Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited is a Cayman Islands holding company with no business operations. It conducts its operations in China through its PRC subsidiaries and variable interest entities, or the VIEs, and their subsidiaries. However, we and our shareholders do not and are not legally permitted to have any equity interests in the VIEs as current PRC laws and regulations restrict foreign investment in companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services. As a result, we operate relevant businesses in China through certain contractual arrangements with the VIEs. This structure allows us to exercise effective control over the VIEs, and be considered the primary beneficiary of the VIEs, which serves the purpose of consolidating the VIEs’ operating results in our financial statements under the U.S. GAAP. This structure also provides contractual exposure to foreign investment in such companies. As of the date of this annual report, to the best knowledge of our Company, our directors and management, our VIE agreements have not been tested in a court of law in the PRC. The VIEs is owned by certain nominee shareholders, not us. Investors in our ADSs are purchasing equity securities of a Cayman Islands holding company rather than equity securities issued by our subsidiaries and the VIEs. Investors who are residents may never directly hold equity interests in the VIEs under current PRC laws and regulations. As used in this annual report, “we,” “us,” “our company,” the “Company,” and “our” refer to Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited, a Cayman Islands company and its subsidiaries and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, its consolidated variable interest entities, or VIEs. We refer to Zhuhai Kingsoft Cloud and Kingsoft Cloud Information as the VIEs in the context of describing their activities and contractual arrangements with us.

Leveraging our infrastructure resources and years of technology accumulation, we are able to provide innovative integrated cloud solutions specifically designed to address the diversified needs of our customers across our select verticals. We have a track record of successfully expanding into and becoming a leader in new verticals. We cannot assure you, however, that we will be able to maintain this momentum in the future. Expanding solution categories involves new risks and challenges. Our lack of familiarity with new verticals may make it more difficult for us to keep pace with the evolving customer demands and preferences. In addition, there may be one or more existing market leaders in any vertical that we decide to expand into. Such companies may have first-mover advantages, and may be able to compete more effectively than us by leveraging their experience in doing business in that market as well as their deeper industry insight and greater brand recognition among customers. We will need to comply with new laws and regulations applicable to these businesses, the failure of which would adversely affect our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition. Expansion into any new vertical may place significant strain on our management and resources, and failure to expand successfully could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.

In early July 2021, regulatory authorities in China launched cybersecurity investigations with regard to several China-based companies listed in the United States. On December 28, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, together with several other governmental authorities, jointly released the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which took effect on February 15, 2022. Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Review Measures, the purchase of network products and services by an operator of critical information infrastructure or the data processing activities of a network platform operator that affect or may affect national security will be subject to a cybersecurity review. In addition, network platform operators with individual information of over one million users shall be subject to cybersecurity review before listing abroad. The competent governmental authorities may also initiate a cybersecurity review against the operators if the authorities believe that the network product or service or data processing activities of such operators affect or may affect national security. The cybersecurity review will evaluate, among others, the risk of critical information infrastructure, core data, important data, or the risk of a large amount of personal information being influenced, controlled or maliciously used by foreign governments after going public, and cyber information security risk. Given the Cybersecurity Review Measures were recently promulgated, their interpretation, application and enforcement are subject to substantial uncertainties. On November 14, 2021, the CAC published the Administration Regulations on Cyber Data Security (Draft for Comments) (the “”), which provides the circumstances under which data processors shall apply for cybersecurity review, including, among others, when (i) the data processors who process personal information of at least one million users apply for a “foreign” listing; and (ii) the data processors’ listing in Hong Kong affects or may possibly affect national security. However, it provides no further explanation or interpretation as to how to determine what constitutes “affecting national security”. Data processors processing personal information of more than one million people shall also comply with the provisions for processing of important data stipulated in Draft Administration Regulations on Cyber Data Security for important data processors. Data processors dealing with important data or listing overseas should carry out an annual data security assessment by themselves or by entrusting data security service agencies, and each year before January 31, data security assessment report for the previous year shall be submitted to the districted city level cyberspace administration department. When data collected and generated within the PRC are provided by the data processors overseas, if such data includes important data, or if the relevant data processor is a critical information infrastructure operator or processes personal information of more than one million people, the data processor shall go through the security assessment of cross-border data transfer organized by the national cyberspace administration. As of the date of this annual report, the Draft Administration Regulations on Cyber Data Security have not been formally adopted. It is uncertain when the final regulation will be issued and take effect, how it will be enacted, interpreted and implemented, and whether or to what extent it will affect us.

