SEC Form DEF 14A filed by MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited

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

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Check the appropriate box:

MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

__________________________________________________________________
(Name of Persons(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

MINGZHU LOGISTICS HOLDINGS LIMITED

27F, Yantian Modern Industry Service Center
No. 3018 Shayan Road, Yantian District
Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 518081

To the Shareholders of Mingzhu Logistics Holdings Limited:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2024 annual meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) of the shareholders of MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited (the “Company” or “MingZhu”), a company formed in the Cayman Islands, to be held in the offices of the Company’s counsel, Becker & Poliakoff P.A., at 45 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10006, on October 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Annual Meeting is being held for the purpose of considering and voting upon the following proposals:

•        To elect five (5) directors to the Company’s board of directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified;

•        To ratify the appointment of Audit Alliance LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and

•        To approve the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if, based upon the tabulated vote at the time of the Annual Meeting, there are not sufficient votes to approve any of the foregoing proposals.

No other business shall be transacted at the Annual Meeting.

The Board has fixed the close of business on August 19, 2024 (the “Record Date”) as the date for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment thereof. Only holders of record of the Company’s outstanding shares on that date are entitled to have their votes counted at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment. As of the Record Date, there were 4,779,065 outstanding ordinary shares of MingZhu entitled to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting. No other securities of MingZhu have voting rights.

Stockholders may vote electronically or by mail in accordance with the following:

VOTE BY INTERNET — www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information. Vote by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on October 16, 2024. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE — 1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions. Vote by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on October 16, 2024. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.

After careful consideration of all relevant factors, the Board recommends that you vote or give the instruction to vote “FOR ALL” the proposals regarding the election of the five (5) directors identified in this Proxy Statement to the Board, “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Audit Alliance LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, and “FOR” the proposal to adjourn the Annual Meeting under certain circumstances.

Whether or not you plan to participate in the Annual Meeting, we urge you to read the proxy statement carefully and to vote your shares. Your vote is very important. This will assure your representation and a quorum for the transaction of business at the meeting.

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

NOTICE OF 2024 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

Meeting Time: 10:00 a.m. October 16, 2024 (Eastern Time)

To the Shareholders of Mingzhu Logistics Holdings Limited:

You are cordially invited to attend the 2024 annual meeting (the “Annual Meeting”) of the shareholders of MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited, a Cayman Islands company (the “Company” or “MingZhu”) that will take place in the offices of the Company’s counsel, Becker & Poliakoff P.A., at 45 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10006 on October 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Annual Meeting is being held for the purpose of considering and voting upon the following proposals:

•        To elect five (5) directors to the Company’s board of directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified;

•        To ratify the appointment of Audit Alliance LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024; and

•        To approve the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if, based upon the tabulated vote at the time of the Annual Meeting, there are not sufficient votes to approve any of the foregoing proposals.

The Board has fixed the close of business on August 19, 2024 (the “Record Date”) as the date for determining the shareholders entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournment thereof. Only holders of record of the Company’s outstanding shares on that date are entitled to have their votes counted at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment. As of the Record Date, there were 4,779,065 outstanding ordinary shares of MingZhu. MingZhu’s issued and outstanding warrants do not have voting rights.

A list of record shareholders will be available for inspection at the offices of our counsel, Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., located at 45 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10006 for a period of ten (10) days before the annual meeting during ordinary business hours.

The affirmative vote of 50% or more of the Company’s shares present (in person or by proxy) at the Meeting and voting will be required to approve the proposals. Each of the five (5) directors identified herein shall be elected to the Board if that director’s election is so approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present (in person or by proxy) at the Annual Meeting and voting on the proposal.

Enclosed is the proxy statement containing detailed information concerning the above referenced proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting. We are providing the proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card to our shareholders in connection with the solicitation of proxies to be voted at the Annual Meeting and at any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting. The proxy statement is first being mailed to shareholders of the Company on or about September 3, 2024 along with our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and proxy card. We encourage you to read this proxy statement carefully. If you have any questions or need assistance voting your shares, please contact Mr. Terry Zhang, our Chief Financial Officer, at (86) 755-25209839 or by email [email protected].

