Aesthetic Medical International Holdings Group Ltd
November 18, 2024
VIA EDGAR
Mr. Conlon Danberg
Ms. Margaret Sawicki
Division of Corporation Finance
Office of Industrial Applications and Services
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F Street, N.E.
Mail Stop 4631
Washington, DC 20549
| Re: | Aesthetic Medical International Holdings Group Ltd | |
| Form 20-F for the Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||
| Filed April 25, 2024 | ||
| File No. 001-39088 |
Dear Mr. Danberg and Ms. Sawicki:
Aesthetic Medical International Holdings Group Ltd (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our company” or “our”) hereby transmits its response to the letter received from the staff (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, dated November 5, 2024 regarding its annual report on Form F-20 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the “FY2023 Form 20-F”) filed on April 25, 2024. For ease of reference, we have repeated the Staff’s comments in bold in this response letter and numbered them accordingly. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this letter have the meanings assigned to them in the FY2023 Form 20-F. Disclosure changes made in response to the Staff’s comments will be incorporated in the Form 20-F to be filed for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Annual Report on Form 20-F for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
| 1. | We note your response to previous comment 1 with proposed revised disclosure regarding the legal and operational risks associated with doing business in the PRC. We also note that in your August 27, 2024 response letter, you had proposed to include the following disclosure further on in the same paragraph: |
"In particular, the operational risks associated with being based in and having operations in mainland China may also apply to operations in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong. With respect to the legal risks associated with being based in and having operations in mainland China, the laws, regulations and the discretion of the governmental authorities in mainland China discussed in this annual report are expected to apply to entities and businesses in mainland China, rather than entities or businesses in Hong Kong which operate under different sets of laws from mainland China. However, the legal risks associated with being based in and having operations in mainland China could apply to the operations in Hong Kong, if the laws, regulations and the discretion of the governmental authorities in mainland China become applicable to entities and businesses in Hong Kong in the future." (emphasis added)
Please confirm you will revise these subsequent statements so that your disclosure expressly states that the legal and operational risks associated in operating in the PRC apply to your present operations in Hong Kong. In this regard, we note that while the proposed language from your October 23, 2024 response letter appears sufficient to highlight the risk that the PRC government may intervene or influence your operations in Hong Kong at any time, the subsequent language quoted above would continue to suggest that the legal risks associated with being in and having operations in mainland China do not apply to your operations in Hong Kong at the current stage.
Response: In response to the Staff’s comment, the Company respectfully proposes to revise the referenced disclosure (page reference is made to the FY2023 Form 20-F to illustrate the approximate location of the disclosure) based on the Company’s response to the Staff’s comments submitted on August 27, 2024, on page 27 of the 2023 Form 20-F, as follows in its future Form 20-F filings (with deletions shown as strike-through and additions underlined):
Page 27 under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks relating to doing business in the PRC”:
“The PRC government may intervene or exert influence on our operations at any time, which could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs and ordinary shares.
The
PRC government has significant authority to intervene or exert influence on our business operations in various aspects at any
time, which could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs and ordinary shares. We operate through
our subsidiaries in mainland China, Hong Kong, the British Virgin Islands and the United States. In particular, the operational and
legal risks associated with being based in and having operations in mainland China also apply to our operations in Hong Kong. As Hong
Kong currently operates under a different set of laws from mainland China, the laws, regulations and the discretion of the governmental
authorities in mainland China discussed in this annual report are expected to apply to our entities and businesses in mainland China,
rather than entities or businesses in Hong Kong. However, there can be no assurance as to whether the government of Hong Kong will enact
laws and regulations similar to mainland China, or whether any laws or regulations of mainland China will become applicable to our operations
in Hong Kong in the future. risks associated with being based in and having operations in mainland China may also apply to
operations in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong. With respect to the legal risks associated with being based in and having
operations in mainland China, the laws, regulations and the discretion of the governmental authorities in mainland China discussed in
this annual report are expected to apply to entities and businesses in mainland China, rather than entities or businesses in Hong Kong
which operate under different sets of laws from mainland China. However, the legal risks associated with being based in and having operations
in mainland China could apply to the operations in Hong Kong, if the laws, regulations and the discretion of the governmental authorities
in mainland China become applicable to entities and businesses in Hong Kong in the future. Therefore, uncertainties in the laws
and regulations of mainland China from time to time and the interpretation and enforcement of the laws and regulations of mainland China
could limit the legal protection available to you and us, hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer the ADSs, result in a material
adverse effect on our business operations, and affect our reputation, which might further cause the ADSs to significantly decline in
value or become worthless. Changes in the economic, political or social conditions, or government policies of mainland China could also
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.”
* * *
The Company acknowledges that the Company and its management are responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of their disclosures, notwithstanding any review, comments, action or absence of action by the Staff.
We thank the Staff for its review of the foregoing. If you have any questions or further comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Company at (+86) 139-2862-0496. If you have further comments, we would appreciate it if you would forward them by electronic mail to us at toby@pengai.com.cn or by phone.
| Very truly yours, | |
| /s/ Zhang Chen | |
| Zhang Chen | |
| Chairman |