company and JinkoSolar Investment will be subject to the uniform 25% corporate income tax rate on our global income at the same time.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
The expiration or reduction of tax incentives by the PRC government may have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
The CIT Law imposes a uniform tax rate of 25% on all PRC enterprises, including foreign-invested enterprises, and eliminates or modifies most of the tax exemptions, reductions and preferential treatments available under the previous tax laws and regulations. Under the CIT Law, enterprises that were established before March 16, 2007 and already enjoyed preferential tax treatments have (i) in the case of preferential tax rates, continued to enjoy such tax rates that were gradually increased to the new tax rates within five years from January 1, 2008 or, (ii) in the case of preferential tax exemptions or reductions for a specified term, continued to enjoy the preferential tax holiday until the expiration of such term.
Jiangxi Jinko, Zhejiang Jinko, Yuhuan Jinko, Haining Jinko and Yiwu Jinko were designated by the relevant local governmental authorities as "High and New Technology Enterprises" under the CIT Law. Jiangxi Jinko, Yuhuan Jinko and Haining Jinko were subject to a preferential tax rate of 15% for 2019, 2020 and 2021. Yiwu Jinko has obtained this qualification to enjoy the preferential tax rate of 15% for 2021, 2022 and 2023. Zhejiang Jinko has renewed its qualification to enjoy the preferential tax rate of 15% in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Jiangxi Jinko and Haining Jinko plans to renew this qualification in 2022. Xinjiang Jinko was designated by the relevant local authorities as an "Enterprise in the Encouraged Industry" and was subject to a preferential tax rate of 15% for 2018, 2019 and 2020. It was also designated by the relevant local authorities as a "High and New Technology Enterprise" in 2020, and can enjoy the preferential tax rate of 15% in 2021 and 2022. Sichuan Jinko was designated by the relevant local governmental authorities as an "Enterprise in the Encouraged Industry" and was subject to a preferential tax rate of 15% for 2020 and 2021, and will continue to enjoy such rate in 2022. Leshan Jinko was designated by the relevant local authorities as an "Enterprise in the Encouraged Industry" and was subject to a preferential tax rate of 15% for 2021, 2022 and 2023. However, we cannot assure you that Jiangxi Jinko, Yiwu Jinko, Zhejiang Jinko, Leshan Jinko,Yuhuan Jinko, Haining Jinko, Xinjiang Jinko and Sichuan Jinko will continue to qualify as "High and New Technology Enterprises" or "Enterprise in the Encouraged Industries" as they are subject to reevaluation in the near future. In addition, there are uncertainties on how the CIT Law and the Implementation Rules of the CIT Law will be enforced, and whether the future implementation of these rules will be consistent with the current interpretation. If the corporate income tax rates of some of our PRC subsidiaries increase, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
According to the Provisional Regulation of the PRC on Value-Added Tax as amended on November 19, 2017 and its implementing rules, and the Announcement on Relevant Policies for Deepening Value-Added Tax Reform promulgated on March 20, 2019, effective from the date of April 1, 2019, gross proceeds from sales and importation of goods and provision of services are generally subject to a value-added tax ("VAT") at 13%, instead of 16%, with exceptions for certain categories of goods that are taxed at a rate at 9%, instead of 10%.
The State Council promulgated the Circular of the State Council on Cleaning up and Standardizing Preferential Policies on Tax and Other Aspects ("Circular 62"), on November 27, 2014 in an effort to render the preferential policies on tax, non-tax income, fiscal expenditure, and other aspects of the local government consistent with the PRC central laws and regulations. According to the Circular 62, the local tax authorities shall conduct the special clean-up action, which leads to preferential policies violating PRC central laws and regulations being declared ineffective and repealed and preferential policies not violating PRC central laws and regulations being retained. In addition, the special clean-up action requires that all provincial governments and relevant authorities shall, prior to the end of March 2015, report the outcome of the special clean-up action in respect of preferential policies on tax and other aspects to the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Finance shall then forward the outcome to the State Council for final determination. On May 10, 2015, the State Council issued the Circular on Matters Relating to Preferential Policies for Tax and Other Aspects ("Circular 25"), which suspended the implementation of special clean-up action of Circular 62. Circular 25 provides that in respect of existing local preferential policies with specified time limit, such time limit shall still apply; if there is no specified time limit, the local governments shall have the discretion to set up a transitional period to adjust the policies. Furthermore, it provides that preferential tax policies stipulated in the agreements between local governments and enterprises remain valid and the implemented part of the policies shall not be retrospectively affected. However, it is not clear whether or not and when the special clean-up action will resume. The repeal of any preferential policy on tax and other aspects may materially adversely affect our financial condition and business operations.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 4
We may be a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares.
A non U.S. corporation will be considered a passive foreign investment company, which we refer to as a PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year in which either 75% or more of its gross income is "passive income" or 50% or more of its assets constitute "passive assets" (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average). The calculation of the value of our assets will be based, in part, on the market value of the ADSs, which is subject to change. The determination as to whether a non U.S. corporation is a PFIC is based upon the application of complex U.S. federal income tax rules (which are subject to differing interpretations), the composition of income and assets of the non U.S. corporation from time to time and the nature of the activities performed by its officers and employees.
Based upon the composition of our current and projected income, assets and activities, we do not expect to be considered a PFIC for our current taxable year or in the foreseeable future. However, because the determination of whether we are a PFIC will be based upon the composition of our income, assets and the nature of our business, as well as the income, assets and business of entities in which we hold at least a 25% interest, from time to time, and because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, there can be no assurance that the United States Internal Revenue Service, will not take a contrary position.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder, as defined in "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-U.S. Federal Income Taxation", holds the ADSs or ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder might be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and to additional reporting obligations. See "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-U.S. Federal Income Taxation-Passive Foreign Investment Company." U.S. Holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the applicability of the PFIC rules to their purchase, ownership and disposition of the ADSs or ordinary shares.
Environmental / Social1 | 1.2%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Compliance with environmentally safe production and construction and renewable energy development regulations can be costly, while non-compliance with such regulations may result in adverse publicity and potentially significant monetary damages, fines and suspension of our business operations.
We are required to comply with all national and local environmental protection regulations for our operations, including in China, the United States, Vietnam and Malaysia. For example, some of our subsidiaries need to obtain and maintain pollution discharge permits or registrations, and some of our subsidiaries are in the process of application for such permits and registrations, which are subject to application, renewal or extension on an annual basis or within a longer period. We cannot assure you that we are or will be able to successfully obtain, renew or extend these permits in a timely manner or at all.
We use, store and generate volatile and otherwise dangerous chemicals and wastes during our manufacturing processes, and are subject to a variety of government regulations related to the use, storage and disposal of such hazardous chemicals and waste. In accordance with the requirements of the Regulations on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals, which became effective on March 15, 2002 and were amended on December 1, 2011 and December 7, 2013, we are required to engage state-qualified institutions to conduct the safety evaluation on our storage instruments related to our use of hazardous chemicals and file the safety evaluation report with the competent safety supervision and administration authorities every three years. In compliance with Jiaxing City environmental authority's requests, we commenced efforts to meet their targets for hazardous chemical and wastes in May 2012. Environmental authorities of Haining City and Jiaxing City evaluated our efforts and confirmed that we satisfied their targets in September 2012. Moreover, we filed a report with the competent safety supervision and administration authorities and public security agencies concerning the actual storage situation of our hyper-toxic chemicals and other hazardous chemicals that constitute major of hazard sources.