The future success of our business depends upon the continued use of the internet as a primary medium for commerce, communications and business applications. Chinese or foreign government bodies or agencies have in the past adopted, and may in the future adopt, laws or regulations affecting the use of the internet as a commercial medium. Changes in these laws or regulations could require us to modify our products and platform in order to comply with these changes. In addition, government agencies or private organizations have imposed and may impose additional taxes, fees or other charges for accessing the internet or commerce conducted via the internet. These laws or charges could limit the growth of internet-related commerce or communications generally, or result in reductions in the demand for internet-based products and services such as our products and platform. In addition, the use of the internet as a business tool could be adversely affected due to delays in the development or adoption of new standards and protocols to handle increased demands of internet activity, security, reliability, cost, accessibility and quality of service. The performance of the internet and its acceptance as a business tool has been adversely affected by “viruses,” “worms,” and similar malicious programs. If the use of the internet is reduced as a result of these or other issues, then demand for our products could decline, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Currently, most of our servers are located at the IDCs in China, while a small part of them are located abroad. While we have electronic and, to a lesser extent, physical access to the components and infrastructure of our servers, we do not control the operation of our IDC suppliers, which may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from a variety of sources, including earthquakes floods, fires, power loss, system failures, computer viruses, physical or electronic human error, malfeasance, or interference, including by disgruntled employees, former employees, or contractors; terrorism; and other catastrophic events. Consequently, we may be subject to service disruptions as well as failures to provide adequate support for reasons that are outside of our control. We cannot assure that we can find alternative IDC suppliers when the demands for our servers surge or disruptions happen due to such catastrophic or events, which could also harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our products and platform incorporate open source software, and we expect to continue to incorporate open source software in our products and platform in the future. Courts have interpreted few of the licenses applicable to open source software, and there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a manner that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products and platform. Moreover, although we have implemented policies to regulate the use and incorporation of open source software into our products and platform, we cannot be certain that we have not incorporated open source software in our products or platform in a manner that is inconsistent with such policies. If we or our employees fail to comply with open source licenses, we may be subject to certain requirements, including requirements that we offer our products that incorporate the open source software for no cost, that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon, incorporating or using the open source software and that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of applicable open source licenses. If an author or other third party that distributes such open source software were to allege that we had not complied with the conditions of one or more of these licenses, we could be required to incur significant legal expenses defending against such allegations and could be subject to significant damages, enjoined from generating revenues from customers using products that contained the open source software and required to comply with onerous conditions or restrictions on these products. In any of these events, we and our customers could be required to seek licenses from third parties in order to continue offering our products and platform and to our products or platform or discontinue offering our products to customers in the event cannot be accomplished on a timely basis. Any of the foregoing could require us to devote additional research and development resources to our products or platform, could result in customer dissatisfaction and may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

On January 17, 2017, the MIIT promulgated the Notice on Cleaning Up and Regulating the Internet Access Service Market, which prohibits the “multi-level sublease” and requires that enterprises providing internet data center services and internet access services shall not sublease the IP address, bandwidth or other network access resources they have obtained from basic telecommunication operators to other enterprises for providing internet data center services, internet access services or other services, and shall also conduct comprehensive self-inspection, rectify violations of the relevant regulations in a timely manner to ensure their business operations are in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations and the network facilities and network access resources are used in a compliant manner. The regulatory authorities shall urge enterprises in violation of the abovementioned requirements to make rectifications in a timely manner and take stern actions in accordance with the laws against enterprises that refuse to make such rectifications, and under serious circumstances, such enterprises may fail to pass the annual inspection, or the licenses or permits of such enterprises may not be renewed upon expiration and their cooperation with the basic telecommunications operators may be adversely affected. Due to the evolving regulatory environment and the fact that there is no further interpretations or applications from the competent authorities on this notice, we cannot be certain whether our third-party internet data center suppliers’ supplying of IP address and bandwidth to us under our historical or current cooperation with them will be determined as activities, if it would be determined so, we may no longer be able to collaborate with such third-party internet data center suppliers, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any notice from any regulatory authority or from any third-party suppliers that would require such suppliers or us to suspend or rectify our current business cooperation with such third party suppliers.

