Business Rights For Having Due Diligence In China
An institutional view of China's venture capital business: Detailing the differences between China and the West, Garry D Bruton and David Ahlstrom- Journal of Business Venturing 18(2), March 2003, 233. Once a firm has surpassed its first testing, venture capitalists in the West move forward with due diligence, usually along with proof of the nature and position of the firm's product, production capacity, market need, and level of key associations with other agencies (Fried and Hisrich, 1994). When venture capitalists first went into China, due diligence for funded projects in China was limited in range; in part, as the support activities upon which Western venture capitalists rely to conduct such activities were not present [Bruton et al., 1999] and [Mann, 1997].
While venture capitalists are escalating efforts to conduct Western-type due diligence, the supply and accuracy of information is still troublesome. Regulations in China don't require exactly the same level of public information be supplied to the government and other regulatory bodies as happens in the West. Several cognitive institutions motivate the tight regulation of information and knowledge in China [Boisot and Child, 1988] and [Boisot and Child, 1996] . Under the central planning system, bureaucrats and business people regulation information is crucial to understanding the market and local regulatory environment strongly, allotting it cautiously to be able to receive favors and other appreciated items [Boisot and Child, 1988] and [Boisot and Child, 1996] . As one venture capitalist described: It is common to take three to six months more on due diligence [in China], compared with comparable deals in the West. Specifically you need to know what sort of connections the entrepreneur has, both with the government and other businesses. These may characterize important assets for the firm. As a result venture capitalists must expect to make greater efforts in China compared to the West in order to locate and aggregate a better range of information in executing due diligence.
Major areas to consider in due diligence: legal research of the bureaucratic steps necessary to rent selected land, building certificates, total operational costs of the rent, ecological regulations, license life span checking, pre-entry tax advisory, taxes of owners, stamp duty tax, tax incentives, special incentives, import/export duties exemptions (if any), tariff rebate system for your products and solutions, regulations for foreign investors in specific trade. Typically, the procedure will continue as follows (we define a detailed due diligence procedure, other less demanding transactions will warrant lesser investigations/steps where appropriate): a. A Memorandum of Understanding or Letter of Intent setting out the main heads of agreement that will be signed among Chinese party and foreign party, often accompanied by a formal appendix with certain agreements pertaining to the due diligence activity including an exclusivity agreement and confidentiality agreement; b. Party assists the counter-party with a due diligence document request list, setting out various documents/certificates which are required from company; c. Report on the returned documents, and analysis of issues.
Request of further documentation depending on the findings. d. Independent verification with the following sources: i) Execute interviews with management; ii) Review registrations with local Administration of Industry and Commerce, along with other applicable government filings; iii) Site survey; iv) Geographical audit. This would be especially relevant for the sale which you are performing, with the factory?s potential geographical impacts; v) Verification with banks; and vi) Employment of investigative/valuation agencies, where necessary. B. Information evaluated: Like other jurisdictions, there are specific aspects of the organization which must be assessed. We laid out the aspects of particular importance below: 1) Corporate organization: a. Corporate structure; and b. Corporate approvals by relevant government agencies. Note: Corporate structures are extremely dissimilar to that of other countries, for that reason, it is important to know the fundamentals of Chinese corporate law as a way to understand the significance of findings. 2. 2) Land: a. Land use rights; b. Building ownership rights; and c. Geographical compliance. Note: Chinese land ?ownership? is very unique in that it provides for a system of long-term leases of the land itself, and full ownership rights to the land. Documents must be reviewed thoroughly, specifically, if the land and/or property is of significant value in terms of the transaction. 3) Debts: Loans, guarantees and mortgage contracts.
Note: China does not yet have a robust central credit rating system for companies. Therefore, any reports presented must be tested against independent sources in order to confirm exactly the same, as the first report may simply lack information regarding the business, causing a positive report when, the truth is, there are a variety of outstanding liabilities. 4) IP rights: Make certain that IP registrations are properly executed, company is free from violation of others' IP rights, licensing agreements are properly concluded, etc. 5) Material contracts: Particularly, if you are merging or acquiring the business as a going issue, the organization must be very careful to ensure that they fully understand commitments and look into any outstanding commitments and/or liabilities thereunder. 6) Tax filings and payment: Be certain that taxes have been appropriately filed and necessary obligations have been achieved. (This will have to be done in coordination with an accounting firm.) 7) Regulatory/legal compliance: 8) Special permits and other approvals: This category is often in accordance with the business extent of the target or counter-party to the transaction. 9) Employee matters: A robust workforce is specifically significant in China, given the concentration of foreign investment in labor-intensive sectors and vast population for the service business. 10) Pending litigation/claims: This investigation, as litigation is often difficult to predict, is associated with robust warranty clauses assuring the counter-party that there are no outstanding or expected litigations or claims; and 11) Insurance policy.