Moreover, we are required to obtain construction permits before commencing constructing production facilities. We are also required to obtain the approvals from PRC environmental protection authorities before commencing commercial operations of our manufacturing facilities. We are also required to comply with renewable energy development regulations and directives for our operations in China. We commenced construction of a portion of our solar cell and solar module production facilities prior to obtaining the construction permits and commenced operations of certain of our production facilities prior to obtaining the environmental approvals for commencing commercial operation and completing the required safety evaluation procedure and we, through Poyang Luohong, a joint venture in which we then held 51% equity interest, had commenced the construction of the Technology Top Runner Project prior to obtaining the construction permits, land use certificates and certain other approvals. Although we have subsequently obtained all required environmental approvals covering all of existing production capacity except a portion of solar cell and solar module production capacity and we have disposed of all our equity interest in Poyang Luohong, we cannot assure you that we will not be penalized by the relevant government authorities for our non-compliance with the PRC environmental protection, safe production and construction regulations, including renewable energy development regulations and directives.
In late August 2011, our Haining facility experienced a suspected leakage of fluoride into a nearby small water channel due to extreme and unforeseen weather conditions. On September 15, 2011, residents of Hongxiao Village in proximity to the Haining facility gathered to protest the discharge. The Haining facility suspended production on September 17, 2011. We also took steps recommended by an environmental engineering firm licensed by the PRC government ("Licensed Engineers"). On September 28, 2011, a committee of experts (the "Experts Committee") established by the Haining government approved a set of recommendations developed by the Licensed Engineers with our assistance and the Haining government to be implemented by us. On October 6, 2011, the Experts Committee, the Environmental Bureau of the Haining government and representatives of Hongxiao Village reviewed the steps taken by us based on the recommendations of the Experts Committee and provided their comments to JinkoSolar's management. On October 9, 2011, the Experts Committee notified us that the Experts Committee was satisfied with the steps taken by us and we resumed production at the Haining facility. In 2012, we carried out a series of environmental protection efforts intended to ensure our compliance with relevant standards and requirements. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Environmental Matters." In January 2013, Haining City environmental authority issued the "Environmental Management Compliance Certificate for 2012" to us, confirming our compliance with environmental requirements.
Although we will try to take measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring again in the future, we cannot assure you that our operations will not be disrupted by similar or other environmental incidents. In addition, the relevant authorities may issue more stringent environmental protection, safe production and construction regulations in the future that may impact our manufacturing facilities in China or abroad, and the costs of compliance with new regulations could be substantial. If we fail to comply with the future environmentally safe production and construction laws and regulations, we may be required to pay fines, suspend construction or production, or cease operations. Moreover, any failure by us to control the use of, or to adequately restrict the discharge of, dangerous substances could subject us to potentially significant monetary damages and fines or the suspension of our business operations.
Production
Total Risks: 12/85 (14%)Below Sector Average
Manufacturing3 | 3.5%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
Unsatisfactory performance of or defects in our products may cause us to incur additional expenses and warranty costs, damage our reputation and cause our sales to decline.
Our products may contain defects that are not detected until after they are shipped or inspected by our customers.
Our silicon wafer sales contracts normally require our customers to conduct inspection before delivery. We may, from time to time, allow those of our silicon wafer customers with good credit to return our silicon wafers within a stipulated period, which normally ranges from 7 to 15 working days after delivery, if they find our silicon wafers do not meet the required specifications. Our standard solar cell sales contract requires our customer to notify us within 7 days of delivery if such customer finds our solar cells do not meet the specifications stipulated in the sales contract. If our customer notifies us of such defect within the specified time period and provides relevant proof, we will replace those defective solar cells with qualified ones after our confirmation of such defects.
Our solar modules are typically sold with a 10-year warranty for material and workmanship and a 25-year (30-year for dual glass module) linear power output warranty against the maximum degradation of the actual power output for each year after the warranty start date. If a solar module is defective during the relevant warranty period, we will either repair or replace the solar module. As we continue to increase our sales to the major export markets, we may be exposed to increased warranty claims.
In May 2011, we engaged PowerGuard Specialty Insurance Services ("PowerGuard"), a firm specialized in unique insurance and risk management solutions for the wind and solar energy industries, to provide insurance coverage for the product warranty services of our solar modules worldwide effective from May 1, 2011. We renewed the insurance policy provided by PowerGuard upon its expiration in every May from 2011 to 2019. The policy offered back-to-back coverage through a maximum of ten-year limited product defects warranty, as well as a 25-year (30-year for dual glass module) linear warranty against degradation of module power output from the time of delivery. In April 2020, our engagement with PowerGuard expired. In December 2018, we engaged Ariel Syndicate 1910 of Lloyd's ("Ariel Re"), a firm specialized in unique insurance and risk management solutions for the wind and solar energy industries, to provide insurance coverage for the product warranty services of our solar modules worldwide effective from May 2019. We renewed the insurance policy provided by Ariel Re in January 2021 and plan to renew it at the end of 2022. The policy offers back-to-back coverage through a maximum of ten-year limited product defects warranty, as well as a 25-year (30-year for dual glass module) linear warranty against degradation of module power output from the time of delivery.
If we experience a significant increase in warranty claims, we may incur significant repair and replacement costs associated with such claims. In addition, product defects could cause significant damage to our market reputation and reduce our product sales and market share, and our failure to maintain the consistency and quality throughout our production process could result in substandard quality or performance of our products. If we deliver our products with defects, or if there is a perception that our products are of substandard quality, we may incur substantially increased costs associated with returns or replacements of our products, our credibility and market reputation could be harmed and our sales and market share may be materially adversely affected.
Manufacturing - Risk 2
Failure to achieve satisfactory production volumes of our products could result in higher unit production costs.
The production of silicon wafers, solar cells, solar modules and recovered silicon materials involves complex processes. Deviations in the manufacturing process can cause a substantial decrease in output and, in some cases, disrupt production significantly or result in no output. From time to time, we have experienced lower-than-anticipated manufacturing output during the ramp-up of production lines. This often occurs during the introduction of new products, the installation of new equipment or the implementation of new process technologies. As we bring additional lines or facilities into production, we may operate at less than intended capacity during the ramp-up period. In addition, the demand in global solar power product market may decrease, including the demand for solar modules, which may also cause us to operate at less than intended capacity. This would result in higher marginal production costs and lower output, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Manufacturing - Risk 3
We manufacture a majority of our products in several provinces in China, which exposes us to various risks relating to long-distance transportation of our silicon wafers and solar cells in the manufacturing process.
The geographical separation of our manufacturing facilities in China necessitates constant long-distance transportation of substantial volumes of our silicon wafers and solar cells between Jiangxi Province, Zhejiang Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province and Anhui Province. We produce silicon wafers in Jiangxi, Xinjiang and Sichuan, solar cells in Zhejiang, and solar modules in Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Anhui. As a result, we transport a substantial volume of our silicon wafers and solar cells within China.
The constant long-distance transportation of a large volume of our silicon wafers and solar cells may expose us to various risks, including (i) increases in transportation costs, (ii) loss of our silicon wafers or solar cells as a result of any accidents that may occur in the transportation process, (iii) delays in the transportation of our silicon wafers or solar cells as a result of any severe weather conditions, natural disasters or other conditions adversely affecting road traffic, and (iv) disruptions to our production of solar cells and solar modules as a result of delays in the transportation of our silicon wafers and solar cells. Any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Employment / Personnel4 | 4.7%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our founders, executive officers and key technical personnel, as well as our ability to maintain a skilled labor force. Our business may be materially adversely affected if we lose their services.
