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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM  i 20-F

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(Mark One)

 i ☐ REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

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 i ☒   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended  i December 31, 2022

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OR

 i ☐ ––– TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

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 i ☐ SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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Date of event requiring this shell company report

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For the transition period from to

Commission file number:  i 001-38665

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CooTek (Cayman) Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

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N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s Name Into English)

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 i Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

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 i 11F, T2, No.16, i  Lane 399, Xinlong Road,  i Minhang District
 i Shanghai,  i 201101

 i People’s Republic of China

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

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 i Karl Kan Zhang, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Technology Officer

 i 11F, T2, No.16,  i Lane 399, Xinlong Road,  i Minhang District

 i Shanghai,  i 201101  i People’s Republic of China
Phone: + i 86  i 021  i 6485 6352
Email:  i ir@cootek.com

(Name, Telephone, Email and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

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Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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None

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Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

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American depositary shares, each representing 650 Class A ordinary shares

Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share

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(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

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Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

☐ Yes ☒  i No

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If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

☐ Yes ☒  i No

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

☒  i Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

☒  i Yes ☐ No

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  i ☐

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†The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  i ☐

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If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

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If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

☐     Item 17    ☐   Item 18

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If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

☐ Yes  i ☒ No

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(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

☐ Yes ☒ No

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INTRODUCTION

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report on Form 20-F to:

All discrepancies in any table between the amounts identified as total amounts and the sum of the amounts listed therein are due to rounding.

Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB6.8972 to US$1.00, the exchange rate on December 30, 2022 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of Renminbi into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Item 3. Key Information-D. Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:

You should read this annual report and the documents that we refer to in this annual report and have filed as exhibits to this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Other sections of this annual report discuss factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this annual report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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PART I

ITEM 1.IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2.OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3.KEY INFORMATION

Our Holding Company Structure and Contractual Arrangements with the VIEs

CooTek (Cayman) Inc. is not a Chinese operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company with no equity ownership in the VIEs. We conduct our operations in China through (i) our PRC subsidiaries, and (ii) the VIEs with which we have maintained contractual arrangements and the VIEs’ subsidiaries. PRC laws and regulations restrict and impose conditions on foreign investment in the provision of internet information services. Accordingly, we operate these businesses in mainland China through the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries, and rely on contractual arrangements among our PRC subsidiary, the VIEs and their nominee shareholders to control the business operations of the VIEs. Revenues contributed by the VIEs accounted for 81%, 37% and 39% of our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. As used in this annual report, “CooTek,” are to CooTek (Cayman) Inc., and “we,” “us,” “our company” or “our” are to CooTek (Cayman) Inc. and its subsidiaries, and in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries, including Shanghai Chubao (Cootek) Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Chubao, Molihong (Shenzhen) Internet Technology Co., Ltd., or Molihong, Shanghai Qiaohan Technology Co., Ltd., or Qiaohan, and Shanghai Qinglin Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Qinglin, in mainland China and their subsidiaries. Holders of our ADSs hold equity interest in CooTek (Cayman) Inc., our Cayman Islands holding company, and do not have direct or indirect equity interests in the VIEs and their subsidiaries.

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our significant subsidiaries and other entities that are material to our business, as of the date of this annual report:

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A series of contractual agreements have been entered into by and among our PRC subsidiary, the VIEs and their respective shareholders, which include exclusive business cooperation agreement, exclusive purchase option agreement, loan agreement, equity agreement, power of attorney and spouse consent letters. Terms contained in each set of contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their respective shareholders are substantially similar. For more details of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure.”

However, the contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIEs and we may incur substantial costs to enforce the terms of the arrangements. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their respective shareholders for our operations in mainland China, which may not be as effective in providing operational control as direct ownership” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Any failure by the VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.”

There are also substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules regarding the status of the rights of our Cayman Islands holding company with respect to its contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their nominee shareholders. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or any of the VIEs is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government determines that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure do not comply with PRC regulations on foreign investment in internet and other related businesses, or if these regulations or their interpretation change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.”

Our corporate structure is subject to risks associated with our contractual arrangements with the VIEs. Our contractual arrangements with the VIEs have not been tested in court to date. Investors may never directly hold equity interests in the VIEs. If the PRC government determines that our contractual arrangements with the VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations. The PRC regulatory authorities could disallow the VIE structure, which would likely result in a material adverse change in our operations, and our ADSs may decline significantly in value or become worthless. Our holding company, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs, and investors of our company face uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC government that could affect the enforceability of the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and, consequently, significantly affect the financial performance of the VIEs and our company as a whole. For a detailed description of the risks associated with our corporate structure, please refer to risks disclosed under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure.”

