Specialty Chemical Company China XD Plastics Announces Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results

HARBIN,China,Nov. 14,2019 -- China XD Plastics Company Limited (NASDAQ: CXDC) ("China XD Plastics" or the "Company"),one of China's leading specialty chemical companies engaged in the development,manufacture and sale of polymer composite materials primarily for automotive applications,today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30,2019.

Third Quarter 2019 Financial Summary

Revenue was$373.2 million,an increase of 25.6% YoYand a decrease of 19.4% sequentially

Gross profit was$60.1 million,an increase of 27.3% YoY and a decrease of 8.0% sequentially

Gross margin of 16.1%,an increase of 20 basis points YoY and an increase of 200 basis points sequentially

Net income was$17.0 million,anincrease of 88.9% YoYand a decrease of 57.6% sequentially

EBITDA was $54.6million,an increase of 82.0% YoY and a decrease of 22.1% sequentially

Total volume shippedwas 92,001 metric tons,a decreaseof 15.5%YoYand a decrease of 13.7% sequentially

Our third quarter 2019 results were consistent with the continuous downturn in the auto industry of China since the summer of 2018," said Jie Han,Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer." China's automobile industry has been negatively affected by lackluster consumer demand in the domestic market,pressure from the newly issued and more stringent emission standards and a slash in subsidies to alternative energy vehicles. Yet to come is the trend reversal of automobile demand in China. Amid the negative growth environment,the small and medium-sized competitors of our industry in China have experienced difficulty to fulfill customers' orders due to reasons such as changing financial conditions and tougher environmental policies. As a result,customers have started redirecting their orders to larger suppliers such as China XD. During the third quarter of 2019,the Company was able to successfully leverage the increasing customer demand and up-sell its high-end products produced with higher-priced raw materials in China,as well as achieving the rapid increase of customer orders in non-automobile fields,evidenced by our stable sales growth in several domestic regions."

"Meanwhile,China XD continued to optimize its management structure and enhancing efficiency,resulting in decreased expenses and enhanced net income. We are pleased with our good results.

"Last month the Company has achieved a consortium led by ICBC,the world largest commercial bank by assets,which speaks volume of the confidence that world leading financial institutions in our business and brand,This will help us to succeed Company's expansion strategy in multiple regions and sectors. We will be more fiscally vigilant and responsible and stabilize our capital structure by replacing more short term debts with longer term instruments,among other means,in order to maintain a stable and sound balance sheet and weather potential and unexpected turbulence in the future."

"We are committed to completing our industrial project in Heilongjiang base for upgrading existing facilities of 100,000 metric tons capacity of engineering plastics in the fourth quarter of 2019,with relevant equipment on board. Together with the production capacity ramp up in Dubai,we will continure to remain our ability to make further inroads into more specialized high-end products for various important new markets,and to be confident with our core market positioning and expanded platform for growth," Mr. Han concluded.

Third Quarter 2019 Results

Revenues were US$373.2 million in the third quarter ended September 30,2019,representing an increase of US$76.0 million,or 25.6%,compared to US$297.2 million in the same period of last year,as a combined result of i) an increase of 52.3% in the average RMB selling price of our products; and partially offset by ii) a decrease of 15.5% in sales volume; and iii) a depreciation of RMB against US dollars by 3.8%,as compared with those of last year.

(i) Domestic market

For the three-month period ended September 30,revenues from domestic market increased by US$55.1 million or 18.5% compared with that in the same period of last year,as a combined result of: i) an increase of 47.3% in the average RMB selling price of our products; partially offset by ii) a decrease of 17.4% in sales volume; and iii) a depreciation of RMB against US dollars by 3.8%,as compared with those of last year.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers,automobile production and sales in China decreased by 11.4% and 10.3%,respectively,for the first nine months of 2019 as compared to the same period of 2018. The weakening in macroeconomic conditions since summer of 2018 continued to exacerbate automobile business environment,but thanks to our positive efforts to expand our marketing areas and customer bases and to meet their new requirements,the Company has achieved sales growth of 51.6% in Central China,45.9% in North China,30.1% in Southwest China,28.3% in Northeast China,and 0.9% in East China,partially offset by the sales decrease of 12.9% in Southern China.

As for the RMB selling price,the increase of 47.3% was mainly due to: i) increased sales of new categories ofhigher-end products of PA66 and PA6 produced with high-priced raw materials with higher selling price in domestic market; and ii) sales of high-priced work in progress in domestic market during the three-month period ended September 30,2019.