Our success depends on the continued services of our founders, Mr. Xiande Li, Mr. Kangping Chen and Mr. Xianhua Li, and other executive officers and key personnel. We do not maintain key-man life insurance on any of our founders, executive officers and key personnel. If one or more of our founders, executive officers and key personnel are unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to readily replace them, if at all. As a result, our business may be severely disrupted and we may have to incur additional expenses in order to recruit and retain new personnel. In addition, if any of our executives joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose some of our customers. Each of our founders, executive officers and key personnel has entered into an employment agreement with us that contains confidentiality and non-competition provisions. However, if any dispute arises between our founders, executive officers or key personnel and us, we cannot assure you, in light of uncertainties associated with the PRC legal system, that these agreements could be enforced in China where most of our founders, executive officers and key personnel reside and hold most of their assets. See "-Risks Related to Doing Business in China-Uncertainties and limitations with respect to the PRC legal system, including the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on us" in this annual report.
Furthermore, recruiting and retaining capable personnel, particularly experienced engineers and technicians familiar with our products and manufacturing processes, is vital to maintain the quality of our products and improve our production methods. There is substantial competition for qualified technical personnel, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain qualified technical personnel. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified employees, key technical personnel and our executive officers, our business may be materially adversely affected.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Higher labor costs and inflation in China may adversely affect our business and our profitability.
Labor costs in China have risen in recent years as a result of the enactment of new labor laws and social development. In addition, inflation in China has increased. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, consumer price inflation in China was 2.9%, 2.5% and 0.9% in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Because we purchase raw materials from suppliers in China, higher labor cost and inflation in China increases the costs of labor and raw materials we must purchase for manufacturing. As we expect our production staff to increase and our manufacturing operations to become more labor intensive when we commence silicon wafer and solar module production, rising labor costs may increase our operating costs and therefore negatively impact our profitability.
Because we source contractors and purchase raw materials in China, higher labor cost and inflation in China increases the costs of labor and raw materials we procure for production. In addition, our suppliers may also be affected by higher labor costs and inflation. Rising labor costs may increase our operating costs and partially erode the cost advantage of our China-based operations and therefore negatively impact our profitability.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
Our failure to make payments of statutory social welfare and housing funds to our employees could adversely and materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.
According to the relevant PRC laws and regulations, we are required to pay certain statutory social security benefits, including medical care, injury insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance and pension benefits, and housing funds, for our employees. Our failure to comply with these requirements may subject us to monetary penalties imposed by the relevant PRC authorities and proceedings initiated by our employees, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In line with local customary practices, we have not made full contribution to the social insurance funds, and the contributions we made to the social insurance funds met the requirement of the local minimum wage standard, instead of the employees' actual salaries as required, and have not made full contribution to the housing funds. We estimate the aggregate amount of unpaid social security benefits and housing funds in China to be RMB740.5 million (US$116.2 million) as of December 31, 2021. We may be required by the relevant PRC authorities to pay these statutory social security benefits and housing funds within a designated time period. In addition, an employee is entitled to seek compensation by resorting to labor arbitration at the labor arbitration center or filing a labor complaint with the labor administration bureau within a designated time period. We have made provisions for such unpaid social security benefits and housing funds of our former and current PRC subsidiaries. All employee participants in our share incentive plans who are domestic individual participants may be required to register with SAFE. We may also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional option plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 4
All employees participating in our share incentive plans who are domestic individual participants may be required to register with SAFE. We may also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional option plans for our directors and employees under PRC law.
On February 15, 2012, SAFE released the Stock Option Notice, which superseded the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in an Employee Stock Holding Plan or Stock Option Plan of an Overseas-Listed Company, issued by SAFE in 2007. According to the Stock Option Notice, PRC individual participants include directors, supervisors, senior management personnel and other employees who are PRC citizens (which includes citizens of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) or foreign individuals who reside in the PRC for 12 months consecutively. Under the Stock Option Notice, PRC and foreign citizens who receive equity grants from an overseas listed company are required, through a PRC agent or PRC subsidiary of such listed company, to register with SAFE and complete certain other bank and reporting procedures. In addition, according to the Stock Option Notice, domestic individual participants must complete the registration with SAFE or its local branch within three days rather than 10 days from the beginning of each quarter.
Failure to comply with such provisions may subject us and the participants of our share incentive plans who are domestic individual participants to fines and legal sanctions and prevent us from further granting options under our share incentive plans to our employees, and we may become subject to more stringent review and approval processes with respect to our foreign-exchange activities, such as in regards to our PRC subsidiaries' dividend payment to us or in regards to borrowing foreign currency, which could adversely affect our business operations.
Supply Chain1 | 1.2%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We may not be able to obtain sufficient raw materials in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, our five largest group suppliers accounted for 68.6%, 70.0% and 78.7%, respectively, of our total silicon purchases by value. In 2019, four of our group suppliers individually accounted for more than 10%, and our largest group supplier accounted for 25.2% of our total silicon purchases by value. In 2020, four of our group suppliers individually accounted for more than 10%, and our largest group supplier accounted for 19.6% of our total silicon purchases by value. In 2021, three of our group suppliers individually accounted for more than 10%, and our largest group supplier accounted for 28.5% of our total silicon purchases by value. A "group supplier" refers to an aggregation of our suppliers that are within the same corporate group.
Although the global supply of polysilicon has increased significantly, we may experience interruption to our supply of silicon or other raw materials or late delivery in the future for the following reasons, among others:
- suppliers under our raw materials supply contracts may delay deliveries for a significant period of time without incurring penalties;- our virgin polysilicon suppliers may not be able to meet our production needs consistently or on a timely basis;- compared with us, some of our competitors who also purchase virgin polysilicon from our suppliers have longer and stronger relationships with and have greater buying power and bargaining leverage over some of our key suppliers; and - our supply of silicon or other raw materials is subject to the business risk of our suppliers, some of whom have limited operating history and limited financial resources, and one or more of which could go out of business for reasons beyond our control in the current economic environment.
Our failure to obtain the required amounts of silicon raw materials and other raw materials, such as glass, in a timely manner and on commercially reasonable terms could increase our manufacturing costs and substantially limit our ability to meet our contractual obligations to our customers. Any failure by us to meet such obligations could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, ability to retain customers, market share, business and results of operations and may subject us to claims from our customers and other disputes. Furthermore, our failure to obtain sufficient silicon and other raw materials would result in under-utilization of our production facilities and an increase in our marginal production costs. Any of the above events could have a material adverse effect on our growth, profitability and results of operations.
Costs4 | 4.7%
Costs - Risk 1
Volatility in the prices of silicon raw materials makes our procurement planning challenging and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
The prices of polysilicon, the essential raw material for solar cell and module products and silicon wafers have been subject to significant volatility. Historically, increases in the price of polysilicon had increased our production costs. The price of polysilicon increased significantly in 2020 due to the supply shortage of polysilicon. In the first half of 2020, supply of polysilicon was negatively affected by the decreasing downstream demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second half of 2020, the production capacity of polysilicon of some key manufacturing facilities reduced due to the explosion accidents and maintenance activities, which further intensified the supply shortage. In addition, since the COVID-19 pandemic was under control in China, the demand for solar products recovered rapidly, which also resulted in the increase in the price of polysilicon. The price of polysilicon increased quarter by quarter in 2021, because there was a time gap between the release of polysilicon output and strong downstream demand. We expect that the price of polysilicon to structurally fluctuate in 2022 until the demand for polysilicon is fully released.