Although we maintain incident management and disaster response plans, in the event of a major disruption caused by a natural disaster or problems, such as power disruptions, computer viruses, data security breaches or terrorism, we may be unable to continue our operations and may endure system interruptions, reputational harm, delays in our development activities, lengthy interruptions in service, breaches of data security and loss of critical data, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus disease 2019, or outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared the global outbreak a pandemic. The virus continues to spread and mutate rapidly worldwide, including where our customers, suppliers and other business partners are located and where we have business operations. During the pandemic, government authorities around the world have ordered businesses to close and people to remain at home while imposing significant restrictions on traveling and social gatherings. These measures have impacted, and may further impact, our workforce and operations, the operations of our customers and suppliers and other business partners. In addition, our business and results of operations could also be adversely affected to the extent the outbreak harms the business of our customers, who may experience reduced business volume, delay or suspend procurement of cloud services, or reduce their IT spending, which in turn may have a negative impact on the demands for our products and solutions. There continues to be significant uncertainties associated with the pandemic, including with respect to the ultimate spread and constant mutation of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, the possibility of successive waves of outbreaks, further actions that may be taken by government authorities around the world to contain the virus or to treat its impact, and the scope and length of the resulting economic downturn. The global lockdown and travel restrictions have caused temporary disruption to our solutions to the extent that necessary on-site meetings, deployment and technical support had to be delayed or cancelled.

Our business is subject to regulation by various governmental agencies in China, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing compliance with various legal obligations, such as value-added telecommunication laws and regulations, privacy and data protection-related laws and regulations, intellectual property laws, employment and labor laws, workplace safety, environmental laws, consumer protection laws, governmental trade laws, import and export controls, anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, and tax laws and regulations. In certain jurisdictions, these regulatory requirements may be more stringent than in China. These laws and regulations impose added costs on our business. with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to:

Moreover, we are exposed to the risk of actual or alleged misconduct, unscrupulous business practices, errors, failure to functions or other by us, our management, employees, any companies we acquire or invest in or by its affiliates or current or former employees before, during or after our acquisition or investments, and parties that we collaborate with, who may from time to time be subject to litigation and regulatory investigations and proceedings or otherwise face potential liability and penalties in relation to noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations, which could harm our reputation and business.

We also rely, in part, on confidentiality agreements and agreements with our business partners, employees, consultants, advisors, customers and others in our efforts to protect our proprietary technology, processes and methods. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our confidential information, and it may be possible for unauthorized parties to copy our software or other proprietary technology or information, or to develop similar software independently with us lacking an adequate remedy for unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover our trade secrets and proprietary information, and in these cases we would not be able to assert any trade secret rights against those parties. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. In addition, to the extent we expand our international activities, our exposure to unauthorized copying, transfer and use of our proprietary technology or information may increase.

In addition, we seek to protect our confidential information and trade secrets, in part, by entering into and confidentiality agreements or other means to such effect, with parties who have access to them, such as our employees. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach such agreements, intentionally or unintentionally and disclose our proprietary information and we may not be aware of or able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. The unauthorized disclosure and/or misappropriation of trade secrets is difficult to detect and/or to prove. As such, it is difficult, expensive and time-consuming to establish trade secret misappropriation claims, with no guarantee of success or adequate remedies. Such disclosures could also lead to a loss of trade secret protection, which could materially and adversely affect our business, competitive position, financial conditions and results of operations.

