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Contingencies
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
Contingencies [Abstract]  
CONTINGENCIES

14. CONTINGENCIES

 

China maintains a “closed” capital account, meaning companies, banks, and individuals cannot move money in or out of the country except in accordance with strict rules. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) regulate the flow of foreign exchange in and out of the country. For inward or outward foreign currency transactions, the Company needs to make a timely declaration to the bank with sufficient supporting documents to declare the nature of the business transaction. The Company’s sales, purchases and expense transactions are denominated in RMB and all of the Company’s assets and liabilities are also denominated in RMB. The RMB is not freely convertible into foreign currencies under the current law. Remittances in currencies other than RMB may require certain supporting documentation in order to make the remittance.

 

The Company’s operations in the PRC are subject to specific considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. These include risks associated with, among others, the political, economic and legal environments and foreign currency exchange. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.

 

Litigation

 

1) In November 2019, Beijing Hongyuan Recycling Energy Investment Center (“BIPC”), or Hongyuan, filed a lawsuit with the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court against Xi’an TCH to compel Xi’an TCH to repurchase certain stock pursuant to a stock repurchase option agreement. On April 9, 2021, the court rendered a judgment in favor of Hongyuan. Xi’an TCH filed a motion for retrial to High People’s Court of Beijing on April 13, 2022, because Xi’an TCH paid RMB261 million ($37.58 million) principal and interest to Hongyuan as an out-of-court settlement. On April 11, 2022, Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co. Ltd., filed an application for retrial and provided relevant evidence to the Beijing High People’s Court on the Civil Judgment No. 264, awaiting trial. On August 10, 2022, Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing issued a Certificate of Active Performance, proving that Xi’an Zhonghong New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. had fulfilled its buyback obligations as disclosed in Note 9 that, on April 9, 2021, Xi’an TCH, Xi’an Zhonghong, Guohua Ku, Chonggong Bai and HYREF entered a Termination of Fulfillment Agreement (termination agreement). Under the termination agreement, the original buyback agreement entered on December 19, 2019 was terminated upon signing of the termination agreement. HYREF will not execute the buy-back option and will not ask for any additional payment from the buyers other than keeping the CDQ WHPG station.

 

As of this report date, Xi’an Zhonghong is waiting for Court’s decision on retrial petition that was submitted in April 2022. During this waiting period, BIPC entered the execution procedure, and there is a balance of RMB14,204,317 ($2.20 million) between the amount executed by the court and the liability recognized by Xi ‘an TCH, which was mainly the enforcement fee, legal and penalty fee for the original judgement, and was automatically generated by the toll collection system of the People’s court. The Company accrued $2.10 million litigation expense as of December 31, 2024.

 

2) On June 28, 2021, Beijing No.4 Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing entered into a judgement that Xi’an Zhonghong Technology Co., Ltd. should pay the loan principal of RMB77 million ($11.06 million) with loan interest of RMB2,418,449 ($0.35 million) to Beijiang Hongyuan Recycling Energy Investment Center (Limited Partnership). In the end of 2022, Beijing No.4 Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing entered into the judgment enforcement procedure, which, in addition to the loan principal with interest amount, Xi’an Zhonghong Technology Co., Ltd. was to pay judgment enforcement fee, late fee and other fees of RMB80,288,184 ($11.53 million) in total, the Company recorded these additional fees in 2022.

 

In November 2024, 77 million yuan has been paid, but the interest has not been paid, and whether it will be paid has not yet been determined.