We expect that the prices of virgin polysilicon feedstock may continue to be subject to volatility, making our procurement planning challenging. For example, if we refrain from entering into fixed-price, long-term supply contracts, we may miss the opportunities to secure long-term supplies of virgin polysilicon at favorable prices if the spot market price of virgin polysilicon increases significantly in the future. On the other hand, if we enter into more fixed-price, long-term supply contracts, we may not be able to renegotiate or otherwise adjust the purchase prices under such long-term supply contracts if the spot market price declines. As a result, our cost of silicon raw materials could be higher than that of our competitors who source their supply of silicon raw materials through floating-price arrangements or spot market purchases. To the extent we may not be able to fully pass on higher costs and expenses to our customers, our profit margins, results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
Costs - Risk 2
Decreases in the price of solar power products, including solar modules, may result in additional provisions for inventory losses.
We typically plan our production and inventory levels based on our forecasts of customer demand, which may be unpredictable and can fluctuate materially. Recent market volatility has made it increasingly difficult for us to accurately forecast future product demand trends and the prices of solar power products. We recorded inventory provisions of RMB135.9 million, RMB270.9 million and RMB701.7 million (US$110.1 million) in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. If the prices of solar power products continue to decrease, the carrying value of our existing inventory may exceed its market price in future periods, thus requiring us to make additional provisions for inventory valuation, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.
Costs - Risk 3
Shortage or disruption of electricity supply may adversely affect our business.
We consume a significant amount of electricity in our operations. With the rapid development of the PRC economy, demand for electricity has continued to increase. There have been shortages or disruptions in electricity supply in various regions across China, especially during peak seasons, such as the summer, or when there are severe weather conditions. We cannot assure you that there will not be disruptions or shortages in our electricity supply or that there will be sufficient electricity available to us to meet our future requirements. Shortages or disruptions in electricity supply and any increases in electricity costs may significantly disrupt our normal operations, cause us to incur additional costs and adversely affect our profitability.
Costs - Risk 4
We have limited insurance coverage and may incur losses resulting from product liability claims, business interruption or natural disasters.
We are exposed to risks associated with product liability claims in the event that the use of our products results in property damage or personal injury. Since our products are ultimately incorporated into electricity generating systems, it is possible that users could be injured or killed by devices that use our products, whether as a result of product malfunctions, defects, improper installations or other causes. Due to our limited operating history, we are unable to predict whether product liability claims will be brought against us in the future or to predict the impact of any resulting adverse publicity on our business. The successful assertion of product liability claims against us could result in potentially significant monetary damages and require us to make significant payments. Our product liability insurance coverage is limited and we may not have adequate resources to satisfy a judgment in the event of a successful claim against us. In addition, we do not carry any business interruption insurance. As the insurance industry in China is still in its relatively early stage of development, even if we decide to take out business interruption coverage, such insurance available in China offers limited coverage compared with that offered in many other countries. Any business interruption or natural disaster could result in substantial losses and diversion of our resources and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 9/85 (11%)Below Sector Average
Competition3 | 3.5%
Competition - Risk 1
We may be subject to non-competition or other similar restrictions or arrangements relating to our business.
We may from time to time enter into non-competition, exclusivity or other restrictions or arrangements of a similar nature as part of our sales agreements with our customers. Such restrictions or arrangements may significantly hinder our ability to sell additional products, or enter into sales agreements with new or existing customers that plan to sell our products, in certain markets. As a result, such restrictions or arrangements may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In October 2016, we entered into a side agreement with JinkoPower and the investors of JinkoPower, pursuant to the non-compete provisions of which we undertake not to develop any downstream solar power project with a capacity of over 2 MW in China after the disposition of our equity interest in JinkoPower in the fourth quarter of 2016. This non-competition covenant may adversely affect our growth prospects in China.
In September 2017, we provided a non-compete commitment to JinkoPower where we undertake to cease developing new downstream solar projects. In addition, for our existing offshore downstream solar power projects that we are constructing and will connect to the grid, we undertake to endeavor to cause those projects to be transferred to JinkoPower, its subsidiaries or other qualified third parties, to the extent that such transfers will not contravene with applicable laws and regulations and that we are able to obtain written consent of the relevant contracting parties for those projects. This non-competition undertaking may adversely affect our operating results.
The NEA released a "Technology Top Runner" program in 2017, which has more stringent technology standards than other "Top Runner" programs, to promote solar projects using higher-efficiency modules (requiring a conversion efficiency rate of 18.9% or above for monocrystalline solar cells and 18.0% or above for multicrystalline solar cells) and most advanced technologies (especially breakthrough technologies that have not reached the stage of mass production). In order to promote our high-efficiency modules and cutting-edgy N-type cell technologies, (i) we and JinkoPower jointly established Poyang Luohong Power Co., Ltd. ("Poyang Luohong"), a PRC company, in the third quarter of 2018, in which we then held 51% equity interest and had made capital contribution of RMB98 million in cash as of December 31, 2018, and (ii) we formed a bidding consortium with JinkoPower to bid for "Technology Top Runner" solar projects, and had won a 250 MW "Technology Top Runner" solar project in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province (the "Technology Top Runner Project"). We supplied N-type monocrystalline modules to this project, whose conversion efficiency is even higher than our P-type monocrystalline passivated emitter rear cell ("PERC") modules. The Technology Top Runner Project was developed by Poyang Luohong. We sold all of our equity interest in Poyang Luohong to an independent third party, and filed the change of ownership with Shangrao Market Supervision Administration on December 17, 2019. We currently do not have plans to develop solar projects in China or overseas. As of December 31, 2021, we did not own any solar project in China, and we had only one solar power project in operation and one project under construction outside China.
Competition - Risk 2
We face intense competition in solar power product markets. If we fail to adapt to changing market conditions and to compete successfully with existing or new competitors, our business prospects and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.
The markets for solar power products are intensely competitive. We compete with manufacturers of solar power products such as Longi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Trina Solar Ltd., Canadian Solar Inc. and JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd., in a continuously evolving market. Certain downstream manufacturers, some of which are also our customers and suppliers, have also built out or expanded their silicon wafer, solar cell, or solar module production operations.
Some of our current and potential competitors have a longer operating history, stronger brand recognition, more established relationships with customers, greater financial and other resources, a larger customer base, better access to raw materials and greater economies of scale than we do. Furthermore, some of our competitors are integrated players in the solar industry that engage in the production of virgin polysilicon. Their business models may give them competitive advantages as these integrated players place less reliance on the upstream suppliers, downstream customers or both.
Competition - Risk 3
The solar industry faces competition from other types of renewable and non-renewable power industries.
The solar industry faces competition from other renewable energy companies and non-renewable power industries, including nuclear energy and fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Technological innovations in these other forms of energy may reduce their costs or increase their safety. Large-scale new deposits of fossil fuel may be discovered, which could reduce their costs. Local governments may decide to strengthen their support for other renewable energy sources, such as wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal and ocean power, and reduce their support for the solar industry. The inability to compete successfully against producers of other forms of power would reduce our market share and negatively affect our results of operations.
Demand2 | 2.4%
Demand - Risk 1
Our future growth and profitability depend on the demand for and the prices of solar power products and the development of photovoltaic technologies.
The rate and extent of market acceptance for solar power depends on the availability of government subsidies and the cost-effectiveness, performance and reliability of solar power relative to conventional and other renewable energy sources. Changes in government policies towards solar power and advancements in PV, technologies could significantly affect the demand for solar power products.