(ii) Overseas market

For the three-month period ended September 30,revenues from overseas market were US$20.9 million as compared to US$2,104 of the same period of 2018.

After a successful trial production at our production base in Dubai in November 2018,the Company has establishedbusiness relationships with new customers in UAE and India,and shipped products to the end users in Europe and Southeast Asia.We are optimistic about the prospect of our business expansion overseas.

Premium products (PA66,PA6,Plastic Alloy,PLA,POM and PPO) in total accounted for 85.5% of revenues from sales of finished goods in the third quarter of 2019,compared to 77.3% for the same period of 2018. The Company continued to shift production mix from traditional lower-end products such as PP to higher-end products such as PA66 and PPO,primarily due to (i) greater growth potential of advanced modified plastics in luxury automobile models in China,(ii) the stronger demand as a result of promotion by theChinese government for clean energy vehicles and (iii) better quality demand from and consumer recognition of higher-end cars made by automotive manufacturers from Chinese and Germany joint ventures,Sino-U.S. and Sino-Japanese joint ventures,which manufacturerstend to use more and higher-end modified plastics in quantity per vehicle in China.

The Company also sold high-priced work in progress with discounted price in domestic markets during the three-month period ended September 30,2019 in order to accelerate inventory turnover and replenish operating funds.

Gross profit was US$60.1 million in the third quarter ended September 30,compared to US$47.2million in the same period of 2018.Our gross margin increased to 16.1% during the third quarter ended September 30,2019 from 15.9% during the same quarter of 2018 primarily due to more sales of higher-end products during the quarter ended September 30,2019 as compared to that of the prior year.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were US6.0 million for the quarter ended September 30,2019 compared to US$8.1 million in the same period in 2018,representing a decrease of 25.9%,or US$2.1 million. The decrease was primarily due to our approach to optimize management structure and enhancing efficiency,leading to the decrease of (i) US$0.6 million in share based compensation incurred for external consultancy,(ii) US$0.6 million in salary and welfare,and (iii) US$0.9 million in travelling,transportation and miscellaneous expenses.

Research and development (R&D) expenses were US$19.9 million during the quarter ended September 30,2019 compared with US$23.3 million during the same period in 2018,representing a decrease of US$3.4 million,or 14.6%. This decrease was primarily due to (i) a decrease of US$2.5 million in raw materials consumption and (ii) a decrease of US$0.9 million in salary and welfare of R&D personnel.As of September 30,the number of ongoing research and development projects was 361.

Operating income was US$33.8 million in the third quarter ended September 30,2019 compared to US$13.0million in the same period of 2018,representing an increase of 160.0% or US$20.8 million. This increase was primarily due to the higher gross profit,lower selling expenses,G&A expenses and R&D expenses.

Net interest expenses were US$16.7 million for the three-month period ended September 30,compared to US$13.1 million in the same period of 2018,representing anincrease of 27.5% or US$3.6 million,primarily due to (i) the increase of average loan interest rate from 4.01% of the same period in 2018 to 4.70% for the three-month period ended September 30,2019 and partially offset by (ii) the decrease ofaverage short-term and long-term loan balance in the amount of US$915.6 million for the three-month period ended September 30,2019 compared to US$936.2 million of the same period in 2018.

Income tax expenses were US$5.6 million for the three-month period ended September 30,representing an effective income tax rate of 24.8%,compared to income taxbenefit of US$3.5 million in the same period of 2018,representing an effective income tax rate of-65.1%,respectively. The increase of effective income tax rate was primarily due to: i) the decrease of Sichuan Xinda's profit before tax ("PBT") percentage within the consolidating entities; and ii) the decrease of additional deduction of R&D expenses. The effective income tax rate for the three-month period ended September 30,2019 differs from the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily due to Sichuan Xinda's preferential income tax rate,and75% additional deductionof R&D expenses of the major PRC operating entities,partially offset by the increase of valuation allowance against deferred income tax assets of certain subsidiaries,which were at cumulative loss position.

Net income was a net income of US$17.0 million in the third quarter of 2019 compared to anet income of US$9.0 million in the same quarter of 2018,representing an increase of US$8.0 million,or 88.9%. Basic and diluted earnings per share for the three-month period ended September 30,2019 were both US$0.25,compared to US$0.13 basic and diluted earnings per share for the same period of 2018. The average number of shares used in the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share in the current quarter was 51.8 million,compared to 50.9 million and 51.0 million for basic and diluted earnings per share,in the prior year period.

