Company Law of the People's Republic of China (revised in 2005)
(Adopted at the Fifth Session of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress on December 29, 1993. Revised for the first time on December 25, 1999 in accordance with the Decision of the Thirteenth Session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth People's Congress on Amending the Company Law of the People's Republic of China. Revised for the second time on August 28, 2004 in accordance with the Decision of the 11th Session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on Amending the Company Law of the People's Republic of China. Revised for the third time at the 18th Session of the 10th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on October 27, 2005)
Chapter VI Qualifications and Obligations of the Directors, Supervisors and Senior Managers of a Company
Article 147 Anyone who is under any of the following circumstances shall not take the post of a director, supervisor or senior manager of a company:
(1) Being without or with limited capacity of civil conduct;
(2) He has been sentenced to any criminal penalty due to an offence of corruption, bribery, encroachment of property, misappropriation of property or disrupting the economic order of the socialist market economy and 5 years have not passed since the completion date of the execution of the penalty; or he has ever been deprived of his political rights due to any crime and 3 years have not passed since the completion date of the execution of the penalty;
(3) Where he was a former director, factory director or manager of a company or enterprise which was bankrupt and liquidated, and was personally liable for the bankruptcy of such company or enterprise, three years have not passed since the date of completion of the bankruptcy and liquidation of the company or enterprise;
(4) Where he was the legal representative of a company or enterprise, and the business license of this company or enterprise was revoked and this company or enterprise was ordered to close due to violation of the law, and he is personally liable for the revocation, three years have not passed since the date of the revocation of the business license thereof;
(5) He has a relatively large amount of debt which is due but uncleared.
In case a company elects or appoints any director or supervisor, or hires any senior manager by violating the provisions in the preceding paragraph, the election, appointment or hiring shall be invalidated. In case any director, supervisor or senior manager, during his term of office, is under any of the circumstances as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the company shall dismiss him from his post.
Article 148 The directors, supervisors and senior managers shall comply with laws, administrative regulations and the articles of association. They shall bear the obligations of fidelity and diligence to the company. No director, supervisor or senior manager may take any bribe or other illegal gains by taking the advantage of his authorities, or encroach on the properties of the company.
Article 149 No director or senior manager may have any of the following acts:
(1) Misappropriating funds of the company;
(2) Depositing the company's funds into an account in his own name or in any other individual's name;
(3) Without the consent of the shareholders' meeting, shareholders' assembly or board of directors, loaning the company's fund to others or providing any guaranty to any other person by using the company's property as in violation of the articles of association;
(4) Signing a contract or trading with this company by violating the articles of association or without the consent of the shareholders' meeting or shareholders' assembly;
(5) Without the consent of the shareholders' meeting or shareholders' assembly, seeking business opportunities for himself or any other person by taking advantages of his authorities, or operating for himself or for any other person any like business of the company he works for;
(6) Taking commissions on the transactions between others and this company into his own pocket;
(7) Disclosing the company's secrets without permit;
(8) Other acts that are inconsistent with the obligation of fidelity to the company. The income of any director or senior manager from any act in violation of the preceding paragraph shall belong to the company.
Article 150 Where any director, supervisor or senior manager violates laws, administrative regulations or the articles of association during the course of performing his duties, if any loss is caused to the company, he shall make compensation.
Article 151 If the shareholder's meeting or shareholders' meeting demands a director, supervisor or senior manager to attend the meeting as a non-voting delegate, he shall do so and shall answer the shareholders' inquiries.
The directors and senior managers shall faithfully offer relevant information and materials to the board of supervisors or the supervisor of the limited liability company with no board of supervisors, and none of them may obstruct the board of supervisors or supervisor from exercising its (his) authorities.
Article 152 Where a director or senior manager is under the circumstance as stated in Article 150 of this Law, the shareholder(s) of the limited liability company or joint stock limited company separately or aggregately holding 1% or more of the total shares of the company may require the board of supervisors or the supervisor of the limited liability company with no board of supervisors in writing to file a lawsuit in the people's court. If the supervisor is under the circumstance as stated in Article 150 of this Law, the aforesaid shareholder(s) may require the board of directors or the acting director of the limited liability company with no board of directors to in writing lodge a lawsuit in the people's court.
If the board of supervisors, or supervisor of a limited liability company with no board of supervisors, or the board of directors or the acting director refuses to lodge a lawsuit after it (he) receives a written request as mentioned in the preceding paragraph, or if it or he fails to file a lawsuit within 30 days after it receives the request, or if, in an emergency, the failure to lodge a lawsuit immediately will cause unrecoverable damages to the interests of the company, the shareholder(s) as listed in the preceding paragraph may, on their own behalf, directly lodge a lawsuit in the people's court.
In case the legitimate rights and interests of a company are impaired and losses are caused to the company, the shareholders as mentioned in the preceding paragraph may initiate a lawsuit in the people's court in light of the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs.
Article 153 If any director or senior manager damages the shareholders' interests by violating any law, administrative regulation or the articles of association, the shareholders may lodge a lawsuit in the people's court.
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