Exhibit 4.3

 

HISOFT TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

2011 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1.              Purpose of the Plan

 

The purpose of the Plan is to aid the Company and its Affiliates in recruiting and retaining key employees, directors or consultants of outstanding ability and to motivate such employees, directors or consultants to exert their best efforts on behalf of the Company and its Affiliates by providing incentives through the granting of Awards.  The Company expects that it will benefit from the added interest which such key employees, directors or consultants will have in the welfare of the Company as a result of their proprietary interest in the Company’s success.

 

2.              Definitions

 

The following capitalized terms used in the Plan have the respective meanings set forth in this Section:

 

1)                                     Act:  The U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor thereto.

 

2)                                     Affiliate:  With respect to the Company, any entity directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with, the Company or any other entity designated by the Board in which the Company or an Affiliate has an interest.

 

3)                                     Applicable Laws: All laws, statutes, regulations, ordinances, rules or governmental requirements that are applicable to this Plan or any Award granted pursuant to this Plan, including but not limited to applicable laws of the People’s Republic of China, the United States and the Cayman Islands,  and the rules and requirements of any applicable national securities exchange.

 

4)                                     Award:  An Option, Restricted Share or Other Stock-Based Award.

 

5)                                     Beneficial Owner:  A “beneficial owner”, as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act (or any successor rule thereto).

 

6)                                     Board:  The board of directors of the Company.

 

7)                                     Change in Control:  The occurrence of any of the following events:

 

(i) the sale or disposition, in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all, of the assets of the Company to any “person” or “group” (as such terms are defined in Sections 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Act) other than the Permitted Holders; or

 

(ii) any person or group, other than the Permitted Holders, is or becomes the Beneficial Owner (except that a person shall be deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of all shares that any such person has the right to acquire, whether such

 

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right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the total voting power of the voting stock of the Company (or any entity which controls the Company), including by way of merger, consolidation, tender or exchange offer or otherwise.

 

8)                                     Code:  The U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or any successor thereto.

 

9)                                     Committee:  The compensation committee of the Board.

 

10)                              Company:  HiSoft Technology International Limited, an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its successors.

 

11)                              Disability:  Inability of a Participant to perform in all material respects his duties and responsibilities to the Company, or any Subsidiary of the Company, by reason of a physical or mental disability or infirmity which inability is reasonably expected to be permanent and has continued (i) for a period of not less than 90 consecutive days or (ii) such shorter period as the Committee may reasonably determine in good faith.  The Disability determination shall be in the sole discretion of the Committee and a Participant (or his representative) shall furnish the Committee with medical evidence documenting the Participant’s disability or infirmity which is satisfactory to the Committee.

 

12)                              Effective Date:  The date the Board approves the Plan, or such later date as is designated by the Board.

 

13)                              Fair Market Value:  On a given date, (i) if there should be a public market for the Shares on such date, the arithmetic mean of the high and low prices of the Shares as reported on such date on the Composite Tape of the principal national securities exchange on which such Shares are listed or admitted to trading, or if the Shares are not listed or admitted on any national securities exchange, the arithmetic mean of the per Share closing bid price and per Share closing asked price on such date as traded on the NASDAQ, or, if no sale of Shares shall have been reported on the Composite Tape of any national securities exchange, including the NASDAQ on such date, then the immediately preceding date on which sales of the Shares have been so reported or quoted shall be used, or (ii) if there should not be a public market for the Shares on such date, the Fair Market Value shall be the value established by the Committee in good faith.

 

14)                              ISO:  An Option that is also an incentive stock option granted pursuant to Section 6(d) of the Plan.

 

15)                              Other Stock-Based Awards: Has the meaning given to it in Section 8 of the Plan.

 

16)                              Option:  A stock option granted pursuant to Section 6 of the Plan.

 

17)                              Option Price:  The purchase price per Share of an Option, as determined pursuant to Section 6(a) of the Plan.

 

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18)                              Participant:  An employee, director or consultant who is selected by the Committee to participate in the Plan.

 

19)                              Permitted Holder: means, as of the date of determination, (i) the Company or (ii) any employee benefit plan (or trust forming a part thereof) maintained by (A) the Company or (B) any corporation or other Person of which a majority of its voting power of its voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company.