PRC government’s significant authority in regulating our operations and its oversight and control over offerings conducted overseas by, and foreign investment in, China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. Implementation of industry-wide regulations in this nature may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be of little or no value. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PRC government’s significant oversight and discretion over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.”

Risks and uncertainties arising from the legal system in China, including risks and uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and quickly evolving rules and regulations in China, could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.”

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Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations

We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries, the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries in China. Our operations in mainland China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries have not obtained all the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for the business operations of our holding company, the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries in mainland China, including, among others, the internet publication service license, publication codes, and internet audio-visual program transmission license. Given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practice by relevant government authorities, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for the functions and services of our platform in the future. If we, our subsidiaries, the VIEs or the VIEs’ subsidiaries do not receive or maintain any necessary permissions or approvals, inadvertently conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required, or if applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain such permissions or approvals in the future, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain the necessary permissions or approvals in a timely manner, or at all, and such approvals may be rescinded even if obtained. Any such circumstance could subject us to penalties, including fines, suspension of business and revocation of required licenses, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our business is subject to complex and evolving laws, regulations and governmental policies in China and other countries and regions where we have business. Many of these laws, regulations and governmental policies are subject to change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, increased cost of operations, or declines in our growth or engagement, financial performance, or otherwise harm our business.”

Furthermore, in connection with our historical issuance of securities to foreign investors, as of the date of this annual report, we, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs, (i) are not required to obtain permissions from the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, (ii) are not required to go through cyber security review by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, and (iii) have not received or were denied such requisite permissions by any PRC authority. As advised by our PRC legal counsel, JunHe LLP, under the currently effective PRC laws and regulations, we are not required to obtain any permission from or complete any filing with the CSRC or go through a cybersecurity review by the CAC for our historical issuance of securities to foreign investors.

However, the PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval of or filing with the CSRC or other PRC government authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings and listings under PRC law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or for how long we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.”

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or the ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, including our auditor. In May 2022, the SEC conclusively listed us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA after we file this annual report on Form 20-F.

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Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the SEC, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we would not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCAA. See “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditor in the past has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections” and “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCAA in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The prohibition of trading in the ADSs, or the threat of the trading being prohibited, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.”

Cash and Asset Flows through Our Organization

CooTek (Cayman) Inc. transfers cash to its wholly-owned Hong Kong subsidiaries by making capital contributions or providing loans, and the Hong Kong subsidiaries transfer cash to the subsidiaries in mainland China by making capital contributions or providing loans to them. Because CooTek (Cayman) Inc. and Shanghai Chule control the VIEs through contractual arrangements, they are not able to make direct capital contribution to the VIEs and their subsidiaries. However, they may transfer cash to the VIEs by loans or by making payments to the VIEs for inter-group transactions.

We currently do not have cash management policies in place that dictate how funds are transferred between CooTek (Cayman) Inc., our subsidiaries, and the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries. Rather, the funds can be transferred in accordance with the applicable PRC laws and regulations.

Under the currently effective PRC laws and regulations, an offshore holding company may provide funding to its PRC subsidiaries mainly through capital contributions or loans, and to the VIEs and the VIEs’ subsidiaries only through loans. Capital contributions are subject to the requirement of making necessary filings in the foreign investment information reporting system and registration with the local counterpart of the State Administration for Market Regulation. Loans must be registered with the local counterpart of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

CooTek (Cayman) Inc. provided an aggregate amount of US$16.0 million, US$37.8 million and US$9.8 million as loan or capital investments to our intermediate holding companies and subsidiaries, and received an aggregate repayment of US$25.9 million, US$19.1 million and US$16.3 million in the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Under the contractual arrangements with the VIEs, the VIEs are entitled to receive loans from Shanghai Chule for the provisions of certain support services to Shanghai Chule. For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, the VIEs received net proceeds from loans of US$30.8 million, US$41.9 million and US$11.4 million from the WFOE, respectively. The VIEs earned various revenues from the WFOE and other company subsidiaries, including advertising revenue, reimbursement of expenses, etc.

For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, no dividends or distributions were made to CooTek (Cayman) Inc. by our subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs are subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to us. Remittance of dividends by a wholly foreign-owned enterprise out of mainland China is also subject to examination by the banks designated by SAFE. The amounts restricted include the paid-up capital and the statutory reserve funds of our PRC subsidiaries and the net assets of the VIEs in which we have no legal ownership, totaling to US$91 million as of December 31, 2022. For risks relating to the fund flows of our operations in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We may rely on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund cash and financing requirements. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and to pay dividends to holders of the ADSs and our ordinary shares.”

In the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, no assets other than cash were transferred through our organization.

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