The Proxy Statement and our 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders are available at:
www.szygmz.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE MEETING

These questions and answers are only summaries of the matters they discuss. They do not contain all of the information that may be important to you. You should read carefully this entire proxy statement.

PROPOSAL 1 — ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

The Company’s board of directors is currently comprised of five (5) directors, each director being elected to serve a year until the next annual meeting or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified.

Under the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, directors, Messrs. Jinlong Yang, Jingwei Zhang, Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen are up for election at the Company’s annual general meeting. At the Annual Meeting therefore, the shareholders are being asked to elect each of Messrs. Jinlong Yang, Jingwei Zhang, Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen to our board of directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified.

Subsequent to shareholder approval of this proposal, the Board will have a total of five (5) members as follows:

The following biographical information is furnished as to each nominee for election as a director:

Jinlong Yang, age 48, has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors since April 2018 and the General Manager of MingZhu since August 2012. Mr. Yang has over ten years of experience in the transportation industry. He joined MingZhu as a sales manager in May 2009 and was subsequently promoted to the General Manager, Executive Director and legal representative of MingZhu. Prior to joining MingZhu, Mr. Yang served as an officer at the Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection Stations in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Mr. Yang holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. We believe Mr. Yang is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive operating and management experience and knowledge in the transportation industry.

Jingwei Zhang has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2018 and our director since June 2024. He has been serving as Financial Director of MingZhu since December 2016 where he oversees all aspects of financial control, manages yearly financial and inter-audits and provides financial, commercial and strategic support to the company. Since October 30, 2020 Mr. Zhang has served as the Director of Nantai International Inc. (OTC: NTAI), an online advertising platform. From May 2015 to November 2016, Mr. Zhang served as a corporate accountant of ERI Management, a management advisory firm in Singapore, where he reviewed clients’ accounts to ensure regulatory and U.S. GAAP compliance, assisted clients on cost management and budgeting and provided tax-related consultancy to reduce clients’ potential risks. From January 2014 to May 2015, Mr. Zhang served as an accountant at St. Plum-Blossom Press Pty. Ltd., a publisher in Melbourne, Australia, where he was responsible for bookkeeping and preparation of financial statements. Mr. Zhang holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce in Accounting from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and an Associates Degree in Business Administration from City University of Hong Kong.

Mikael Charette, age 44, has served as our independent director since September 2020. He served as Vice Chairman and Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai between April 2019 and April 2021 where he represented the interest of the Canadian business community in Shanghai. Since April 2019, he has also been serving as the Vice President of Fung & Yu CPA Ltd., a Hong Kong based accounting firm serving clients in Greater China and overseas. Since May 2006, Mr. Charette has also been serving as the President of Well Asia Group, an asset holding and managing company that provides immigration and real estate services to high-net-worth individuals. For the periods from February 2005 to May 2006 and from January 2009 to December 2015, he served as a partner of Harvey Law Group where he built a successful immigration practice for high-net-worth individuals and also represented clients in cross-border transactions and advised on market entry issues in China and other Asian countries. Mr. Charette holds a Master of Law degree from City University of Hong Kong and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Victoria in Victoria, Canada. We believe Mr. Charette is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience with legal matters relating to cross-border transactions.

Yuzhou Wang, age 44, has served as our independent director since August 2022. Mr. Wang has over 19 years’ experience in finance and accounting. From September 2020 to current, Mr. Wang has served as the VP of the international financial department of Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co., Ltd., d/b/a Cenbest, or Nanjing Cenbest Co., Ltd. (600682). From January 2019 to August 2020, Mr. Wang served as the CEO of Shanghai Yisheng Financial Consulting Ltd. From July 2014 to December 2018, Mr. Wang served as the VP of financial department of Nanjing Sanpower Group. From November 2010 to August 2014, Mr. Wang served as the VP of financial department of Zhengxing Wheel Group Co., Ltd. (NYSE: ZX). From September 2005 to October 2010, Mr. Wang served as an audit manager of Shanghai Deloitte Huayong Certified Public Accountants Co., Ltd.

