Restricted Net Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Restricted net assets

Restricted Net Assets

Restricted Net Assets

The Company’s ability to pay dividends may depend on the Company receiving distributions of funds from its Chinese subsidiaries. Relevant Chinese laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries only out of its retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. The results of operations reflected in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP differ from those reflected in the statutory financial statements of the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries.

In accordance with the Company Law of the People’s Republic of China, a domestic enterprise is required to provide statutory reserves of at least 10% of its annual after-tax profit until such reserve has reached 50% of its respective registered capital based on the enterprise’s Chinese statutory accounts. A domestic enterprise may provide discretionary surplus reserve, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, from the profits determined in accordance with the enterprise’s Chinese statutory accounts. The aforementioned reserves can only be used for specific purposes and are not distributable as cash dividends. The Company’s Chinese subsidiaries were established as domestic enterprises and therefore are subject to the above-mentioned restrictions on distributable profits.

No appropriation to statutory reserves was made during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 because the Chinese subsidiaries had substantial losses during such periods.

As a result of these Chinese laws and regulations, subject to the limits discussed above that require annual appropriations of 10% of after-tax profit to be set aside, prior to payment of dividends, as a general reserve fund, the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries are restricted in their ability to transfer out a portion of their net assets.

Foreign exchange and other regulation in mainland China may further restrict the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries from transferring out funds in the form of dividends, loans, and advances. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, amounts restricted are the paid-in capital of the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries, which amounted to $456.0 million and $406.0 million, respectively.