EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
EXHIBIT 10.1
EQUITY TRANSFER
AGREEMENT
among
LU BENZHAO (Seller A)
and
LU TINGLAN (Seller B)
and
MAANSHAN GLOBAL MINING RESOURCES LIMITED
(Purchaser)
August 11
, 2008
Nanjing, the People's
Republic of China
EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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ARTICLE
1.
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DEFINITIONS
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2
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ARTICLE
2.
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EQUITY
TRANSFER
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3
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ARTICLE
3.
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CONDITIONS
PRECEDENT
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5
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ARTICLE 4
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AGREEMENTS
PRIOR TO CLOSING
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6
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ARTICLE
5.
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NON
COMPETITION
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7
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ARTICLE
6.
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CLOSING
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8
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ARTICLE
7.
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SETTLEMENT AND COMPENSATION OF THE EMPLOYEES OF
THE TARGET COMPANY
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10
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ARTICLE
8.
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DISPOSAL OF
DEBTS PRIOR TO THE EQUITY TRANSFER
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11
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ARTICLE
9
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NON
COMPETITION
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11
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ARTICLE
10
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BREACH OF
RESPONSIBILITY
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12
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ARTICLE
11
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CONTRACT
EFFECTIVENESS AND NULLIFICATION
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13
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ARTICLE
12
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APPLICABLE LAW
AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
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14
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ARTICLE 13
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MISCELLANEOUS
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15
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Schedule 1:
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List of
Selected Employees
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Schedule 3:
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Representations
and Warranties
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EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
THIS
AGREEMENT (“
Agreement ”) is executed on August 11, 2008
in Nanjing, the People’s Republic of China (“
China ” or
“ PRC ”) by
and between:
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(1)
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Maanshan Global Mining Resources
Ltd. , a limited
liability company duly incorporated and validly existing pursuant
to the laws of the PRC, having its legal address at No. 6, South
Hongqi Road, Maanshan Economic and Technology Development Zone
(hereafter referred to as the " Purchaser
");
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(2)
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Mr. LU
Benzhao , a PRC
citizen, residing now at No. 204, Block 17, Liyuan Village, Huashan
District, Maanshan Municipality, Anhui Province and his ID number
is 340505195112240018 (hereinafter referred to as the "
Seller A "); and
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(3)
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Ms. LU
Tinglan , a PRC
citizen, residing now at No. 204, Block 17, Liyuan Village, Huashan
District, Maanshan Municipality, Anhui Province, and her ID number
is 340521196711112848 (hereinafter referred to as "
Seller B ").
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For the purpose
of this Agreement, Seller A and Seller B are collectively referred
to as the " Sellers "; the Purchaser and the
Sellers are referred to individually as a “
Party ” and collectively as the “
Parties ”.
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(A)
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Nanjing Sudan
Mining Co., Ltd. is a limited liability company duly established
and legally existing under the PRC law, and its main business is
mining, processing and sale of iron ore (hereinafter referred to as
" Target Company ").
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(B)
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Sellers are the
legitimate owners and beneficiaries of the 100 percent equity of
the Target Company, among which Seller A holds 98% equity, and
Seller B holds 2% equity of the Target Company.
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(C)
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The Purchaser
is interested to purchase from the Sellers and the Sellers are
interested to sell to the Purchaser One Hundred percent (100%)
equity interest in the Target Company. The Parties have entered
into a Equity and Assets Transfer Heads of Agreement for the
aforementioned, and the Purchaser has paid to Seller A the deposit
as set forth in such heads of agreement (" Deposit
").
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(D)
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In order to
effect this transaction, the Parties have decided to enter into
this Agreement which shall be submitted to the relevant Chinese
authorities for approval and registration in accordance with PRC
laws.
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NOW,
THEREFORE, after
friendly consultations conducted in accordance with the principles
of equality and mutual benefit, the Parties hereby enter into this
Agreement:
EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
ARTICLE 1.
DEFINITIONS
For the
purposes hereof, the terms with a capitalized initial letter (which
are in bold in the Chinese version) shall have the meaning set
forth below:
"
Affiliate " shall mean any corporation,
partnership, company (whether with limited or full liability),
joint venture, trust, association or other entity (i) which is
directly or indirectly controlled by the Sellers or (ii) which
directly or indirectly controls, or is controlled by, or is under
common control with, the Purchaser. For the purpose hereof, the
term "control" shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly,
of the power to direct or cause the decisions relating to any
corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture,
trust, association or other entity, whether by the ownership of
voting securities or otherwise. With respect to the Sellers,
"Affiliate" shall also mean their spouse, child, parent, sibling or
person sharing their household.