To Wai Suen, age 50, has served as our independent director since September 2020. Mr. Suen has over 18 years of experience in finance and accounting. Mr. Suen has been an independent director of China Zenix Auto International Limited (Prior NYSE: ZX and OTC: ZXAIY and later delisted in January 2022), one of the largest commercial vehicle wheel manufacturers in China in both the aftermarket and OEM market by sales volume, since April 2018. From February 2018 to April 2019, he was an independent director of CT Environmental Group Limited (1363.HK), a company engaging in industrial wastewater treatment and hazardous waste disposal. He served as the corporate secretary of China Smarter Energy Group Holdings Limited (1004.HK) from January 2017 to April 2019, where he was responsible for the company’s mergers, acquisitions, investment, finance, internal control, audit, compliance and accounting. For the period from May 2015 to August 2016, Mr. Suen served as Chief Financial Officer and company secretary of China Saite Group Company Limited (153.HK), where he was responsible for the company’s mergers, acquisitions, investment, internal control, audit, compliance and accounting. From November 2013 to May 2015, Mr. Suen served as the Chief Financial Officer of China King Sun Power Group Limited, a company engaging in power plant operation, where he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, investment and finance, internal control and accounting of the company. During the same period, he also served as Chief Financial Officer at DaYe Trust Co. Ltd., which is a finance company engaging in lending and an affiliate of China King Sun Power Group Limited. Prior to that, he held various audit roles with his last position as senior audit Manager at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd. from January 2001 to January 2012 and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited from February 2012 to July 2013. Mr. Suen has served as a director of a number of investment holding companies, including Rising Group Limited, Rising Development Limited, Rising Manufacturing Limited, each an investment holding company formed under the laws of Hong Kong. Mr. Suen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting from The University of Western Australia. He is a member of the Hong Kong Institution of Certified Public Accountant. We believe Mr. Suen is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience in accounting and finance.

Required Vote

Each of Jinlong Yang, Jingwei Zhang, Mickael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen shall be elected to the board of directors of the Company as directors until the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified if the proposal to elect that person is approved by the affirmative vote of the majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the Meeting and voting on the proposal.

Recommendation of the Board

The Company’s board of directors recommends that you vote “FOR ALL” the election of the persons named above.

PROPOSAL 2 — RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTNANT

We are asking our shareholders to ratify the appointment of Audit Alliance LLP (“Alliance”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for appointing the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee is not bound by the outcome of this vote. However, if the shareholders do not ratify the selection of Alliance as our independent registered public accounting firms, our Audit Committee intends to reconsider the selection of Alliance as our independent registered public accounting firms.

Our Audit fees represent the aggregate fees billed for professional services by our independent registered accounting firms for the audit of our annual financial statements and services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years. We appointed Audit Alliance LLP as the auditor of the Company on May 17, 2021 and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023. Out total audit fees were $170,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Auditor Representatives at Annual Meeting

We expect that representatives of Alliance will not be present at the Annual Meeting.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services

Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee has responsibility for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of the independent registered public accounting firm. In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit Committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. Prior to engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm for the next year’s audit, management will submit a detailed description of the audit and permissible non-audit services expected to be rendered during that year for each of four categories of services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm to the Audit Committee for approval. In addition, management will also provide to the Audit Committee for its approval a fee proposal for the services proposed to be rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm. Prior to the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm, the Audit Committee will approve both the description of audit and permissible non-audit services proposed to be rendered by the independent registered public accounting firm and the budget for all such services. The fees are budgeted and the Audit Committee requires the independent registered public accounting firm and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically throughout the year by category of service. During the year, circumstances may arise when it may become necessary to engage the independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those instances, the Audit Committee requires separate pre-approval before engaging the independent registered public accounting firm. To ensure prompt handling of unexpected matters, the Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. The member to whom such authority is delegated must report any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

Required Vote

The proposal to ratify the appointment of Alliance requires the vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and voting on the proposal.

Recommendation

The Company’s board of directors recommends that you vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Audit Alliance LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024.

PROPOSAL 3 — THE ADJOURNMENT

The adjournment proposal, if adopted, will request the chairman of the Annual Meeting (who has agreed to act accordingly) to adjourn the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates to permit further solicitation of proxies. The adjournment proposal will only be presented to our stockholders in the event, based on the tabulated votes, there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve the other proposals in this proxy statement. If the adjournment proposal is not approved by our stockholders, the chairman of the meeting shall not adjourn the Annual Meeting to a later date in the event, based on the tabulated votes, there are not sufficient votes at the time of the Annual Meeting to approve any of the other proposals.