Our operating results, as well as our key metrics have fluctuated in the past and are expected to fluctuate in the future due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. As a result, our past results may not be indicative of our future performance and comparisons of our operating results and key metrics may not be meaningful. In addition to the other risks described herein, factors that may affect our operating results include the following:

Kingsoft Group, our major shareholder, is a leading software company in China. Mr. Jun Lei, our chairman of the Board, exercises significant influence over Kingsoft Group as he currently serves the chairman of the board and of Kingsoft Group and is deemed to be interested in 22.78% of total issued shares in Kingsoft Group as of December 31, 2021. Xiaomi, another major shareholder of our company and controlled by Mr. Jun Lei, is an internet company with smartphones and smart hardware connected by an IoT platform at its core. Our business has benefited from Kingsoft Group’s and Xiaomi’s brand names, strong market positions and ecosystems. We cooperate with Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi in various areas, such as cross-referrals and devices for IoT – smart living solutions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to benefit from our relationships with Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi in the future. To the extent that we cannot maintain our relationships with Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi on terms favorable to us, or at all, we will need to find replacement for services and device providers, which may not be done in a timely manner and/or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, and we may lose access to key strategic assets, which could result in material and adverse effects on our business and results of operations.

Two of our principal shareholders, Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi, are our affiliates and have substantial influence over our company. As of March 31, 2022, Kingsoft Group beneficially owned 39.0% of our outstanding and issued shares and Xiaomi beneficially owned 12.3% of our outstanding and issued shares. Mr. Jun Lei, one of our directors, also serves as the chairman and a director at Kingsoft Group, and serves as the chairman, the chief executive officer and the executive director at Xiaomi. Mr. Tao Zou, one of our directors, also serves as an executive director and the chief executive officer at Kingsoft Group. Mr. Hangjun Ye, one of our directors, also serves as a general manager of business segment of Xiaomi. As of the date of this annual report, none of our other directors or executive officers holds any position at Kingsoft Group or Xiaomi.

Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi may from time to time make strategic decisions that they believe are in the best interests of their businesses, which may be different from the decisions that we would have made on our own. Kingsoft Group’s and Xiaomi’s decisions with respect to us or our business may favor Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi and therefore the Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi shareholders, which may not necessarily be aligned with our interests and the interests of our other shareholders. Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi may make decisions that may disrupt or discontinue our collaborations with Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi. If Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi were to compete with us, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. Although we have an audit committee, consisting of independent directors, to review and approve all proposed related party transactions, including those between Kingsoft Group or Xiaomi and us, we may not be able to resolve all potential conflicts of interest, and even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with a shareholder.

The variable interest entity structure has been adopted by many companies, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. The Ministry of Commerce published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law in January 2015, or the 2015 Draft FIL, according to which, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangements would also be deemed as foreign-invested entities, if they are ultimately “controlled” by foreign investors. In March 2019, the PRC National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, and in December 2019, the State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules of the Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the Implementing Rules, to further clarify and elaborate the relevant provisions of the Foreign Investment Law. The Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules both became effective from January 1, 2020. Pursuant to the Foreign Investment Law, “foreign investments” refer to investment activities conducted by foreign investors (including foreign natural persons, foreign enterprises or other foreign organizations) directly or indirectly in the PRC, which include any of the following circumstances: (i) foreign investors setting up foreign-invested enterprises in the PRC solely or jointly with other investors, (ii) foreign investors obtaining shares, equity interests, property portions or other similar rights and interests of enterprises within the PRC, (iii) foreign investors investing in new projects in the PRC solely or jointly with other investors, and (iv) investment in other methods as specified in laws, administrative regulations, or as stipulated by the State Council. The Foreign Investment Law and the Implementing Rules do not introduce the concept of “control” in determining whether a company would be considered as a foreign-invested enterprise, nor do they explicitly provide whether the variable interest entity structure would be deemed as a method of foreign investment. However, the Foreign Investment Law has a provision that includes into the definition of “foreign investments” made by foreign investors in China in other methods as specified in laws, administrative regulations, or as stipulated by the State Council, and as relevant government authorities may promulgate more laws, regulations or rules on the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law, the possibility cannot be ruled out that the concept of “control” as stated in the 2015 Draft FIL may be embodied in, or the variable interest entity structure adopted by us may be deemed as a method of foreign investment by, any of such future laws, regulations and rules. If the VIEs were deemed as a foreign-invested enterprise under any of such future laws, regulations and rules, and any of the businesses that we operate would be in the “negative list” for foreign investment and therefore be subject to foreign investment restrictions or prohibitions, further actions required to be taken by us under such laws, regulations and rules may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between the VIEs, our subsidiaries and us were not entered into on an basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust the income of the VIEs in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by the VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing our PRC subsidiaries’ tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose interest and/or other penalties on the VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if the VIEs’ tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay interest and/or other penalties on the adjusted but unpaid taxes.