Earnings before interest,tax,depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was US$54.6 million for the third quarter of 2019,compared to US$30.0 million for the same period of 2018,representing an increase of US$24.6 million,or 82.0%. For a detailed reconciliation of EBITDA,a non-GAAP measure,to its nearest GAAP equivalent,please see the financial tables at the end of this release.

Financial Condition

As of September 30,the Company had $235.1 million in the total amount of cash,cash equivalents and restricted cash,a decrease of $131.9 million or 35.9% as compared to $367.0 million as of December 31,2018,primarily due to cash outflows used in operating activities. As of the September 30,working capital was $89.8 million (current assets minus current liabilities) and the current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) was 1.1 as compared to the current ratio of 0.9 as of December 31,2018. Stockholders' equity as of September 30,2019 was $889.8 million,an increase of $140.9 million or 18.8% as compared to $748.9 million as of December 31,2018.

Inventories increased by 12.7% as a result of more purchases of the raw materials and the Company's strategy to stock up the finished goods for the upcoming orders. Prepaid expenses and other current assets increased by 77.5% or US$102.4 million because (i) advances to suppliers for purchasing raw materials increased by US$69.2 million; (ii) other receivables increased by US$42.8 million; (iii) other prepaid expenses decreased by US$9.6 million,which mainly included prepaid miscellaneous service fee and staff advance,and value added taxes receivables. The aggregate short-term and long-term bank loans increased by 6.5% due to using the line of credits to support operating and investing activities in HLJ Xinda Group and Sichuan Xinda.We define the manageable debt level as the sum of aggregate short-term and long-term loans over total assets.

Recent Development

(i) Xinda Holding (HK) Company Limited,a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company,entered into a facility agreement on October 2,2019 for a loan facility in an aggregate amount of US$135,000,000 with a consortium of banks and financial institutions led by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Macau) Limited.

(ii) On September 26,the company delivered an irrevocable written notice pursuit to Section 6(C) (ii) of the Certificate of Designation,preferences and Rights of Series D Junior Convertible Preferred Stock and exercised its right for the mandatory conversion of 16,000 shares of Series D Preferred Stock into 16,000 shares of common stock. As a result,the term of office of MSPEA's two designees on the Board,Homer Sun and Ryan Law,was automatically terminated. On October 14,MSPEA sent a letter (the "Proposal Withdrawal Letter") to the Board informing the Board that it no longer intended to participate in the consortium consisting of Mr. Han,XD Engineering Plastics Company Limited,and MSPEA (the "Consortium") and no longer intended to participate in the going private transaction (the "Transaction"). Concurrently with sending the Proposal Withdrawal Letter,MSPEA sent a letter (the "Consortium Withdrawal Letter") to the other members of the Consortium informing them that it no longer intended to participate in the Consortium and no longer intended to participate in the Transaction.

Financial Guidance and Business Outlook

In light of the current changing macroeconomic environment in China,Chinese auto industry market still showing certain decline and yet to come is the trend reversal of automobile demand in China,the Company will continue to adopt the policy of eliminating inventories and ensuring capital safety during the fourth quarter of 2019. With the completion of Heilongjiang base for upgrading existing facilities,and the successful trial run in Dubai resulting in new production capacity to be added,our expansion into new markets overseas,diversified customer base and escalation of sales categories,the Company updated its financial guidance for fiscal 2019 to range $1.1 and $1.3 billion in revenue,net income to range between $70 and $90 million. It also assumes the average exchange rate of the US dollar to RMB at 7.1. This financial guidance reflects the Company's current view of its business outlook for fiscal 2019 and is subject to revision based on changing market conditions at any time.

Conference Call

China XD Plastics' senior management will host a conference call at 9:00 am Eastern Time on Thursday,November 14th,to discuss its third quarter 2019 financial results.The conference call can be accessed by dialing +1- 845-675- 0437 (for callers in the U.S.),+86-4006- 208-038 (for Mainland China callers) or +852- 3018-6771 (for Hong Kong callers) and entering passcode 3651209.

A recording of the conference call will be available through November 22nd,by calling +1-855-452-5696 (for callers in the U.S.) and entering pass code 3651209.

A live webcast and replay of the conference call will be available on the investor relations page of the Company's website at http://chinaxd.net/.