While venture capitalists are escalating efforts to conduct Western-type due diligence, the supply and accuracy of information is still troublesome. Regulations in China don't require exactly the same level of public information be supplied to the government and other regulatory bodies as happens in the West. Several cognitive institutions motivate the tight regulation of information and knowledge in China [Boisot and Child, 1988] and [Boisot and Child, 1996] . Under the central planning system, bureaucrats and business people regulation information is crucial to understanding the market and local regulatory environment strongly, allotting it cautiously to be able to receive favors and other appreciated items [Boisot and Child, 1988] and [Boisot and Child, 1996] . As one venture capitalist described: It is common to take three to six months more on due diligence [in China], compared with comparable deals in the West. Specifically you need to know what sort of connections the entrepreneur has, both with the government and other businesses. These may characterize important assets for the firm. As a result venture capitalists must expect to make greater efforts in China compared to the West in order to locate and aggregate a better range of information in executing due diligence.
Major areas to consider in due diligence: legal research of the bureaucratic steps necessary to rent selected land, building certificates, total operational costs of the rent, ecological regulations, license life span checking, pre-entry tax advisory, taxes of owners, stamp duty tax, tax incentives, special incentives, import/export duties exemptions (if any), tariff rebate system for your products and solutions, regulations for foreign investors in specific trade. Typically, the procedure will continue as follows (we define a detailed due diligence procedure, other less demanding transactions will warrant lesser investigations/steps where appropriate): a. A Memorandum of Understanding or Letter of Intent setting out the main heads of agreement that will be signed among Chinese party and foreign party, often accompanied by a formal appendix with certain agreements pertaining to the due diligence activity including an exclusivity agreement and confidentiality agreement; b. Party assists the counter-party with a due diligence document request list, setting out various documents/certificates which are required from company; c. Report on the returned documents, and analysis of issues.
Request of further documentation depending on the findings. d. Independent verification with the following sources: i) Execute interviews with management; ii) Review registrations with local Administration of Industry and Commerce, along with other applicable government filings; iii) Site survey; iv) Geographical audit. This would be especially relevant for the sale which you are performing, with the factory?s potential geographical impacts; v) Verification with banks; and vi) Employment of investigative/valuation agencies, where necessary. B. Information evaluated: Like other jurisdictions, there are specific aspects of the organization which must be assessed. We laid out the aspects of particular importance below: 1) Corporate organization: a. Corporate structure; and b. Corporate approvals by relevant government agencies. Note: Corporate structures are extremely dissimilar to that of other countries, for that reason, it is important to know the fundamentals of Chinese corporate law as a way to understand the significance of findings. 2. 2) Land: a. Land use rights; b. Building ownership rights; and c. Geographical compliance. Note: Chinese land ?ownership? is very unique in that it provides for a system of long-term leases of the land itself, and full ownership rights to the land. Documents must be reviewed thoroughly, specifically, if the land and/or property is of significant value in terms of the transaction. 3) Debts: Loans, guarantees and mortgage contracts.
Note: China does not yet have a robust central credit rating system for companies. Therefore, any reports presented must be tested against independent sources in order to confirm exactly the same, as the first report may simply lack information regarding the business, causing a positive report when, the truth is, there are a variety of outstanding liabilities. 4) IP rights: Make certain that IP registrations are properly executed, company is free from violation of others' IP rights, licensing agreements are properly concluded, etc. 5) Material contracts: Particularly, if you are merging or acquiring the business as a going issue, the organization must be very careful to ensure that they fully understand commitments and look into any outstanding commitments and/or liabilities thereunder. 6) Tax filings and payment: Be certain that taxes have been appropriately filed and necessary obligations have been achieved. (This will have to be done in coordination with an accounting firm.) 7) Regulatory/legal compliance: 8) Special permits and other approvals: This category is often in accordance with the business extent of the target or counter-party to the transaction. 9) Employee matters: A robust workforce is specifically significant in China, given the concentration of foreign investment in labor-intensive sectors and vast population for the service business. 10) Pending litigation/claims: This investigation, as litigation is often difficult to predict, is associated with robust warranty clauses assuring the counter-party that there are no outstanding or expected litigations or claims; and 11) Insurance policy.
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