The global macro-economic environment is facing challenges, including the adverse impact on the global economies and financial markets as the outbreak continues to evolve into a worldwide health crisis in 2020, and the recent Russia-Ukraine crisis. The growth of the PRC economy has slowed down since 2012 compared to the previous decade and the trend may continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including the United States and China. There have been concerns over unrest and terrorist threats in the Middle East, Europe and Africa and over the conflicts involving Ukraine, Syria and North Korea. There have also been concerns on the relationship among China and other Asian countries, which may result in or intensify potential conflicts in relation to territorial disputes, and the trade disputes between the United States and China. The ongoing trade tensions between the United States and China may have tremendous negative impact on the economies of not merely the two countries concerned, but the global economy as a whole. It is unclear whether these challenges and uncertainties will be contained or resolved, and what effects they may have on the global political and economic conditions in the long term. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions, changes in domestic economic and political policies, and the expected or perceived overall economic growth rate in China. While the economy in China has grown significantly over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing in recent years. Although growth of China’s economy remained relatively stable, there is a possibility that China’s economic growth may materially decline in the near future. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global or PRC economy may materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Political tensions between the United States and China have escalated due to, among other things, trade disputes, the outbreak, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the central government of the PRC and the executive orders issued by former U.S. President Donald J. Trump in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with ByteDance Ltd., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and the respective subsidiaries of such companies, the executive order issued in November 2020 that prohibits U.S. persons from transacting publicly traded securities of certain “Communist Chinese military companies” named in such executive order, the executive order issued in January 2021 that prohibits such transactions as are identified by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce with certain “Chinese connected software applications,” including Alipay and WeChat Pay, as well as the Rules on Counteracting Unjustified Extra-territorial Application of Foreign Legislation and Other Measures promulgated by China’s Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, on January 9, 2021, which will apply to situations where the extra-territorial application of foreign legislation and other measures, in violation of international law and the basic principles of international relations, unjustifiably prohibits or restricts the citizens, legal persons or other organizations of China from engaging in normal economic, trade and related activities with a third State (or region) or its citizens, legal persons or other organizations. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, there have been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any legislation were to be enacted or any regulations were to be adopted along these lines, it could negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards China-based issuers listed in the United States in general, which also could have a material and adverse impact on the trading price of our ADSs.

We are a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and most are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside China. In addition, China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the Cayman Islands and many other countries and regions. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible.

On December 24, 2021, the CSRC published the draft Regulations of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “”) and the draft Measures for the Record-Filing of Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) (the “”) for public comments till January 23, 2022. Pursuant to these drafts, a filing-based regulatory system will be applied to both “direct overseas offering and listing” and “indirect overseas offering and listing” of PRC domestic companies. The “indirect overseas offering and listing” of PRC domestic companies refers to such securities offering and listing in an overseas market made in the name of an offshore entity, but based on the underlying equity, assets, earnings or other similar rights of a domestic company which operates its main business domestically. If the issuer meets the following conditions, the offering and listing shall be determined as an indirect overseas offering and listing by a domestic company: (i) the total assets, net assets, revenues or profits of the domestic operating entity or entities of the issuer in the most recent accounting year account for more than 50% of the corresponding figure in the issuer’s audited consolidated financial statements for the same period; (ii) most of the senior managers in charge of business operation and management of the issuer are Chinese citizens or have domicile in China, and its main places of business are located in China or main business activities are conducted in China. As of the date of this annual report, it remains uncertain when the final Administrative Provisions and Filing Measures will be adopted and whether they will be adopted in the current draft form. If the Administrative Provisions and Filing Measures are adopted in the current form, we may be required to file the relevant documents with the CSRC within three business days after submitting our listing application documents to the relevant regulator in the place of intended listing, and complete the filing procedures with the CSRC in connection with such future offshore securities offering. Failure to complete the filing under the Administrative Provisions and Filing Measures may subject a PRC domestic company to a warning and a fine of RMB1 million to RMB10 million. In the event of a serious violation of the Administrative Provisions, the PRC domestic company may be ordered to discontinue the related business or suspend its operations for rectification, and its permits or business licenses may be revoked.