 

20)                              Person:  A “person”, as such term is used for purposes of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Act (or any successor section thereto).

 

21)                              Plan:  This HiSoft Technology International Limited 2011 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

22)                              Restricted Share: A restricted share granted pursuant to Section 7 of the Plan.

 

23)                              Services:  The term “Services” as used herein shall be deemed to refer to (i) a Participant’s employment if the Participant is an employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates, (ii) a Participant’s services as a consultant, if the Participant is consultant to the Company or its Affiliates and (iii) a Participant’s services as an non-employee director, if the Participant is a non-employee member of the Board.

 

24)                              Shares:  Common Shares in the share capital of the Company of par value US$0.0001 per share.

 

25)                              Subsidiary:  A corporation or other entity of which a majority of the outstanding voting shares or voting power is beneficially owned directly or indirectly by the Company.

 

3.              Shares Subject to the Plan

 

The total number of Shares which may be issued under this Plan is 18,000,000 Shares, with an annual increase to be added on January 1 of each calendar year during the term of this Plan, commencing with January 1, 2012, equal to the lesser of (i) 2.5% of the total number of Shares issued and outstanding on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year, or (ii) a lesser number of Shares determined by the Committee.  The Shares that may be awarded under this Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Shares or Shares purchased on the open market.  The issuance of Shares or the payment of cash upon the exercise of an Award or in consideration of the cancellation or termination of an Award shall reduce the total number of Shares available under the Plan, as applicable.  Shares which are subject to Awards which terminate or lapse without the payment of consideration may be granted again under the Plan.

 

In addition to the above maximum aggregate number of Shares may be issued under this Plan, the Committee may authorize, grant and issue Shares and Options pursuant to or in substitution for any options or other awards assumed in connection with any mergers or other acquisitions; provided that such grants comply with all applicable laws and the rules of any exchange on which the Company’s Shares are traded.

 

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4.              Administration

 

The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. The Committee may also delegate, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to one or more officers of the Company, its powers under this Plan (a) to designate officers and employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries who will receive grants of Awards under this Plan, and (b) to determine the amount of Awards and the other terms and conditions of, such Awards, in each case within the limits established by the Committee or any delegated subcommittee within its delegated authority. Awards may, in the discretion of the Committee, be made under the Plan in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by the Company or its Affiliates or a company acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines.  The number of Shares underlying such substitute awards shall be counted against the aggregate number of Shares available for Awards under the Plan.  The Committee is authorized to interpret the Plan, to establish, amend and rescind any rules and regulations relating to the Plan, and to make any other determinations that it deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan.  The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan in the manner and to the extent the Committee deems necessary or desirable.  Any decision of the Committee in the interpretation and administration of the Plan, as described herein, shall lie within its sole and absolute discretion and shall be final, conclusive and binding on all parties concerned (including, but not limited to, Participants and their beneficiaries or successors).  The Committee shall have the full power and authority to establish the terms and conditions of any Award consistent with the provisions of the Plan and to waive any such terms and conditions at any time (including, without limitation, accelerating or waiving any vesting conditions).  The Committee shall require payment of any amount it may determine to be necessary to withhold for any applicable taxes as a result of the exercise, grant or vesting of an Award.

 

The Committee may take all actions necessary to alter the method of Awards exercise and the exchange and transmittal of proceeds with respect to participants resident in the PRC not having permanent residence in a country other than the PRC in order to comply with applicable PRC laws and regulations, including without limitation PRC foreign exchange, securities and tax laws and regulations.

 

5.              Limitations

 

No Award may be granted under the Plan after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, but Awards theretofore granted may extend beyond that date.

 

6.              Terms and Conditions of Options

 

Options granted under the Plan shall be, as determined by the Committee, non-qualified or incentive stock options for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as evidenced by the related Award agreements, and shall be subject to the foregoing and the following terms and conditions and to such other terms and conditions, not inconsistent therewith, as the Committee shall determine:

 

1)                                     Option Price.  The Option Price per Share shall be determined by the Committee, but shall not be less than 100%  of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date an Option is granted.