Demand for solar power products is also affected by macroeconomic factors, such as energy supply, demand and prices, as well as regulations and policies governing renewable energies and related industries. For example, in June 2016, the FIT in China for utility-scale projects was significantly reduced. As a result, subsequent to a strong demand in the first half of 2016, the domestic market was almost frozen and the competition in the global market also intensified in the second half of 2016. The current international political environment, including existing and potential changes to United States and China trade and tariffs policies, have resulted in uncertainty surrounding the future of the global economy. Due to the transition to renewable energy in most regions of the world, the increase in electricity prices, financing support and other favorable policies, clients are more willing to accept higher prices of solar modules. Consequently, the average selling price of our solar modules, which represented 92.4% of our total revenue in 2021, increased from 2020 to 2021.
However, any reduction in the price of solar modules will have a negative impact on our business and results of operations, including our margins. As a result, we may not continue to be profitable on a quarterly or annual basis. In addition, if demand for solar power products weakens in the future, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Demand - Risk 2
Demand for solar power products may be adversely affected by seasonality.
Demand for solar power products tends to be weaker during the winter months partly due to adverse weather conditions in certain regions, which complicate the installation of solar power systems, our operating results may fluctuate from period to period based on the seasonality of industry demand for solar power products. Our sales in the first quarter of any year may also be affected by the occurrence of the Chinese New Year holiday during which domestic industrial activity is normally lower than that at other times. Such fluctuations may result in the underutilization of our capacity and increase our average costs per unit. In addition, we may not be able to capture all of the available demand if our capacity is insufficient during the summer months. As a result, fluctuations in the demand for our products may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Sales & Marketing4 | 4.7%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
The loss of, or a significant reduction in orders from, any of our customers could significantly reduce our revenue and harm our results of operations.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, sales to our top five group customers represented 30.2%, 19.7% and 14.9% of our total revenue, respectively. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, our largest group customer accounted for 10.9%, 5.3% and 4.6% of our total revenue, respectively. A "group customer" refers to an aggregation of our customers that are within the same corporate group. Our relationships with our key customers for solar modules have been developed over a relatively short period of time and are generally in nascent stages. Our key module customers include NextEra, Consolidated Edison Development, Trung Nam Construction Investment, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Spower, LLC, Enel Group and Swinerton Builders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to generate significant revenue from these customers or that we will be able to maintain these customer relationships. In addition, we purchase solar wafers and cells and silicon raw materials through toll manufacturing arrangements that require us to make significant capital commitments to support our estimated production output. In the event our customers cancel their orders, we may not be able to recoup prepayments made to suppliers, which could adversely influence our financial condition and results of operations. The loss of sales to any of these customers could also have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects and results of operations.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Prepayment arrangements to our suppliers for the procurement of silicon raw materials expose us to the credit risks of such suppliers and may also significantly increase our costs and expenses, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Our supply contracts generally include prepayment obligations for the procurement of silicon raw materials. As of December 31, 2021, we had RMB1.83 billion (US$287.6 million) of advances to our suppliers. We generally do not receive collateral to secure such payments for these contracts, and even if we do, the collateral we received is deeply subordinated and shared with all other customers and other senior lenders of the suppliers.
Our prepayments, secured or unsecured, expose us to the credit risks of our suppliers, and reduce our chances of obtaining the return of such prepayments in the event that our suppliers become insolvent or bankrupt. Moreover, we may have difficulty recovering such prepayments if any of our suppliers fails to fulfill its contractual delivery obligations to us. Accordingly, a default by our suppliers to whom we have made substantial prepayment may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
Selling our products on credit terms may increase our working capital requirements and expose us to the credit risk of our customers.
To accommodate and retain customers in the negative market environment, many solar module manufacturers, including us, make credit sales and extend credit terms to customers, and this trend is expected to continue in the industry. Most of our sales are made on credit terms and we allow our customers to make payments after a certain period of time subsequent to the delivery of our products. Our accounts receivable turnover were 85 days, 68 days and 69 days in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Correspondingly, we recorded provisions for accounts receivable from third parties of RMB318.2 million, RMB293.4 million and RMB323.1 million (US$50.7 million) as of December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. Based on our ongoing assessment of the recoverability of our outstanding accounts receivable, and the consideration of the historical credit loss experience, current economic conditions, supportable forecasts of future economic conditions, and any recoveries in assessing the lifetime expected credit losses, we may need to continue to provide for doubtful accounts and write off overdue accounts receivable we determine as not collectible.
Selling our products on credit terms has increased, and may continue to increase our working capital requirements, which may negatively affect our liquidity. We may not be able to maintain adequate working capital primarily through cash generated from our operating activities and may need to secure additional financing for our working capital requirements, which may not be available to us on commercially acceptable terms or at all.
In addition, we are exposed to the credit risk of customers to which we have made credit sales in the event that any of such customers becomes insolvent or bankrupt or otherwise does not make timely payments. For example, we sell our products on credit to certain customers in emerging or promising markets in order to gain early access to such markets, increase our market share in existing key markets or enhance the prospects of future sales with rapidly growing customers. There are high credit risks in doing business with these customers because they are often small, young and high-growth companies with significant unfunded working capital, inadequate balance sheets and credit metrics and limited operating histories. If these customers are not able to obtain satisfactory working capital, maintain adequate cash flow, or obtain construction financing for the projects where our solar products are used, they may be unable to pay for products they have ordered from us or for which they have taken delivery. Our legal recourse under such circumstances may be limited if the customers' financial resources are already constrained or if we wish to continue to do business with these customers.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 4
The oversupply of solar cells and modules in the solar industry may cause substantial downward pressure on the prices of our products and reduce our revenue and earnings.
If the solar industry experience oversupply across the value chain in the future, and continued increases in solar module production in excess of market demand may result in further downward pressure on the price of solar cells and modules, including our products. Increasing competition could also result in us losing sales or market share. If we are unable, on an ongoing basis, to procure silicon, solar wafers and solar cells at reasonable prices, or mark up the price of our solar modules to cover our manufacturing and operating costs, our revenue and gross margin will be adversely impacted, either due to higher costs compared to our competitors or due to inventory write-downs, or both. In addition, our market share may decline if our competitors are able to price their products more competitively.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 7/85 (8%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment2 | 2.4%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Added
Uncertainties in the global economy and the slowdown of the Chinese economy may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The global financial markets experienced significant disruptions in 2008 and the United States, Europe and other economies went into recession. The recovery from the lows of 2008 and 2009 was uneven, including the escalation of the European sovereign debt crisis since 2011, the impact of COVID-19, the impact of the recent Russia-Ukraine crisis and the related sanctions and other conflicts between Russia and Western countries, and the slowdown of the Chinese economy in the recent years. It is unclear whether the Chinese economy will continue slowing down. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies that have been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world's leading economies, including China's. There have also been concerns over unrest in the Middle East, especially the tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which have resulted in volatility in oil and other markets, as well as the economic effect of the territorial disputes involving China in Asia and the tensions in the relationship between China and Japan. Although the U.S. and China have reached a phase-one deal in January 2020, the trade conflicts between China and the U.S. have, and may continue to, put pressure on China's economic growth, particularly our downstream customers' export to the U.S. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions. Any prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, we generated 17.5%, 18.1% and 24.8% of our net revenues from sales in China, respectively. China is one of the world's largest emerging markets, while the economies of emerging markets are typically more vulnerable to market downturns and economic slowdowns elsewhere in the world. Any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Adverse changes in political and economic policies of the PRC government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of the PRC, which could reduce the demand for our products and materially adversely affect our competitive position.
Our business is primarily based in the PRC and a portion of our sales are made in the PRC. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are affected significantly by economic, political and legal developments in the PRC. The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including:
- the level of government involvement;- the level of development;- the growth rate;- the control of foreign exchange; and - the allocation of resources.