"
Business " shall mean the business engaged in by
the Target Company and consisting mainly to mine, process and sale
iron ore.
"
New Business License "
shall mean the business license issued subsequent to Target
Company's transformation into the subsidiary of the
Purchaser.
"
Equity Transfer " shall mean the transfer of all
the equity in Target Company by the Sellers to the Purchaser as per
this Agreement.
"
Encumbrance " shall mean any charge, claim, lien,
option, pledge, mortgage, security interest, right of first
refusal, or restriction of any kind, including any restriction on
use, voting, transfer, receipt of income, or exercise of any other
attribute of ownership.
"
Selected Employees " shall mean the employees
previously employed by Target Company, which is listed in Schedule
1 as annexed to this Agreement. The names, titles, ages, fixed
salaries, bonuses and other economical and non-economical rewards
are listed therein.
"
Governmental Authority " means, with respect to
any country, the government of the state, city, locality or other
political subdivision thereof, any agency, authority, regulatory
body, or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial,
regulatory or administrative functions.
"
Intellectual Property Rights " shall mean (i) all
patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights for
which registrations have been issued or applied for in any country
or other jurisdiction and that are used by the Target Company in
connection to the Business and (ii) all agreements,
commitments, contracts, understandings, licenses, assignments or
other Applicable Contract relating or pertaining to any right
described in the preceding clause.
" Legal
Requirements " shall mean, with respect to any country,
the constitution, laws, ordinances, regulations, statutes,
treaties, conventions or administrative orders of any Governmental
Authority of that country, as in effect on or prior to the Closing
Date.
EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
" Ordinary Course " shall mean
any action taken or decision made in relation to the Business which
satisfies the following conditions:
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(i)
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is consistent
in nature, scope and magnitude with the past practices of the
Business;
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(ii)
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is taken in the
ordinary course of the normal, day-to-day operations of the
Business; and
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(iii)
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does not
require any authorization by the board of directors or the general
shareholders’ assembly (or by any person or group of persons
exercising similar authority) and does not require any other
separate or special authorization of any nature.
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"
Registration Authority " shall mean the State
Administration for Industry and Commerce in China and/or any local
administrative authorities duly authorized by the State
Administration for Industry and Commerce.
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Associated Equity Transfer " shall mean the
transfer to the Purchaser of (i) the 100% equity held by the
Sellers in Maanshan Xiaonanshan Mining Co., Ltd. ("
Xiaonanshan ") and (ii) the 100% equity held by
the Sellers in Maanshan Zhaoyuan Mining Co., Ltd. ("
Zhaoyuan ").
"
Assets " shall mean all equipment, tools, molds,
machinery, vehicles, installations, furniture, intellectual
property, inventory (including components of machineries), cash,
account receivables and other Assets, including land use rights and
real properties, plants, office buildings, etc. (if any), that are
owned by the Target Company in connection with the Business. A list
of the Assets is attached hereto in Schedule 2.
ARTICLE 2. EQUITY
TRANSFER
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Equity
Transfer from the Sellers to the Purchaser
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2.1.1
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Subject to the
terms and conditions provided in this Agreement, , the Sellers
shall sell to the Purchaser One Hundred percent (100%) Equity in
the registered capital of the Target Company, among which Seller A
shall sell to the Purchaser 98% equity, and Seller B shall sell to
the Purchaser 2% equity; the Purchaser buys from the Sellers all
the Equity.
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2.1.2
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Upon completion
of the Equity Transfer, the Target Company shall be converted into
a foreign owned subsidiary wholly held by the Purchaser ("
Global Mining Subsidiary ").
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2.1.3
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The Equity
transferred by the Sellers to the Purchaser does not bear any
encumbrances, and is not pertained by any other liabilities or
third party rights.
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EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
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2.1.4
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The Sellers
fully understand that the Purchaser's execution of this Agreement
is based upon all the statements, representations and warranties
contained under this Agreement.
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2.2
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Purchase Price and Payment of Purchase
Price
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2.2.1
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The
consideration for the Equity Transfer shall be in based upon the
appraisal on the value of the Equity issued by a asset appraisal
firm, and shall be RMB 160 million in cash or the equivalent USD in
cash (" Purchase Price "). The exchange rate
between USD and RMB shall be the middle rate issued by the People's
Bank of China on the date of Aug 11, 2008.