 

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2)                                     Exercisability.  Options granted under the Plan shall be exercisable at such time and upon such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Committee, but in no event shall an Option be exercisable more than ten years after the date it is granted.

 

3)                                     Exercise of Options.  Except as otherwise provided in the Plan or in an Award agreement, an Option may be exercised for all, or from time to time any part, of the Shares for which it is then exercisable.  For purposes of this Section 6 of the Plan, the exercise date of an Option shall be the later of the date a notice of exercise is received by the Company and, if applicable, the date payment is received by the Company pursuant to clauses (i) (ii) (iii) or (iv) in the following sentence.  The purchase price for the Shares as to which an Option is exercised shall be paid to the Company in full at the time of exercise at the election of the Participant (i) in cash or its equivalent (e.g., by check) or (ii) to the extent permitted by the Committee, in Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the aggregate Option Price for the Shares being purchased and satisfying such other requirements as may be imposed by the Committee; provided, that such Shares have been held by the Participant for no less than six months (or such other period as established from time to time by the Committee in order to avoid adverse accounting treatment applying generally accepted accounting principles), (iii) partly in cash and, to the extent permitted by the Committee and subject to the other requirements and conditions set forth above in (ii), partly in Shares or (iv) if there is a public market for the Shares at such time, through the delivery of irrevocable instructions to a broker to sell Shares obtained upon the exercise of the Option and to deliver promptly to the Company an amount out of the proceeds of such sale equal to the aggregate Option Price for the Shares being purchased.  No Participant shall have any rights to dividends or other rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares subject to an Option until the Participant has given written notice of exercise of the Option, paid in full for such Shares and, if applicable, has satisfied any other conditions imposed by the Committee pursuant to the Plan.

 

4)                                     ISOs.  The Committee may grant Options under the Plan that are intended to be ISOs.  Such ISOs shall comply with the requirements of Section 422 of the Code (or any successor section thereto).  No ISO may be granted to any Participant who at the time of such grant, owns more than ten percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Subsidiary, unless (i) the Option Price for such ISO is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date the ISO is granted and (ii) the date on which such ISO terminates is a date not later than the day preceding the tenth anniversary of the date on which the ISO is granted.  Any Participant who disposes of Shares acquired upon the exercise of an ISO either (i) within two years after the date of grant of such ISO or (ii) within one year after the transfer of such Shares to the Participant, shall notify the Company of such disposition and of the amount realized upon such disposition.  All Options granted under the Plan are intended to be nonqualified stock options, unless the applicable Award agreement expressly states that the Option is intended to be an ISO.  If an Option is intended to be an ISO, and if for any reason such Option (or portion thereof) shall not qualify as an ISO, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option (or portion thereof) shall be regarded as a

 

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nonqualified stock option granted under the Plan; provided that such Option (or portion thereof) otherwise complies with the Plan’s requirements relating to nonqualified stock options.  In no event shall any member of the Committee, the Company or any of its Affiliates (or their respective employees, officers or directors) have any liability to any Participant (or any other Person) due to the failure of an Option to qualify for any reason as an ISO.

 

5)                                     Attestation.  Wherever in this Plan or any agreement evidencing an Award a Participant is permitted to pay the exercise price of an Option or taxes relating to the exercise of an Option by delivering Shares, the Participant may, subject to procedures satisfactory to the Committee, satisfy such delivery requirement by presenting proof of beneficial ownership of such Shares, in which case the Company shall treat the Option as exercised without further payment and shall withhold such number of Shares from the Shares acquired by the exercise of the Option.

 

7.              Terms and Conditions of Restricted Shares

 

1)                                     Grant of Restricted Shares. The Committee is authorized to make Awards of Restricted Shares to any Participant selected by the Committee in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee. All Awards of Restricted Shares shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement.

 

2)                                     Issuance and Restrictions. Restricted Shares shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, limitations on the right to vote Restricted Shares or the right to receive dividends on the Restricted Share). These restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, pursuant to such circumstances, in such installments, or otherwise, as the Committee determines at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter.