While the PRC economy has grown significantly in the past 30 years, the growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures benefit the overall PRC economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us.
The PRC economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although in recent years the PRC government has implemented measures emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets and the establishment of sound corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of the productive assets in China is still owned by the PRC government. The continued control of these assets and other aspects of the national economy by the PRC government could materially adversely affect our business. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China's economic growth through allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. We cannot predict whether changes in China's political, economic and social conditions, laws, regulations and policies will have any material adverse effect on our current or future business, financial condition and results of operations.
International Operations1 | 1.2%
International Operations - Risk 1
Changed
We face risks associated with the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of our products internationally and the construction and operation of our overseas manufacturing facilities, and if we are unable to effectively manage these risks, our business and operations abroad may be adversely affected and our ability to maintain, develop and expand our business abroad may be restricted.
In 2019, 2020 and 2021, we generated 82.5%, 81.9% and 75.2%, respectively, of our total revenue from sales outside China. We also have manufacturing facilities in the United States and Malaysia, and our monocrystalline silicon wafer factory in Vietnam had started construction in 2021. In January 2018, we entered into a master solar module supply agreement (the "Master Agreement") with NextEra Energy, Inc., or NextEra. Under the Master Agreement, as amended in March 2018, we will supply NextEra up to 2,750 MW of high-efficiency solar modules over four years. In conjunction with the Master Agreement, we established our first U.S. factory in Jacksonville, Florida, which commenced production in the third quarter of 2018 and reached full production capacity of 400 MW in the first half of 2019. Our 7GW monocrystalline silicon wafer plant in Vietnam commenced production in the first quarter of 2022. Thus, we currently have approximately 7 GW of integrated mono wafer-cell-module manufacturing capacity overseas.
The manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of our products internationally, as well as the construction and operation of our manufacturing facilities outside of China may expose us to a number of risks, including those associated with:
- fluctuations in currency exchange rates;- costs associated with understanding local markets and trends;- costs associated with establishment of overseas manufacturing facilities;- marketing and distribution costs;- customer services and support costs;- risk management and internal control structures for our overseas operations;- compliance with the different commercial, operational, environmental and legal requirements;- obtaining or maintaining certifications for production, marketing, distribution and sales of our products or, if applicable, services;- maintaining our reputation as an environmentally friendly enterprise for our products or services;- obtaining, maintaining or enforcing intellectual property rights;- changes in prevailing economic conditions and regulatory requirements;- transportation and freight costs;- employing and retaining manufacturing, technology, sales and other personnel who are knowledgeable about, and can function effectively in, overseas markets;- trade barriers such as trade remedies, which could increase the prices of the raw materials for our solar products, and export requirements, tariffs, taxes and other restrictions and expenses, which could increase the prices of our products and make us less competitive in some countries;- challenges due to our unfamiliarity with local laws, regulation and policies, our absence of significant operating experience in local market, increased cost associated with establishment of overseas operations and maintaining a multinational organizational structure; and - other various risks that are beyond our control.
Our manufacturing capacity outside China requires us to comply with different laws and regulations, including national and local regulations relating to production, environmental protection, employment and the other related matters. Due to our limited experience in doing business in the overseas markets, we are unfamiliar with local laws, regulation and policies. Our failure to obtain the required approvals, permits, licenses, filings or to comply with the conditions associated therewith could result in fines, sanctions, suspension, revocation or non-renewal of approvals, permits or licenses, or even criminal penalties, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
For example, the U.S. government has recently begun enforcing a long-existing ban on U.S. importation of products produced with forced labor in ways that may adversely affect our business. Section 307 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, or Section 307, prohibits U.S. importation of goods that are produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, in any non-U.S. country by forced or indentured labor. On June 24, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order against Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. Ltd. ("Hoshine WRO"). As a result, personnel at all U.S. ports of entry have been instructed to immediately begin detaining shipments that contain silica-based products made by Hoshine or materials and goods derived from or produced using those silica-based products. After the Hoshine WRO was issued, parts of the importation of our products into the United States were detained. Since then we have been in continuous discussion with CBP and related United States authorities regarding Hoshine WRO related matters including without limitation CBP's audit standards and requested documents regarding detained shipments. Recently we submitted documents requested by CBP for the admissibility of the suspended shipments. Parts of the detained shipments have been admitted by CBP after reviewing our submissions.
On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (the "UFLPA") into law. The UFLPA aims to strengthen the existing laws on forced labor by prohibiting the importation and entry of any goods made with forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region ("XUAR") of the People's Republic of China, and establishes several enforcement mechanisms and procedures to do so. By June 21, 2022, CBP must begin applying the "Rebuttal Presumption" established in Section 3 of UFLPA and prohibits any "goods, wares, articles, or merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China" or produced by an entity on the list to be issued pursuant to the UFLPA, unless CBP determines that importer of record has (i) fully complied with the supply chain guidance described in Section 2 of the UFLPA and any accompanying regulations; and (ii) completely and substantively responded to inquiries for information by CBP. Pursuant to UFLPA, the U.S. government shall issue a list of entities involved in and products produced from forced labor and "guidance to importers" with respect to forced labor due diligence.
We do not tolerate any use of forced labor, whether in our own manufacturing facilities or, to the best of our knowledge, throughout our supply chain. We monitor our manufacturing facilities to ensure no forced labor is used. Our direct sales to the U.S. market accounted for 28.7% and 15.7% of our total revenues in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Given the fact that we have a manufacturing facility in Xinjiang, we cannot assure you that the relevant U.S. authorities will not decide that forced labor exists in the manufacturing of our products or in our supply chain and, put our facilities or their affiliate companies on the list of entities to be issued pursuant to UFLPA. Furthermore, under the impact of Hoshine WRO and the UFLPA,, importation of our products to the United States may be partially or entirely suspended or blocked. Either of these types of regulatory or legislative action would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to the actions taken or being considered by the U.S. government as discussed above, there is a growing concern regarding the alleged used of forced labor issue in Xinjiang in the European Union, Australia, Japan and certain other countries. If any new legislation or regulatory action with respect to these issues were to be enacted in those regions that impose additional restrictions or requirements on importation of goods that are produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, in Xinjiang, our business and operation in these regions would be adversely affected.
As we enter into new markets in different jurisdictions, we will face different business environments and industry conditions, and we may spend substantial resources familiarizing ourselves with the new environment and conditions. To the extent that our business operations are affected by unexpected and adverse economic, regulatory, social and political conditions in the jurisdictions in which we have operations, we may experience project disruptions, loss of assets and personnel, and other indirect losses that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For instance, our manufacturing facility in the United States may expose us to various risks, including, among others, failure to obtain the required approvals, permits or licenses, or to comply with the conditions associated therewith, failure to procure economic incentives or financing on satisfactory terms, and failure to procure construction materials, production equipment and qualified personnel for the manufacturing facility in a timely and cost-effective manner. Any of these events may increase the related costs, or impair our ability to run our operations in the future on a cost effective basis, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Natural and Human Disruptions2 | 2.4%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Changed
We face risks related to health epidemics and other outbreaks. In particular, we were, and could continue to be, adversely affected by the global outbreak of COVID-19.
Our business could be adversely affected by the effects of novel coronavirus ("COVID-19"), Ebola virus disease, influenza A ("H1N1"), avian flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome ("SARS"), or other epidemic outbreak. In particular, the COVID-19 outbreak has become a global pandemic, which has already caused, and may continue to cause, an adverse and prolonged impact on both economic and social conditions globally, and the exacerbation, continuance or reoccurrence of the COVID-19 outbreak could interrupt our business operations.
