Yuexiu REIT is a unit trust authorised by the SFC under section 104 of the SFO and regulated by the provisions of the REIT Code. The Manager has been authorised by the SFC under section 116 of the SFO to conduct the regulated activity of asset management. As at 31 December 2020, the Manager had four persons who are approved as Responsible Officers pursuant to the requirements of section 125 of the SFO and Rule 5.4 of the REIT Code, Mr. Lin Deliang, Mr. Cheng Jiuzhou (resigned on 4 March 2021) and Ms. Ou Haijing, the Executive Directors of the Manager, are also Responsible Officers of the Manager pursuant to the requirements of section 125 of the SFO. Mr. Kwan Chi Fai is also Responsible Officer.

The Trustee is registered as a trust company under section 77 of the Trustee Ordinance (Chapter 29) and is qualified to act as a trustee for authorised collective investment schemes under the SFO and the REIT Code.

As at 31 December 2020, the board of Directors of the Manager (“Board”) comprised eight members, four of whom are INEDs.

The Board principally oversees the day-to-day management of the Manager’s affairs and the conduct of its business and is responsible for the overall governance of the Manager. The Board’s function is largely separated from, and independent of, the executive management function. The Board leads and guides the Manager’s corporate strategy and direction. Day-to-day management functions and certain supervisory functions have been delegated to relevant committees of the Board and a schedule of matters specifically reserved to the Board has been formally adopted. The Board exercises its general powers within the limits defined by the Manager’s articles of association (“Articles of Association”), with a view to ensuring that management discharges its duties and is compensated appropriately, and that sound internal control policies and risk management systems are maintained. The Board will also review major financial decisions and the performance of the Manager. In accordance with the RElT Code, the Manager is required to act in the best interests of the Unitholders, to whom it owes a fiduciary duty.

The roles of the key members of the Board are as follows:

Chairman - responsible for the overall leadership of the Board and the Manager generally.

Chief Executive Officer - responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Manager and supervises the Manager’s management team to ensure that Yuexiu REIT is operating in accordance with its stated strategies, policies and regulations.

INEDs - govern the Manager through the Board and their participation in Board committees.

The composition of the Board is determined using the following principles:

the Board should comprise Directors with a broad range of commercial experience, including expertise in funds management and the property industry; and

at least half of the Board and, in any event, not less than three Directors should comprise INEDs.

The composition will be reviewed regularly to ensure that the Board has the appropriate mix of expertise and experience.

Board meetings will normally be held at least four times a year at approximately quarterly intervals. To ensure that Directors will be given sufficient time to consider the issues to be tabled at the various Board meetings, details of the venue, time and agenda of the meeting are required to be given at least 10 clear days in advance of the meeting (except if there are exceptional circumstances or if the majority of Directors agree to a shorter period of notice).

No Board meeting, or any adjourned Board meeting, will be quorate unless a simple majority of Directors for the time being (excluding any Directors which the Manager has a right to exclude for that purpose, whether pursuant to a contract or otherwise) are present at the time when the relevant business is transacted. A Director who, whether directly or indirectly, has a material interest in a contract or proposed contract with the Manager, which is of significance to the Manager’s business, he must declare the nature of his interest during the Board meeting or by giving a general notice to the Board, whichever is earlier before the question of entering into the contract is taken into consideration on behalf of the Manager.

A Director who is prohibited from voting by reason of a conflict of interest will not be counted for the purposes of establishing the necessary quorum for the meeting.

Matters to be considered by the Board will be adopted on the basis of a simple majority of votes.

The Board has the power to delegate to committees consisting of such numbers of its body as it thinks fit. Various committees have been established to assist the Board in discharging its responsibilities. The committees of the Board have been set up with clear terms of reference to review specific issues or items and to then submit their findings and recommendations to the full Board for consideration and endorsement. Unless the decision making power has been vested in the relevant committee by the Board, the ultimate responsibility for making final decisions rests with the full Board and not the committees.

The committees of the Board are as follows:

The Audit Committee comprises INEDs only (at least one of whom must have appropriate professional qualifications or accounting or related financial management expertise) and should have at least three members. As at the date of this report, the members of the Audit Committee are Mr. Chan Chi On, Derek, Mr. Cheung Yuk Tong, Mr. Chan Chi Fai, Brian and Mr. Chen Xiaoou. Mr. Chan Chi Fai, Brian is the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Among other matters, it reviews the completeness, accuracy and fairness of Yuexiu REIT’s financial statements and considers the scope, approach and nature of internal and external audit reviews, and is responsible for the overall risk management.

The Audit Committee’s responsibilities also include:

1. appointing external auditors, reviewing their reports and guiding management to take appropriate actions to remedy faults or deficiencies identified in internal control.

2. monitoring the procedures in place to ensure compliance with applicable legislation, the REIT Code and the applicable Listing Rules.

3. reviewing all financial statements and internal audit reports.

4. reviewing and monitoring the procedures established to regulate connected party transactions, including ensuring compliance with the provisions of the REIT Code relating to transactions between Yuexiu REIT and a “connected person” (as defined in REIT Code).

The Audit Committee meets on a half yearly basis and otherwise on an as-needed basis.

The external auditors of Yuexiu REIT attended the Audit Committee meeting to report major audit issues and findings.