 

3)                                     Certificates for Restricted Shares. Restricted Shares granted pursuant to this Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing Restricted Shares are registered in the name of the Participant, certificates must bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Shares, and the Company may, at its discretion, retain physical possession of the certificate until such time as all applicable restrictions lapse.

 

8.              Other Stock-Based Awards

 

The Committee, in its sole discretion, may grant or sell any other type of stock-based Awards that are valued in whole or in part by reference to, or are otherwise based on the Fair Market Value of, Shares (“Other Stock-Based Awards”).  Such Other Stock-Based Awards shall be in such form, and dependent on such conditions, as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, the right to receive, or vest with respect to, one or more

 

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Shares (or the equivalent cash value of such Shares) upon the completion of a specified period of service, the occurrence of an event and/or the attainment of performance objectives.  Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted alone or in addition to any other Awards granted under the Plan.  Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine to whom and when Other Stock-Based Awards will be made, the number of Shares to be awarded under (or otherwise related to) such Other Stock-Based Awards, whether such Other Stock-Based Awards shall be settled in cash, Shares or a combination of cash and Shares; and all other terms and conditions of such Awards (including, without limitation, the vesting provisions thereof and provisions ensuring that all Shares so awarded and issued shall be fully paid and non-assessable).

 

9.              Adjustments Upon Certain Events

 

Notwithstanding any other provisions in the Plan to the contrary, the following provisions shall apply to all Awards granted under the Plan:

 

1)                                     Generally.  In the event of any change in the outstanding Shares after the Effective Date by reason of any Share dividend or split, reorganization, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, combination or transaction or exchange of Shares or other corporate exchange, or any distribution to shareholders of Shares other than regular cash dividends or any transaction similar to the foregoing, the Committee in its sole discretion and without liability to any person shall make such substitution or adjustment, if any, as it deems to be equitable, as to (i) the number or kind of Shares or other securities issued or reserved for issuance pursuant to the Plan or pursuant to outstanding Awards, (ii) the maximum number of Shares for which Options may be granted during a calendar year to any Participant, (iii) the maximum number of Shares for which Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted during a calendar year to any Participant, (iv) the maximum amount of an Award that is valued in whole or in part by reference to, or is otherwise based on the Fair Market Value of, Shares that may be granted during a calendar year to any Participant, (v) the Option Price and/or (vi) any other affected terms of such Awards.

 

2)                                     Change in Control. In the event of a Change of Control after the Effective Date, (i) if determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement or otherwise, any outstanding Awards then held by Participants which are unexercisable or otherwise unvested or subject to lapse restrictions shall automatically be deemed exercisable or otherwise vested or no longer subject to lapse restrictions, as the case may be, as of immediately prior to such Change of Control and (ii) the Committee may, but shall not be obligated to, (A) cancel such Awards for fair value (as determined in the sole discretion of the Committee) which, in the case of Options, may equal the excess, if any, of value of the consideration to be paid in the Change of Control transaction to holders of the same number of Shares subject to such Options (or, if no consideration is paid in any such transaction, the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to such Options) over the aggregate exercise price of such Options, (B) provide for the issuance of substitute Awards that will substantially preserve the otherwise

 

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applicable terms of any affected Awards previously granted hereunder as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion or (C) provide that for a period of at least 15 days prior to the Change of Control, such Options shall be exercisable as to all Shares subject thereto and that upon the occurrence of the Change of Control, such Options shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.

 

10.       No Right to Employment or Continuation of Services

 

The granting of an Award under the Plan shall impose no obligation on the Company or any Subsidiary to continue the Services of a Participant and shall not lessen or affect the Company’s or Subsidiary’s right to terminate the Services of such Participant.  No Participant or other Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award, and there is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Participants, or holders or beneficiaries of Awards.  The terms and conditions of Awards and the Committee’s determinations and interpretations with respect thereto need not be the same with respect to each Participant (whether or not such Participants are similarly situated).

 

11.       Successors and Assigns

 

The Plan shall be binding on all successors and assigns of the Company and a Participant, including without limitation, the estate of such Participant and the executor, Committee or trustee of such estate, or any receiver or trustee in bankruptcy or representative of the Participant’s creditors.