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The value of
the Assets up to the Closing Date shall be affirmed based upon the
mid term financial statement issued by accounting firm. Such value
shall the basic value for the closing.
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The Purchaser
shall pay to the Sellers as set forth in 2.2.5 the first instalment
of the Purchase Price (“ First Instalment”) in the
amount of RMB 90.8 million in cash or the equivalent USD in cash
within 20 working days after the conditions precedent provided in
Clause 3.2 of this Agreement are fully satisfied. The exchange rate
between USD and RMB shall be the middle rate issued by the People's
Bank of China on the date of Aug 11, 2008.
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The Purchaser
shall pay to the sellers as set forth in 2.2.5 the second
instalment of the Purchase Price (“Second Instalment”)
in the amount of RMB 69.2 million in cash or the equivalent USD in
cash 15 days before the closing date. The exchange rate between USD
and RMB shall be the middle rate issued by the People's Bank of
China on the date of Aug 11, 2008. The Sellers shall, before Dec
5th, 2008, inform the Purchaser in good faith the estimated closing
date and provide evidence to prove that the closing can take place
on that date.
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The above
payment shall be remitted by telegraphic transfer into the bank
account (" Escrow Account ") inside the PRC
designated by Escrow Agent (" Escrow Agent "), who
is both approved by the Purchaser and the Sellers.
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The Sellers are
obligated to improve the Target Company's plant, equipment,
including but not limited to the road construction, construction of
the second production plant and property, expansion of the dam
capacity, improvement to equipment, investment to the vehicles, for
the purpose of improving the production. The cost and expenses, in
a total amount of RMB 120 million, expended for the above purpose,
and shall be reimbursed by the Purchaser to the Sellers
(“reimbursement”), and such reimbursement has been
already included in the Purchase Price in Article 2.2.1. However,
the Sellers are going to provide a detailed budget to the Purchase
before Sep 10 th , 2008, which shall including but not
limited to the expenses for road construction, the second
production plan, the increase of the dam capacity, and the increase
of any trucks or equipment. The budget shall be subject to the
approval of the Purchaser.
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EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
ARTICLE 3. CONDITIONS
PRECEDENT
The Equity
Transfer shall be subject to prior satisfaction of the following
conditions precedent:
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3.1
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Conditions precedent in relation to Equity
Transfer:
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(a)
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All regulatory
approvals deemed necessary by the Purchaser to complete the Equity
Transfer and the Associated Equity Transfers shall have been
validly and unconditionally obtained; and
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(b)
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the
registration authority has issued the New Business License to the
Global Mining Subsidiary, Zhaoyuan and Xiaonanshan, with a company
term of 30 years.
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Conditions precedent for the Purchaser's
performance of the duties under this Agreement:
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the
representations and warranties listed in Clause 5 and Schedule 3 of
this Agreement are true, precise and complete.
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the Target
Company has passed each annual inspection for the year of
2007;
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the
shareholders' meeting of the Sellers have reached the resolution in
approving the Equity Transfer.
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the executive
director of the Target Company has approved the Equity
Transfer.
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the Target
Company has paid off all the taxes and other Pre-Equity Transfer
Liabilities as from it's start of Businesses operation.
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the Sellers and
the Purchaser have entered into an escrow agreement with the Escrow
Agent that is in full compliance with the relevant provisions of
this Agreement.
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(g)
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the Sellers has
provided all supply agreements entered into the Target Company and
iron ore concentrate buyers, to prove that the Target Company has
had good relationships with all business customers.
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the Sellers
have obtained and validly maintained all the valid originals
necessary to prove the legal use or ownership for the use of the
land, the plants and constructions in the name of the Target
Company, including but not limited to:
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EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
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(i)
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land use right
certificate;
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(ii)
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premises
ownership certificate;
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construction
use land planning permit;
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(iv)
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construction
project planning permit; and
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(v)
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lease
agreements entered into with competent leaser.
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the relevant
Government Authority has completed the foreign debt registration
for the Purchaser at its application.
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a list of
assets as Schedule 2 of the Target Company approved by the
Purchaser and the Sellers.
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The Purchaser
may decide in its own discretion to waive any of the conditions
under Clause 3.2.
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Conditions precedent for the Sellers'
performance of the duties under this Agreement:
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China Global
Mining Resources Ltd., as the parent company of the Purchaser ("
Global Mining ") has signed a Consultancy Service
Agreement with Seller A.
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Global Mining
Subsidiary has signed an employment contract with Seller
A.