Our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends is based upon their distributable earnings. Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to their respective shareholders only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our PRC subsidiaries and each of the VIEs and their subsidiaries is required to set aside at least 10% of its profits each year, if any, to fund a statutory reserve until such reserve reaches 50% of each of their registered capitals. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. If our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to distribute dividends or other payments to their respective shareholders could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax at a rate of 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to enterprises unless reduced under treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the resident enterprises are tax resident. Pursuant to the tax agreement between Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the withholding tax rate in respect to the payment of dividends by a PRC enterprise to a Hong Kong enterprise may be reduced to 5% from a standard rate of 10% if the Hong Kong enterprise directly holds at least 25% of the PRC enterprise. Under administrative guidance, a Hong Kong resident enterprise must meet the following conditions, among others, in order to apply the reduced withholding tax rate: (i) it must be a company; (ii) it must directly own the required percentage of equity interests and voting rights in the PRC resident enterprise; and (iii) it must have directly owned such required percentage in the PRC resident enterprise throughout the 12 months prior to receiving the dividends. Nonresident enterprises are not required to obtain from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax. Instead, nonresident enterprises and their withholding agents may, by self-assessment and on confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which will be subject to filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities. Accordingly, our Hong Kong subsidiary may be able to benefit from the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends it receives from our PRC subsidiaries, if it satisfies the conditions prescribed under the relevant tax rules and regulations. However, if the relevant tax authorities consider the transactions or arrangements we have are for the primary purpose of enjoying a favorable tax treatment, the relevant tax authorities may adjust the favorable withholding tax in the future. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the reduced 5% will apply to dividends received by our Hong Kong subsidiary from our PRC subsidiaries. This withholding tax will reduce the amount of dividends we may receive from our PRC subsidiaries.

In order to secure the use of our chops and seals, we have established internal control procedures and rules for using these chops and seals. In any event that the chops and seals are intended to be used, the responsible personnel will submit the application which will then be verified and approved by authorized employees in accordance with our internal control procedures and rules. In addition, in order to maintain the physical security of our chops, we generally have them stored in secured locations accessible only to authorized employees. Although we monitor such authorized employees, the procedures may not be sufficient to prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. There is a risk that our employees could abuse their authority, for example, by entering into a contract not approved by us or seeking to gain control of one of our subsidiaries or VIEs. If any employee obtains, misuses or misappropriates our chops and seals or other controlling assets for whatever reason, we could experience disruption to our normal business operations. We may have to take corporate or legal action, which could involve significant time and resources to resolve and divert management from our operations.

Any loans to our PRC subsidiaries in China, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries in China to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. In addition, a foreign invested enterprise shall use its capital pursuant to the principle of authenticity and within its business scope. The capital of a foreign invested enterprise shall not be used for the following purposes: (i) directly or indirectly used for payment beyond the business scope of the enterprises or the payment prohibited by relevant laws and regulations; (ii) directly or indirectly used for investment in securities investments other than banks’ principal-secured products unless otherwise provided by relevant laws and regulations; (iii) the granting of loans to enterprises, except where it is expressly permitted in the business license; and (iv) paying the expenses related to the purchase of real estate that is not for (except for the foreign-invested real estate enterprises).

SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective June 2015, which was amended on in December 2019, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in China in actual practice. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold to our PRC subsidiaries, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, replacing earlier rules promulgated in 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas-listed company, and complete certain other procedures. In addition, an overseas-entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. In addition, SAFE Circular 37 stipulates that PRC residents who participate in a share incentive plan of an overseas special purpose company may register with SAFE or its local branches before they obtain the incentive shares or exercise the share options. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been or will be granted incentive shares or options are or will be subject to these regulations. Failure to complete the SAFE registrations may subject them to fines and legal sanctions, and there may be additional restrictions on the ability of them to exercise their stock options or remit proceeds gained from sale of their stock into the PRC. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, production, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Taxation Administration, issued a circular, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Taxation Administration’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to this circular, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China, and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe that our company is not a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that our company or any of our offshore subsidiaries is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, our company or the relevant offshore subsidiaries will be subject to PRC enterprise income on its worldwide income at the rate of 25%. Furthermore, if we are treated as a PRC tax resident enterprise, we will be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are enterprises, including the holders of our ADSs. In addition, enterprise shareholders (including holders of our ADSs) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such gains are treated as derived from a PRC source. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our individual shareholders (including holders of our ADSs) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% (which, in the case of dividends, may be withheld at source). These rates may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty, but it is unclear whether our PRC shareholders would, in practice, be able to obtain the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our ADSs.

On February 3, 2015, the State Taxation Administration issued the Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Resident Enterprises, which came into effect on February 3, 2015. This notice redefines the applicable scope to expand the subject of the indirect share transfers to China taxable assets, which includes equity investments in PRC resident enterprises, assets of Chinese establishments and immovable properties in China. In addition, this notice has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. this notice also brings challenges to both the foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets.

On October 17, 2017, State Taxation Administration issued the Announcement on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Enterprise Income Tax at Source, which came into effect on December 1, 2017, and further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of enterprise income tax.

Where a enterprise transfers taxable assets in China indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an Indirect Transfer, the enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity whose equity is transferred, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such Indirect Transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.

We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our Company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under the abovementioned rules. For transfer of shares in our company by investors who are resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiaries may be requested to assist in the filing under the abovementioned rules. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with abovementioned rules or their applicable tax related requirements or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA has been signed into law on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection for the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or ADS from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the counter trading market in the U.S. Accordingly, under the current law this could happen in 2024.

On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments to its rules implementing the HFCAA (the “”). The Final Amendments include requirements to disclose information, including the auditor name and location, the percentage of shares of the issuer owned by governmental entities, whether governmental entities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction with respect to the auditor has a controlling financial interest with respect to the issuer, the name of each official of the Chinese Communist Party who is a member of the board of the issuer, and whether the articles of incorporation of the issuer contains any charter of the Chinese Communist Party. The Final Amendments also establish procedures the SEC will follow in identifying issuers and prohibiting trading by certain issuers under the HFCAA.

The HFCAA or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the ADSs could be adversely affected. In March 2022, the SEC issued its first “Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCAA” indicating that those companies are now formally subject to the delisting provisions if they remain on the list for three consecutive years. We anticipate being added to the list shortly after the filing of this annual report. Additionally, whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditor before the issuance of our financial statements on Form for the year ended December 31, 2023 which is due by April 30, 2024, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our control. If we are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time, we could be delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market and our ADSs will not be permitted for trading either. Such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs. Also, such a delisting would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.

On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill known as the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, to amend Section 104(i) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. 7214(i)) to prohibit securities of any registrant from being listed on any of the U.S. securities exchanges or traded if the auditor of the registrant’s financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspection for two consecutive years, instead of three consecutive years as currently enacted in the HFCAA.

In the case that the bill becomes the law, it will reduce the time period before our ADSs could be delisted from the exchange and prohibited from trading in the U.S. from 2024 to 2023.

Sales of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our securities to decline. Shares held by our existing shareholders may be available for sale subject to the volume and other restrictions as applicable provided in Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable agreements. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders, management team or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our ADSs.

If we or the depositary were to oppose a jury trial based on this waiver, the court would have to determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of the case in accordance with applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, or by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual jury trial waiver, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this would be the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before investing in the ADSs.

Our Articles contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our Board has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by ADSs. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our Board decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

We are required to file an annual report on Form within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer, which may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.