 

12.       Transferability of Awards

 

(1)         Limitations on Exercise and Transfer. Unless otherwise expressly provided in (or pursuant to) this Section 12 or required by applicable law: no right or interest of a Participant in any Award may be pledged, encumbered or hypothecated to or in favor of any party other than the Company or a Subsidiary, or shall be subject to any lien, obligation, or liability of such Participant to any other party other than the Company or a Subsidiary.  Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, no Award shall be assigned, transferred, or otherwise disposed of by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

 

(2)         Exceptions. The Committee may permit an Award (other than an ISO) to be transferred to, exercised by and paid to certain persons or entities related to the Participant, including but not limited to members of the Participant’s immediate family (as defined in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 16a-1(e) promulgated under the Act), or trusts or other entities whose beneficiaries or Beneficial Owners are members of the Participant’s immediate family (as defined in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 16a-1(e) promulgated under the Act), or to such other persons or entities as may be expressly approved by the Committee, pursuant to such conditions and procedures as the Committee may, in its sole discretion, establish in writing.  Any permitted transfer shall be subject to the conditions and procedures as the Committee may establish.  Any permitted transfer shall be subject to the condition that the Committee receive evidence satisfactory to it that the transfer is being made for estate and/or tax planning purposes (or to a “blind trust” in connection with the Participant’s termination of employment or service with the Company or a Subsidiary to assume a position with

 

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a governmental, charitable, educational or similar non-profit institution) and on a basis consistent with the Company’s lawful issue of securities.

 

13.       Amendments or Termination

 

1)                                     Amendment or Termination of the Plan. The Board may amend, alter or discontinue the Plan, but no amendment, alteration or discontinuation shall be made, without the consent of a Participant, if such action would diminish any of the rights of the Participant under any Award theretofore granted to such Participant under the Plan; provided, however, that the Committee may amend the Plan in such manner as it deems necessary to permit the granting of Awards meeting the requirements of any Applicable Laws. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to the extent applicable, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Plan and Awards issued hereunder shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretative guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulations or other guidance that may be issued after the Effective Date.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the event that the Committee determines that any amounts payable hereunder will be taxable to a Participant under Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance prior to payment to such Participant of such amount, the Company may (a) adopt such amendments to the Plan and Awards and appropriate policies and procedures, including amendments and policies with retroactive effect, that the Committee determines necessary or appropriate to preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided by the Plan and Awards hereunder and/or (b) take such other actions as the Committee determines necessary or appropriate to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

 

2)                                     Amendment of Termination of an Award - General. The Committee shall establish the effect of a termination of employment or service on the rights and benefits under each award under this Plan and in so doing may make distinctions based upon, inter alia, the cause of termination and type of award. If the Participant is not an employee of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries and provides other services to the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, the Committee shall be the sole judge for purposes of this Plan (unless a contract or the award otherwise provides) of whether the participant continues to render services to the Company or one of its Subsidiaries and the date, if any, upon which such services shall be deemed to have terminated.

 

3)                                     Events Not Deemed Terminations of Service. Unless the express policy of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, or the Committee, otherwise provides, the employment relationship shall not be considered terminated in the case of (a) sick leave, (b) military leave, or (c) any other leave of absence authorized by the Company or one of its Subsidiaries, or the Committee; provided that, unless reemployment upon the expiration of

 

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such leave is guaranteed by contract or law or the Committee otherwise provides, such leave is for a period of not more than three months. In the case of any employee of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries on an approved leave of absence, continued vesting of the award while on leave from the employ of the Company or one of its Subsidiaries may be suspended until the employee returns to service, unless the Committee otherwise provides or applicable law otherwise requires. In no event shall an award be exercised after the expiration of the term set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

 

4)                                     Effect of Change of Subsidiary Status. For purposes of this Plan and any award, if an entity ceases to be a Subsidiary of the Company a termination of employment or service shall be deemed to have occurred with respect to each Participant in respect of such Subsidiary who does not continue as an Participant in respect of the Company or another Subsidiary that continues as such after giving effect to the transaction or other event giving rise to the change in status.