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ARTICLE 4 . AGREEMENTS PRIOR
TO CLOSING
During the date
of execution of this Agreement and the date of completion of
Closing, the Sellers shall assure that all the assets of the Target
Company including (without limitation) Assets are ready for the
Purchaser or the Purchaser's representative to check according to
the Schedule 2. The difference between the actual total value of
such Assets and the records on the Target Company's books shall not
exceed 0.1 %, otherwise the Purchase Price shall be deducted
accordingly.
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4.2.1
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The Parties
agree to perform the following duties:
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During the
period extending from the date of this Agreement until the Closing
Date, the Sellers shall cause the Target Company to conduct its
Business only in the Ordinary Course;
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(b)
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The Sellers
shall improve the grade of the iron ore concentrate produced by the
Target Company to 62% ± 1% as part of the normal production
standard.
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EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
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The Sellers
shall, and shall cause the directors/executive director of the
Target Company appointed by them, to take all actions as may be
necessary or desirable in order to effect and/or facilitate the
Equity Transfer; and
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The Parties
shall take all actions, execute all documents and more generally do
everything necessary or desirable in order to obtain the Business
License from the relevant Governmental Authorities as soon as
possible.
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During the
execution of this Agreement and the completion of Closing, without
the consent by the Purchaser, the Sellers shall not:
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dispose any
assets the Target Company, unless during the ordinary course of
business operation;
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set any
mortgage, pledge, lien or any other third party rights on the
assets of the Target Company; or
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make any
payment to any individual (including employee), company, enterprise
or organization that is not compliant with the normal business
operation
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undertake any
conduct that is not compliant with the normal business operation in
any means, no matter in terms of the nature, scope or means of
operation etc. in respect of the Business .
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ARTICLE 5. NON
COMPETITION
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5.1
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Each of
the Parties represents and warrants the
following:
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5.1.1
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Each Party
represents and warrants to the other Party the
following:
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such Party has
or has already had all necessary power, approval or authorisation,
and has completed all necessary legal procedures, to execute this
Agreement and completely perform each of the duties under this
Agreement;
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the
representative of such Party to execute this Agreement has the
authorization to execute this Agreement;
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upon approval
and registration by the registration authority, the provisions in
this Agreement shall be legally, effectively and bindingly
constitute duties for such Party;
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such Party's
exercise of rights and performance of duties under this Agreement
will not violate any governing law and any other agreement entered
into by such Party;
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each of such
Party's representations and warranties in the schedule to this
Agreement is true and precise;
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EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
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such Party
shall indemnify and compensate the other Party if its violation of
any of the representations, warranties and undertakings under this
Agreement cause any losses, damages or incur any expenses or costs
for the other Party.
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5.2
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The
Purchaser and the Sellers undertake to each other the
following:
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The Purchaser
undertakes to the Sellers, it will assure before or at the time
this Agreement is executed to cause Global Mining to enter into a
Consultancy Service Agreement with Seller A, and clearly setting
forth that Global Mining shall directly pay to Seller A service fee
in accordance with the Consultancy Service Agreement. The main
clauses of the Consultancy Service Agreement shall include the
following:
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the Sellers
shall provide consultancy services to the Purchaser;
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the term of the
Consultancy Service Agreement shall be two (2) years full time
service as from the completion of the transaction; and
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the Sellers
shall in his own capacity obtain any necessary approval for
executing and performing the Consultancy Service Agreement, and
shall bear by himself the taxes incurred inside and outside the PRC
by the payment of services fees.
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Seller A and
Seller B undertakes to the Purchaser, it shall assure, before the
completion of Closing of the Equity Transfer:
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to obtain
approval on the Equity Transfer from the relevant government
authority and the relevant registration change by the registration
authority.
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the Target
Company has passed annual inspection of each of its aspects for the
year 2007.
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the Associated
Equity Transfer is approved by the relevant government authority
and registration change by the registration authority.
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each of the
representations and warranties made to the Purchaser in Schedule 3
is true, complete and precise.
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ARTICLE 6.
CLOSING
The closing of
the Equity Transfer (" Closing ") shall be
completed within 15 days after the issuance of the new Business
License and shall be subject to the satisfaction of all the
conditions precedent set out in Article 3 hereof, but shall not be
later than Dec 20, 2008 (" Closing Date "),
otherwise shall be agreed by the Purchaser. The Closing shall take
place at DLA Piper UK LLP Shanghai office for Closing .