In December 2019, a strain of COVID-19 was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which subsequently spread throughout China. The Chinese central government and local governments in Wuhan and other cities in China have introduced various temporary measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, such as extension of the Lunar New Year holidays and travel restrictions, which have impacted and could further impact national and local economy to different degrees. As the COVID-19 subsequently spreads globally, many governments in other countries and regions have also introduced travel restrictions, lock-down policies, suspension of business activities and other temporary measures. The global spread of the COVID-19 has created significant volatility and uncertainty, as well as economic disruption. Our production could be severely affected if our employees or the regions in which our facilities are located are affected by the COVID-19. For example, our facilities in China, Vietnam, Malay and U.S. could be closed by government authorities for a sustained period of time, some or all of our workforce could be unavailable due to quarantine, fear of catching the disease or other factors, and local, national or international transportation or other infrastructure could be affected, leading to delays or loss of production and delivery of products. In addition, our suppliers and customers are subject to similar risks, which could lead to a shortage of raw materials or a reduction in our customers' demand for our products. We may have to decrease the selling price of our products to attract and retain customers if the demand for our products decreases. We rely on a variety of common carriers to transport our raw materials from our suppliers, and to transport products from us to our customers. Problems suffered by any of these common carriers could result in shipping delays, increased costs or some other supply chain disruption and could therefore have a material adverse effect on our operations. While it is unknown how long these conditions will last and what the complete financial effect will be to us, our supply of certain raw materials and logistics during the first quarter of 2020 was temporarily affected, causing some module shipments to be postponed to the second quarter of 2020. As a result, some of our customers delayed their payments, which temporarily affected our cash flow. In addition, our capacity utilization rate of certain overseas manufacturing facility has been temporarily affected as we have to limit the number of workers gathering at the facility pursuant to the instructions of the local authorities. In the second half of 2020 and throughout 2021, logistics and transportation continued to be affected in certain parts of the world and regional demands were adjusting due to the pandemic. We expect that such situation may continue in 2022, particularly due to the increased infection rate or severity of some variants of this disease, including the Delta and Omicron variants. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented a number of initiatives to ensure business continuity, including ensuring the safety and health of our employees and minimizing the impact of the outbreak on production and delivery by stocking up on critical raw materials and optimizing production and logistics, as well as flexibly adjusting the manufacturing facilities from which we ship our products. While many governments in the world are administering vaccinations to their populations and pharmaceutical companies have been developing new vaccines and drugs to treat the disease, it remains uncertain whether and when these efforts will successfully control the pandemic. The situation of the COVID-19 pandemic is very fluid and we are closely monitoring its impact on us. If the pandemic lasts for an extended period or worsens, it could materially and adversely impact our supply chain, technology development, sales and other aspects of our operations.
In April 2009, an outbreak of influenza A caused by the H1N1 virus occurred in Mexico and the United States, and spread into a number of countries rapidly. There have also been reports of outbreaks of a highly pathogenic avian flu, caused by the H1N1 virus, in certain regions of Asia and Europe. In past few years, there were reports on the occurrences of avian flu in various parts of China, including a few confirmed human cases. In April 2013, there were reports of cases of H7N9 avian flu in southeast China, including deaths in Shanghai and Zhejiang Province. An outbreak of avian flu in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, particularly in Asia. Additionally, any recurrence of SARS, a highly contagious form of atypical pneumonia, similar to the occurrence in 2003 which affected China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and certain other countries, would also have similar adverse effects.
These outbreaks of contagious diseases and other adverse public health developments in China and around the world would have a material adverse effect on our business operations. These could include our ability to travel or ship our products outside China as well as temporary closure of our manufacturing facilities. Such closures or travel or shipment restrictions would severely disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We have not adopted any written preventive measures or contingency plans to combat any future outbreak of avian flu, SARS or any other epidemic.
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 2
Our operations are subject to natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, operating hazards, environmental incidents and labor disputes.
We may experience force majeure events such as earthquakes, floods, mudslides, snowstorms, typhoon, power outages, labor disputes or similar events beyond our control that would affect our operations. Our manufacturing processes involve the use of hazardous equipment, such as furnaces, squaring machines and wire saws. We also use, store and generate volatile and otherwise dangerous chemicals and waste during our manufacturing processes, which are potentially destructive and dangerous if not properly handled or in the event of uncontrollable or catastrophic circumstances, including operating hazards, fires and explosions, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions and major equipment failures, for which we cannot obtain insurance at a reasonable cost or at all.
In addition, our ingot wafer, solar cell and solar module production and their respective storage facilities are located in close proximity to one another. The occurrence of any force majeure events such as natural disaster, unanticipated catastrophic event or unexpected accident in these sites could result in production curtailments, shutdowns or periods of reduced production, which could significantly disrupt our business operations, cause us to incur additional costs and affect our ability to deliver our products to our customers as scheduled, or prevent us from performing our contractual obligations, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, such events could result in severe damage to property, personal injuries, fatalities, regulatory enforcement proceedings or our being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting claims for large amounts of damages, which in turn could lead to significant liabilities.
For instance, our Haining facility suspended operation from September 17, 2011 to October 9, 2011 due to an environmental incident. Occurrences of natural disasters, pandemic incidents as well as accidents and incidents of adverse weather in or around Shangrao, Haining and Penang in the future may result in significant property damage, electricity shortages, disruption of our operations, work stoppages, civil unrest, personal injuries and, in severe cases, fatalities. Such incidents may result in damage to our reputation or cause us to lose all or a portion of our production capacity, and future revenue anticipated to be derived from the relevant facilities.
Capital Markets2 | 2.4%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Fluctuations in exchange rates could adversely affect our results of operations.
We derive a substantial portion of our sales from international customers and a significant portion of our total revenue have been denominated in foreign currencies, particularly, Euros and U.S. dollars. Our sales outside China represented 82.5%, 81.9% and 75.2% of our total revenue in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. As a result, we may face significant risks resulting from currency exchange rate fluctuations, particularly, among Renminbi, Euros and U.S. dollars. For example, we expect our revenue and gross margin to be adversely affected by the recent appreciation of Renminbi against U.S. dollars, as a substantial portion of our sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. Furthermore, we have outstanding debt obligations, and may continue to incur debts from time to time, denominated and repayable in foreign currencies. We incurred a foreign exchange gain of RMB8.8 million in 2019, a foreign exchange loss of RMB336.5 million in 2020, and a foreign exchange loss of RMB355.5 million (US$55.8 million) in 2021. We cannot predict the impact of future exchange rate fluctuations on our results of operations and may incur net foreign currency losses in the future.
Our consolidated financial statements are expressed in Renminbi. The functional currency of our principal operating subsidiary, Jiangxi Jinko, is also Renminbi. To the extent we hold assets denominated in Euros or U.S. dollars, any appreciation of Renminbi against the Euro or U.S. dollar could reduce the value of our Euro-or U.S. dollar-denominated consolidated assets. On the other hand, if we decide to convert our Renminbi amounts into Euros or U.S. dollars for business purposes, including foreign debt service, a decline in the value of Renminbi against the Euro or U.S. dollar would reduce the Euro or U.S. dollar equivalent amounts of the Renminbi we convert. In addition, a depreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar could reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts of our financial results and the dividends we may pay in the future, if any, all of which may have a material adverse effect on the price of our ADSs.
Since June 2010, the Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right (the "SDR"), and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, Renminbi will be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and we cannot assure you that the Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future. Any currency exchange losses we recognize may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.