In general, is a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year in which (i) 50% or more of the average value of its assets (generally determined on a quarterly basis) consists of assets that produce, or are held for the production of, passive income, or (ii) 75% or more of its gross income consists of passive income. For purposes of the above calculations, that owns, directly or indirectly, at least 25% by value of the shares of another corporation is treated as if it directly held its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and directly earned its proportionate share of the income of the other corporation. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents, royalties and certain gains. Cash and cash equivalents are generally passive assets for these purposes. Goodwill is generally characterized as an active asset to the extent it is associated with business activities that produce active income.

If a U.S. person is treated as owning 10% or more of the value or voting power of the ADSs or ordinary shares, such person generally will be treated as a “United States shareholder” with respect to each “controlled foreign corporation,” or “CFC,” in our group (if any). A CFC is more than 50% of the stock (by vote or value) of which is owned (directly, indirectly or constructively) by “United States shareholders.” We are not actually controlled by “United States shareholders” for purposes of the CFC rules. However, under certain ownership attribution rules, we could be treated as constructively controlled by U.S. subsidiaries of Kingsoft Group and Xiaomi for purposes of these rules, and therefore we and may be treated as CFCs. In addition, even if we are not a CFC as described in the preceding sentence, may be treated as CFCs under such ownership attribution rules because we have a U.S. subsidiary. A United States shareholder of a CFC may be subject to additional U.S. federal income tax liabilities and reporting requirements. We do not intend to monitor whether we are or any of is treated as a CFC for any purpose of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code or whether any investor is treated as a United States shareholder with respect to any of these entities or to furnish to any United States shareholders any information that may be necessary to comply with any applicable CFC rules. U.S. investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the potential application of these rules in their particular circumstances.

In May 2020, we completed an initial public offering in which we offered and sold an aggregate of 517,500,000 ordinary shares in the form of ADSs. Upon the initial public offering, all of our issued and outstanding preferred shares were automatically converted into ordinary shares on a basis. On May 8, 2020, the ADSs began trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol “KC.”

As of December 31, 2021, Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited had made cumulative capital contributions of RMB5,328 million (US$836 million) to our PRC subsidiaries through intermediate holding company, and were accounted as long-term investments of Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Limited. As of December 31, 2021, the loan balance owed under the VIE agreements was RMB3,385 million (US$531 million). In 2019, 2020 and 2021, the VIEs and their subsidiaries transferred RMB53.4 million, RMB24.9 million and RMB20.2 million (US$ 3.2 million), respectively, to our PRC subsidiaries as payment or prepayment of service fees. Beijing Kingsoft Cloud and Yunxiang Zhisheng, our PRC subsidiaries, provided the VIEs and their subsidiaries with technical support, consulting services and other services related to the business of VIEs and their subsidiaries, including business management, daily operations, strategic planning, among others.

As of December 31, 2020 and 2021, the prepayment of service fees from the VIEs and their subsidiaries to our PRC subsidiaries amounted to nil and nil, respectively. As of December 31, 2020 and 2021, the outstanding balance of service fees owed by the VIEs and their subsidiaries to our PRC subsidiaries amounted to RMB311.0 million and RMB333.8 million (US$52.4 million), respectively. There were no other assets transferred between the VIEs and their subsidiaries and in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The table above has been prepared under the assumption that all profits of the VIEs and their subsidiaries will be distributed as fees to our PRC subsidiaries under tax neutral contractual arrangements. If in the future, the accumulated earnings of the VIEs and their subsidiaries exceed the fees paid to our PRC subsidiaries, or if the current and contemplated fee structure between the intercompany entities is determined to be and disallowed by Chinese tax authorities, we have other strategies that can be deployed on a tax neutral basis.

Should all tax planning strategies fail, the VIEs and their subsidiaries could, as a matter of last resort, make a transfer to our PRC subsidiaries for the amounts of the stranded cash in the VIEs and their subsidiaries. This would result in the double taxation of earnings: one at the VIE level (for expenses) and one at the PRC subsidiary level (for presumptive earnings on the transfer). Such a transfer and the related tax burdens would reduce our income to approximately 50.63% of the income. Our management is of the view that the likelihood that this scenario would happen is remote.