About China XD Plastics Company Limited

China XD Plastics Company Limited,through its wholly-owned subsidiaries,develops,manufactures and sells polymer composites materials,primarily for automotive applications. The Company's products are used in the exterior and interior trim and in the functional components of 31 automobile brands manufactured in China,including without limitation,Audi,Mercedes Benz,BMW,Toyota,Buick,Chevrolet,Mazda,Volvo,Ford,Citroen,Jinbei and VW Passat,Golf,Jetta,etc. The Company's wholly-owned research center is dedicated to the research and development of polymer composites materials and benefits from its cooperation with well-known scientists from prestigious universities in China. As of September 30,595 of the Company's products have been certified for use by one or more of the automobile manufacturers in China. For more information,please visit the Company's English website at http://chinaxd.irpass.com/,and the Chinese website at http://www.xdholding.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements,including but not limited to,the Company's growth potential in international markets; the effectiveness and profitability of the Company's product diversification strategy; the impact of the Company's product mix shift to more advanced products and related pricing policies; the effectiveness,profitability,and the marketability of its the ongoing mix shift to more advanced products; the prospect of the Company's Dubai facility,and the associated expansion into Middle East,Europe and other parts of Asia; the prospect of the Company's Southwest China facility,the prospects of the Company's Harbin facility,and its penetration into Northeast China; and its penetration into Southwest China; the Company's projections of its revenues for performance in fiscal 2019.These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "forecast," "plan," "believe," "estimate" and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations,assumptions,estimates and projections about the Company and the industry. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include,but are not limited to,the global economic uncertainty could further impair the automotive industry and limit demand for our products; fluctuations in automotive sales and production could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity; our financial performance may be affected by the prospect of our Dubai facility and the associated expansion into Middle East,Europe and other parts of Asia; the withdrawal of preferential government policies and the tightening control over the Chinese automotive industry and automobile purchase restrictions imposed in certain major cities may limit market demand for our products; the slowing of Chinese automotive industry's growth; the concentration of our distributors,customers and suppliers; and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances,or to changes in its expectations,except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward looking statements are reasonable,it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct,and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.

- Financial Tables Follow -

The following table shows a reconciliation of cash,cash equivalents and restricted cash on the condensed consolidated balance sheets to that presented in the above condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

CHINA XD PLASTICS COMPANY LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

September 30,

December 31,

2019

2018

US$

US$

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

10,509,402

41,301,817

Restricted cash

224,647,340

325,690,023

Accounts receivable,net of allowance for doubtful accounts

326,831,373

294,688,288

Inventories

699,002,558

620,033,195

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

234,507,419

132,218,528

Total current assets

1,495,498,092

1,413,931,851

Property,plant and equipment,net

798,105,488

775,941,280

Land use rights,net

28,465,372

29,796,795

Long-term prepayments to equipment and construction suppliers

436,326,962

530,636,319

Operating lease right-of-use assets,net

15,601,773

—

Other non-current assets

801,296

3,212,986

Total assets

2,774,798,983

2,753,519,231

LIABILITIES,REDEEMABLE CONVERTIBLE

PREFERRED STOCK AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Short-term bank loans,including current portion of long-term

bankloans

619,522,749

729,666,920

Bills payable

431,288,254

618,166,453

Accounts payable

205,440,261

84,958,469

Amounts due to related parties

28,444,767

18,365,738

Income taxes payable

21,696

15,975,367

Operating lease liabilities,current

1,390,531

—

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

98,503,263

126,926,898

Total current liabilities

1,405,695,521

1,594,059,845

Long-term bank loans,excluding current portion

276,518,446

111,808,244

Deferred income

93,214,165

99,583,477

Operating lease liabilities,non-current

14,513,462

—

Other non-current liabilities

95,038,794

101,573,772

Total liabilities

1,884,980,388

1,907,025,338

Redeemable Series D convertible preferred stock (redemption

amount of nil and US$280,650,800 as of September 30,2019

and December 31,respectively)

—

97,576,465

Stockholders' equity:

Series B preferred stock

100

100

Common stock,US$0.0001 par value,500,000 shares

authorized,66,969,841 and 50,841 shares issued,948,841

and 50,841 shares outstanding as ofSeptember 30,2019 and

December 31,respectively

6,697

5,097

Treasury stock,21,000 shares at cost

(92,694)

(92,694)

Additional paid-in capital

184,208,447

86,633,582

Retained earnings

785,161,135

717,103,890

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(79,090)

(54,732,547)

Total stockholders' equity

889,818,595

748,917,428

Commitments and contingencies

—

—

Total liabilities,redeemable convertible preferred stock and

stockholders' equity

2,231

CHINA XD PLASTICS COMPANY LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Three-Month Period Ended

September 30,

Nine-Month Period Ended

September 30,

2019

2018

2019

2018

US$

US$

US$

US$

Revenues

373,159,091

297,224,740

1,137,698,978

925,007,293

Cost of revenues

(313,044,518)