Limited hedging transactions are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. Although we have entered into a number of foreign-exchange forward contracts and foreign exchange options with local banks to manage our risks associated with foreign-exchange rates fluctuations, we cannot assure you that our hedging efforts will be effective. Our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Capital Markets - Risk 2
Changed
It is difficult to predict the effect of the STAR Listing on the market price of the ADSs.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, initially launched the STAR Market in June 2019 and trading on the Market began in July 2019. No assurance can be given regarding the effect of the STAR Listing on the market price of the ADSs. The market price of the ADSs may be volatile or may decline, for reasons other than the risk and uncertainties described above, as the result of investor negativity or uncertainty with respect to the impact of the STAR Listing.
Investors may elect to invest in our business and operations by purchasing Jiangxi Jinko's shares in the STAR Listing or on the STAR Market rather than purchasing the ADSs, and that reduction in demand could lead to a decrease in the market price for the ADSs.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 5/85 (6%)Below Sector Average
Trade Secrets3 | 3.5%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
Our lack of sufficient patent protection in and outside of China may undermine our competitive position and subject us to intellectual property disputes with third parties, both of which may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We have developed various production process related know-how and technologies in the production of our products. Such know-how and technologies play a critical role in our quality assurance and cost reduction. In addition, we have implemented a number of research and development programs with a view to developing techniques and processes that will improve production efficiency and product quality. Our intellectual property and proprietary rights from our research and development programs will be crucial in maintaining our competitive edge in the solar power industry. As of the date of this annual report, we have 1123 patents and 374 pending patent applications in China. Our patents' validity is generally ten years. We plan to continue to seek to protect our intellectual property and proprietary knowledge by applying for patents for them. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in obtaining patents in China in a timely manner or at all. Moreover, even if we are successful, China currently affords less protection to a company's intellectual property than some other countries, including the United States. We also use contractual arrangements with employees and trade secret protections to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights. Nevertheless, contractual arrangements afford only limited protection and the actions we may take to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights may not be adequate.
In addition, others may obtain knowledge of our know-how and technologies through independent development. Our failure to protect our production process, related know-how and technologies, our intellectual property and proprietary rights or any combination of the above may undermine our competitive position. Third parties may infringe or misappropriate our proprietary technologies or other intellectual property and proprietary rights. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology can be difficult and expensive. Litigation, which can be costly and divert management attention and other resources away from our business, may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of our proprietary rights. We cannot assure you that the outcome of such potential litigation will be in our favor. An adverse determination in any such litigation will impair our intellectual property and proprietary rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation.
Trade Secrets - Risk 2
We may be exposed to intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims by third parties, which, if determined adversely to us, could cause us to pay significant damage awards and subject us to injunctions prohibiting sale of our products in certain markets.
Our success depends on our ability to use and develop our technology and know-how, and to manufacture and sell our recovered silicon materials, silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules, develop solar power projects or otherwise operate our business in the solar industry without infringing the intellectual property or other rights of third parties. We may be subject to litigation involving claims of patent infringement or violation of intellectual property rights of third parties. The validity and scope of claims relating to solar power technology patents involve complex scientific, legal and factual questions and analyses and, therefore, may be highly uncertain. The defense and prosecution of intellectual property suits, patent opposition proceedings, trademark disputes and related legal and administrative proceedings can be both costly and time-consuming and may significantly divert our resources and the attention of our technical and management personnel. An adverse ruling in any such litigation or proceedings could subject us to significant liability to third parties, require us to seek licenses from third parties, to pay ongoing royalties, or to redesign our products or subject us to injunctions prohibiting the manufacture and sale of our products or the use of our technologies. Protracted litigation could also result in our customers or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our products until resolution of such litigation.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your holdings.
We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make these rights available in the United States unless we register the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause a registration statement to be declared effective. Moreover, we may not be able to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in your holdings.
Technology2 | 2.4%
Technology - Risk 1
Added
Any failure or significant interruption in our IT systems including software and hardware could harm our business.
We implement the information management through almost every aspect of our business operations, covering design, production scheduling, raw material supply, equipment management, quality control, inventory management, transportation management and environment monitoring. Our IT systems including software and hardware may experience disruptions, outages, damage and other large-scale performance problems due to a number of factors, including technology infrastructure changes, human or software errors, hardware failure, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, fraud and security attacks, whether these problems are caused by ourselves or by third-party service providers. These problems could lead to system interruptions, website slowdown or unavailability, delays in data processing, leak and loss of data, malfunctions of software or damage to hardware. We cannot assure you that we will not experience such unexpected interruptions or breakdown in IT systems including software and hardware, or that our current security mechanisms will be sufficient to protect our IT systems from any third-party intrusions, viruses or hacker attacks, information or data theft, human damage or other similar activities. Any occurrence of these events could interrupt our business operations and damage our reputation. In addition, because the vulnerabilities and techniques used by unauthorized individuals or entities to access, disrupt or sabotage hardware, devices, systems and networks change frequently and may not be recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques, and we may not become aware in a timely manner of such a security breach, which could exacerbate any damage we experience.
While we have taken reasonable measures to protect the security of, and prevent the damage to, our IT systems, as well as the security of confidential or proprietary information, it is possible that our security controls and other security practices we follow may not be adequate or effective. We also rely on our employees and contractors to appropriately handle confidential and sensitive data, and to deploy our IT resources in a safe and secure manner that does not expose our IT systems to security breaches or the loss of data. Any data security incidents, including internal malfeasance by our employees, unauthorized access or usage, virus or similar breach or disruption of us or our service providers could result in loss of confidential or proprietary information, damage to our reputation, litigation, regulatory investigations, fines, penalties and other liabilities. Accordingly, if our cybersecurity measures fail to protect against unauthorized access, attacks (which may include sophisticated cyberattacks), the compromise or mishandling of data, damage to hardware or other misconduct or malfeasance by computer hackers, employees or other third parties, as well as software bugs, human error or technical malfunctions, our reputation, business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Cybersecurity threats and attacks that we may be subject to may take a variety of forms ranging from individuals or groups of hackers to sophisticated organizations, including state-sponsored actors. Cybersecurity risks range from viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs, including phishing attacks, to "mega breaches" targeted against cloud services and other hosted software, any of which can result in disclosure of confidential or proprietary information. As the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these attacks or to implement adequate preventative measures. In addition, there has been an increase in the frequency and sophistication of cyber and other security threats we face, and we may incur additional costs to comply with such demand.
Technology - Risk 2
Technological changes in the solar power industry could render our products uncompetitive or obsolete, which could reduce our market share and cause our revenue and net income to decline.
The solar power industry is characterized by evolving technologies and standards. These technological evolutions and developments place increasing demands on the improvement of our products, such as solar cells with higher conversion efficiency and larger and thinner silicon wafers and solar cells. Other companies may develop production technologies that enable them to produce silicon wafers, solar cells and solar modules with higher conversion efficiencies at a lower cost than our products. Some of our competitors are developing alternative and competing solar technologies that may require significantly less silicon than crystalline silicon wafers and solar cells, or no silicon at all. Technologies developed or adopted by others may prove more advantageous than ours for commercialization of solar power products and may render our products obsolete. As a result, we may need to invest significant resources in research and development to maintain our market position, keep pace with technological advances in the solar power industry, and effectively compete in the future. Our failure to further refine and enhance our products and processes or to keep pace with evolving technologies and industry standards could cause our products to become uncompetitive or obsolete, which could materially adversely reduce our market share and affect our results of operations.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.