EXECUTION
COPY(Sudan)
On the Closing
Date, Seller shall deliver and shall procure delivery to Purchaser
all documents evidencing the satisfaction of all the conditions
precedent set out in Article 3 hereof, including without
limitation:
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the New
Business License issued to the Global Mining Subsidiary by the
registration authority after the Equity Transfer;
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the original of
the Business License of the Target Company that has undergone the
2007 annual examination and the following latest and valid
originals:
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(i)
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the
organization code certificate;
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(ii)
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tax
registration certificates (for national and local
taxes);
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(iii)
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finance
registration certificate;
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(iv)
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2007 annual
examination report;
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the common tax
receipts for the tax as from its inception paid off by the Target
Company.
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the following
latest valid originals necessary for the plants and constructions
in the name of the Target Company:
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construction
use land planning permit;
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(iv)
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construction
project planning permit; and
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evidences that
the Associated Equity Transfers have been approved and registered
by relevant Government Authorities;
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document and/or
registration evidencing that the Target Company is qualified to
issue VAT invoice;
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(f)
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resolution of
Seller's shareholders meeting approving the Equity
Transfer;
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the Target
Company's resolution signed by the executive director approving the
Equity Transfer;
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a duly executed
statement reiterating the truthfulness, completeness and accuracy
of the Sellers' representations and warranties at the Closing
Date.
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assets as
listed in Schedule 2, time is of the essence.
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EXECUTION
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Subject to
Clause 6.2, the Purchaser orders on the Closing Date the escrow
agent bank to release all the Purchase Price in the Escrow Account
to the Sellers, and thereafter the Escrow Account shall be
cancelled.
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Delay
and Termination of the Closing
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In case the
conditions precedent set out in Article 3 hereof have not been
fully fulfilled as of the Closing Date, unless the failure is
caused by the breach of Purchaser, Purchaser shall be entitled
to:
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(a)
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use reasonable
effect, after discussion and agreement with Seller, to cause the
Closing to take place as soon as possible; or in case no agreement
reached,
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terminate the
Closing and ordering the Escrow Agent to return all the Purchase
Price to the Purchaser.
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6.4.2
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Prior to
completion of the Closing, if:
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Purchaser
becomes aware of any material breach by Seller of the
representations, warranties or undertakings hereunder;
or
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Seller has
seriously breached its obligations hereunder and failed to remedy
the same to the satisfaction of Purchaser if the breach is
remediable; or
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any event
occurs, which if would have occurred prior to the execution of this
Agreement should have constituted material breach of the
representations or warranties made by Seller hereunder;
or
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any event
occurs that causes materially adverse impact on the business Seller
is engaging in or such event might occur after the
Closing,
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Then, without
prejudice to any other rights of Purchaser, Purchaser may choose to
terminate this Agreement after inform Seller in writing to such
effect without being liable to Seller therefor.
ARTICLE 7. SETTLEMENT AND
COMPENSATION OF THE EMPLOYEES OF THE TARGET
COMPANY
The social
securities and termination, compensation and settlement in respect
of the current employment of the employees (including the Selected
Employees) of the Target Company arising from this Agreement shall
be solved by Seller at its own costs. Seller agrees to draft a
settlement plan for its employees (including the Selected
Employees) and submit it to relevant authority as part of the
Equity Transfer application documents.
EXECUTION
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Nullification of the Existing Employment
Contracts
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After the
execution of this Agreement and before the registration authority
has issued a new Business License to the subsidiary of Global
Mining, Seller shall cause the Target Company to terminate all
existing employment contracts with all its employees and make
reasonable compensation to the employees in accordance with
relevant Chinese employment laws and regulations. Seller shall make
its best effort to assist the subsidiary of Global Mining to
conclude new employment contracts with the Selected
Employees.
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Execution of New Employment
Contracts
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Within 5
working days after the issuance of the new Business License,
Purchaser shall cause the Subsidiary of Global Mining to enter into
employment contract with the Selected Employees and the salary,
wage, bonus, subsidy, social securities, benefits and holidays and
leaves of the Selected Employees under the new employment contracts
shall not be lower than that in the employment contract prior to
the termination.
ARTICLE 8. DISPOSAL OF DEBTS
AND LIABILITES PRIOR TO THE EQUITY
TRANSFER
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Debts
and Liabilities prior to the Equity Transfer
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Seller agrees
to bear and pay off before Closing any and all liabilities, debts,
owings, penalties, claims, actions, disputes and other claims
arising from or in connection with the Business, land using,
demolition, plant construction, environmental protection, taxes,
mining permit, safe working, employment, salary and benefits,
social security funds, and contracts in relation to the operation
of the Target Company, regardless of whether it has occurred or is
occurring or will occur ("Debts prior to
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