 

14.       Multiple Jurisdictions

 

In order to assure the viability of Awards granted to Participants employed in various jurisdictions, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, provide for such special terms as it may consider necessary or appropriate to accommodate differences in local law, tax policy or custom applicable in the jurisdiction in which the Participant resides or is employed.  Moreover, the Committee may approve such supplements to, amendments, restatements, or alternative versions of the Plan as it may consider necessary or appropriate for such purposes without thereby affecting the terms of the Plan as in effect for any other purpose; provided, however, that no such supplements, amendments, restatements or alternative versions shall increase the Share limitation contained in Section 3 hereof.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted that would violate any Applicable Laws.

 

15.       Distribution of Shares

 

The obligation of the Company to make payments in Shares pursuant to an Award shall be subject to all Applicable Laws and to any such approvals, authorizations, consents or exemptions by, or filing or registration with, government agencies as may be required.  Additionally, in the discretion of the Committee, American depositary shares (or ADSs), may be distributed in lieu of Shares in settlement of any Award, provided that the ADSs shall be of equal value to the Shares that would have otherwise been distributed.  If the number of Shares represented by an ADS is other than on a one-to-one basis, the limitations contained in Section 3 shall be adjusted to reflect the distribution of ADSs in lieu of Shares.

 

16.       Taxes

 

No Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Participant until such Participant has made arrangements acceptable to the Committee for the satisfaction of any income and employment tax withholding obligations under any Applicable Laws, in particular, the tax laws, rules, regulations and government orders of the People’s Republic of China or the U.S. federal,

 

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state or other local tax laws, as applicable.  The Company and each of its Subsidiaries shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including the Participant’s payroll tax obligations, if any) required to be withheld under any Applicable Laws with respect to any Award issued to the Participant hereunder.  The Committee may in its discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement allow a Participant to elect to have the Company withhold Shares otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the return of Shares) having a Fair Market Value equal to the sums required to be withheld.  Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the number of Shares which may be withheld with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of any Award (or which may be repurchased from the Participant of such Award after such Shares were acquired by the Participant from the Company) in order to satisfy the Participant’s federal, state, local and other income and payroll tax liabilities with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of the Award shall, unless specifically approved by the Committee, be limited to the number of Shares which have a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding or repurchase equal to the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum statutory withholding rates for federal, state, local and other income tax any payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such taxable income.

 

17.       Other Company Benefit and Compensation Programs.

 

Payments and other benefits received by a Participant under an Award made pursuant to this Plan shall not be deemed a part of a Participant’s compensation for purposes of the determination of benefits under any other employee welfare or benefit plans or arrangements, if any, provided by the Company or any Subsidiary, except where the Committee expressly otherwise provides or authorizes in writing. Awards under this Plan may be made in addition to, in combination with, as alternatives to or in payment of grants, awards or commitments under any other plans or arrangements of the Company or its Subsidiaries.

 

18.       Foreign Currency.

 

A Participant may be required to provide evidence that any currency used to pay the exercise price of any Award were acquired and taken out of the jurisdiction in which the Participant resides in accordance with Applicable Laws, including foreign exchange control laws and regulations. In the event the exercise price for an Award is paid in Chinese Renminbi or other foreign currency, as permitted by the Committee, the amount payable will be determined by conversion from U.S. dollars at the official rate promulgated by the People’s Bank of China for Chinese Renminbi, or for jurisdictions other than the People’s Republic of China, the exchange rate as selected by the Committee on the date of exercise.

 

19.       Unfunded Status of Awards.

 

The Plan is intended to be an “unfunded” plan for  incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

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20.                               Awards Previously Granted.

 

Except with respect to amendments made pursuant to Section 13, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted pursuant to the Plan without the prior written consent of the Participant.

 

21.       Choice of Law

 

The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

22.       Effectiveness of the Plan

 

The Plan shall be effective as of the Effective Date and shall terminate upon the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, subject to earlier termination by the Board pursuant to Section 13 hereof.

 

23.       Severability

 

If a court of competent jurisdiction holds any provision invalid and unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Plan shall continue in effect.

 

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