The Finance and Investment Committee comprises seven Directors, including the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer and at least one INED. It is responsible for, among other matters, evaluating and making recommendations on proposed acquisitions and disposals of assets, approving budgets and reviewing actual expenses on all key expenditures and reviewing the quarterly financial performance, forecasts and annual financial plan of the Manager and Yuexiu REIT. The Finance and Investment Committee also reviews and recommends changes to financial authorities, policies or procedures in areas such as accounting, taxes, treasury, distribution payout, investment appraisal, management and statutory reporting.

The Disclosures Committee comprises the Chief Executive Officer and at least one INED. Among other matters, it is responsible for reviewing matters relating to the regular, urgent and forward looking disclosure of information to Unitholders and public announcements and circulars. The Disclosures Committee also oversees compliance with applicable legal requirements (including those relating to Yuexiu REIT’s connected party transactions) and the continuity, accuracy, clarity, completeness and currency of information disseminated by the Manager and Yuexiu REIT to the public and applicable regulatory agencies.

The Disclosures Committee’s responsibilities also include:

1. Regularly review and recommend to the Board on matters of corporate disclosure issues and announcements, financial reporting, connected party transactions and potential areas of conflict of interests.

2. Oversee compliance with applicable legal requirements and the continuity, accuracy, clarity, completeness and circulation of information disseminated by both the Manager and the Yuexiu REIT to the public and applicable regulatory agencies.

3. Review and approve all material non-public information and all public regulatory filings of the Group prior to such information being disseminated to the public or filed with applicable regulatory agencies, as applicable.

The Disclosures Committee members are appointed by the Board from among the Directors.

The Disclosures Committee meets on a half yearly basis and otherwise on an as-needed basis.

The Remuneration and Nomination Committee comprises of one member appointed by Manager and at least three INEDs. Among other matters, it reviews the terms and conditions of employment of all staff and Directors (other than the members of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, whose remuneration is determined by the Board) and recommends the manpower deployment plan (including the succession plan for the management of the Manager and the Board), remuneration and retirement policies and packages. It ensures that no Director is involved in deciding his own remuneration. It is also responsible for reviewing the structure, size and composition of the Board and its committees on an ongoing basis and for nominating, and providing recommendations on, persons for appointment, re-appointment or removal as Directors. If a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee is subject to re-appointment or removal, then such Director will abstain from participating in such discussions.

Yuexiu REIT will in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting in addition to any other meetings in that year. The Trustee or the Manager may at any time convene a meeting of Unitholders. The Manager will also convene a meeting if requested in writing by not less than two Unitholders registered as together holding not less than 10.0% of the issued and outstanding Units. Except for annual general meeting where at least 21 days’ notice of the meeting will be given, at least 14 days’ notice of other meetings will be given to the Unitholders and the notice will specify the time and venue of the meeting and the resolutions to be proposed.

Two or more Unitholders present in person or by proxy registered as holding not less than 10.0% of the Units for the time being in issue will form a quorum for the transaction of all businesses, except for the purpose of passing a special resolution. The quorum for passing a special resolution will be two or more Unitholders present in person or by proxy registered as holding not less than 25.0% of the Units in issue. The quorum for an adjourned meeting shall be such number of Unitholders who are present in person or by proxy regardless of the number of Units held by them.

Independent Board Committee presently comprises of four INEDs.

Independent Board Committee held by INEDs to review and approve the extension of existing continuing connected party transaction waiver and proposed new annual caps for certain continuing connected party transactions.

Yuexiu REIT will prepare its financial statements in accordance with Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards with a financial year-end of 31 December and a financial half-year of 30 June. In accordance with the REIT Code, the annual results for Yuexiu REIT will be announced no later than three months following each financial year end and the annual report and financial statements for Yuexiu REIT will be published and sent to Unitholders no later than four months following each financial year-end and the interim results no later than two months following each financial half-year. In addition, Yuexiu REIT aims to provide Unitholders with relevant operational information, such as occupancy levels and utilisation rates of the properties that it holds, along with the publication of such financial results following each financial year-end and financial half-year.

As required by the REIT Code, the Manager will ensure that public announcements of material information and developments with respect to Yuexiu REIT will be made on a timely basis in order to keep Unitholders appraised of the position of Yuexiu REIT.

In accordance with the Trust Deed, Yuexiu REIT is required to distribute not less than 90% of Total Distributable Income to Unitholders. The Manager’s policy is to distribute to Unitholders 100% of Yuexiu REIT’s Total Distributable Income for each of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 financial years and thereafter at least 90% of Yuexiu REIT’s annual Total Distributable Income in each subsequent financial year. As stated in the circular issued to Unitholders dated 30 June 2012, the Manager intended to distribute to the Unitholders an amount equal to 100% of Yuexiu REIT’s Total Distributable Income and Additional Item for the financial years ended from 31 December 2012 to 31 December 2016 and no less than 90% thereafter.

The Manager also has the discretion under Trust Deed, where there are surplus funds, to distribute amounts in addition to that set out in the circular. At the time of announcing the distribution for any particular year, the Manager shall consider whether to exercise such discretion having regard to factors including but not limited to Yuexiu REIT’s funding requirements, its earnings and financial position, its growth strategy, operating and capital requirements, compliance with relevant laws, regulations and covenants (including existing limitations on borrowings as prescribed in the REIT Code), other capital management considerations, the overall stability of distributions and prevailing industry practice.