(249,997,804)

(961,994,051)

(767,759,035)

Gross profit

60,114,573

47,226,936

175,704,927

157,248,258

Selling expenses

(431,070)

(2,741,156)

(956,300)

(7,354,876)

General and administrative expenses

(5,999,123)

(8,117,769)

(20,539,101)

(28,341,545)

Research and development expenses

(19,908,789)

(23,342,321)

(39,696)

(33,680,855)

Total operating expenses

(26,338,982)

(34,201,246)

(61,018,097)

(69,377,276)

Operating income

33,775,591

13,690

114,686,830

87,870,982

Interest income

338,033

264,838

1,228,169

3,607,136

Interest expense

(17,036,345)

(13,393,886)

(46,595,864)

(37,562,666)

Foreign currency exchange gains

4,065,890

4,387,166

4,637

6,064,328

Losses on foreign currency option

contracts

—

—

—

(520,981)

Gains on disposal of a subsidiary

—

—

518,491

—

Government grant

1,284

1,145,703

5,111,437

4,001,746

Total non-operating expense,net

(11,227,138)

(7,596,179)

(34,762,130)

(24,410,437)

Income before income taxes

22,548,453

5,429,511

79,924,700

63,460,545

Income tax benefit (expense)

(5,240)

3,535,430

(11,867,455)

(8,171,625)

Net income

16,965,213

8,964,941

68,057,245

55,920

Earnings per common share:

Basic and diluted

0.25

0.13

1.02

0.83

Net Income

16,920

Other comprehensive losses

Foreign currency translation adjustment,

net of nilincome taxes

(22,259)

(28,497,101)

(24,543)

(38,141,701)

Total Comprehensive income

(losses)

(5,725,046)

(19,532,160)

43,324,702

17,147,219

CHINA XD PLASTICS COMPANY LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine-Month Period Ended

September 30,

2019

2018

US$

US$

Cash flows from operating activities:

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

(183,155,418)

115,922

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchase of and deposits for property,plant and equipment

(54,255,192)

(430,839,423)

Refund of prepayment for building purchase

15,810,261

—

Net proceeds from sales of a subsidiary

7,296,921

—

Proceeds from maturity of time deposits

—

517,072

Purchase of time deposits

—

(236,428,396)

Refund of deposit from equipment suppliers

—

121,464,390

Deposits for acquisition of equity

—

(3,640,688)

Refund of deposits for acquisition of equity

—

15,577,880

Government grant related to the construction of Sichuan plant

—

10,859

Net cash used in investing activities

(31,148,010)

(5,855,306)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from bank borrowings

1,688

719,473

Repayments of bank borrowings

(1,569,203,033)

(757,030)

Proceeds from interest-free advances from related parties

79,718

14,256,429

Repayments of interest-free advances from related parties

(68,543,743)

—

Investment received in advance from a related party

—

75,567,512

Refund of investment received in advance from a related party

—

(75,512)

Net cash provided by(used in) financing activities

89,394,630

(22,767,128)

Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash,cash

equivalents and restricted cash

(6,300)

(19,528,082)

Net (decrease) increasein cash,cash equivalents and restricted

cash

(131,835,098)

67,363,406

Cash,cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of

period

366,991,840

320,091,665

Cash,cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period

235,156,742

387,455,071

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

Interest paid,net of capitalized interest

46,534,262

35,067,228

Income taxes paid

7,951,724

16,866,842

Non-cash investing activities:

Accrual for purchase of equipment and construction included in

accrued expenses and other current liabilities

1,794,800

5,825,800

Non-cash financing activities:

Conversion of Series D preferred stock to common stock

97,465

—

The following table shows a reconciliation of cash,cash equivalents and restricted cash on the condensed

consolidated balance sheets to that presented in the above condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

September 30,

2019

2018

US$

US$

Cash and cash equivalents

10,402

51,593

Restricted cash

224,340

335,915,478

Total cash,cash equivalents,and restricted cash shown in the

statement of cash flows

235,071

CHINA XD PLASTICS COMPANY LIMITED

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA

(Amounts expressed in United States Dollars)

Three-Month Period Ended

September 30,

2019

2018

Net income -GAAP

$ 16,213

$ 8,941

Interest expense

17,345

13,886

Provision for income taxes

5,240

(3,430)

Depreciation and amortization expense

14,815,533

11,157,560

Amortization of operating lease right-of-use assets

159,068

-

EBITDA

54,559,399

29,957

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