Required Vote

If a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and voting on the matter at the Annual Meeting vote for the adjournment proposal and we do not have enough shares represented to have a quorum, the chairman of the Annual Meeting will exercise his or her power to adjourn the meeting as set out above.

Recommendation

The Company’s board of directors recommends that you vote “FOR” the adjournment proposal.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Meetings of the Board of Directors; Independence and Committees

During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the MingZhu board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) met on two occasions. No member of the Board of Directors or any committee failed to attend at least, or participated in any of the meetings of the Board or of a committee on which such member serves. During all of the regularly scheduled meetings in fiscal year 2023, the Board of Directors met in executive session where only the independent directors were present without any members of management.

The listing rules established by the Nasdaq Stock Market require that a majority of the members of a listed company’s Board of Directors qualify as “independent” as affirmatively determined by the board, meaning that each independent director has no direct or indirect material relationship with a company other than as a director and/or a shareholder. Our Board of Directors consults with legal counsel to ensure that our Board of Director’s determination with respect to the definition of “independent” is consistent with current Nasdaq listing rules. The Nominating Committee annually reviews the independence of all directors and nominees for director, including relevant transactions or relationships between each director and nominee, or any of his or her family members or affiliates. The Nominating Committee reports its findings to full Board. Based on such report, the Board has affirmatively determined that each of our current directors, other than Jinlong Yang and Jingwei Zhang are independent directors under the applicable guidelines noted above. As a result, each of Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen is deemed to be “independent” as that term is defined under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The Board of Directors will maintain three (3) committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. All of the members of our Audit, Nominating, and Compensation Committees meet the standards for independence required under current Nasdaq Stock Market listing rules, SEC rules, and applicable securities laws and regulations. Each of these committees has a written charter approved by the Board of Directors.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, a general description of the duties of the committees, their members and number of times each committee met were as follows:

Audit Committee.    Our Audit Committee acts to: (i) evaluate the independence and performance of, and assess the qualifications of, our independent auditor, and engages such independent auditor; (ii) approve plans and fees for the annual audit, quarterly reviews, tax and other audit-related services, and approve in advance any non-audit service to be provided by the independent auditor; (iii) monitor the independence of the independent auditor and the rotation of partners of the independent auditor on our engagement team as required by law; (iv) review the financial statements to be included in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and Current Reports on Form 6-K and reviews with management and the independent auditors the results of the annual audit and reviews of our quarterly financial statements; (v) oversee all aspects of our systems of internal accounting control and corporate governance functions on behalf of the board; (vi) review and approve in advance any related-party transactions and report to the full Board on any approved transactions; and (vii) provide oversight assistance in connection with legal, ethical and risk management compliance programs reestablished by management and our board of directors, including Sarbanes-Oxley Act implementation, and make recommendations to our board of directors regarding corporate governance issues and policy decisions. At the end of the 2023 fiscal year, the members of our Audit Committee were Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen and Mr. Wang was designated as our Audit Committee Financial Expert. During the 2023 fiscal year, and presently, all of the members of our Audit Committee were “independent” within the definition of that term as provided by the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Audit Committee met on 1 occasion.

Compensation Committee.    The Compensation Committee reviews, approves and administers compensation arrangements for our executive officers, administers our equity-based compensation plans, establishes and reviews general policies relating to the compensation and benefits of our executive officers and other personnel, evaluates the relationship between executive officer compensation policies and practices and corporate risk management to confirm those policies and practices do not incentivize excessive risk-taking, and evaluates and makes recommendations to our Board of Directors regarding the compensation of our non-employee directors. As of the end of the 2023 fiscal year, the members of the Compensation Committee were, Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen. At all times members of the Compensation Committee satisfied the independence requirements of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, this committee met on one occasion.

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.    The Nominating Committee’s tasks include reviewing and recommending to the Board issues relating to the Board’s composition and structure; establishing criteria for membership and evaluating corporate policies relating to the recruitment of Board members; implementing and monitoring policies regarding principles of corporate governance in order to ensure the Board’s compliance with its fiduciary duties to the Company and its shareholders; and making recommendations regarding proposals submitted by shareholders. The Nominating Committee’s functions also include the review of all candidates for a position on the Board of Directors, including existing directors for re-nomination, and reporting its findings with recommendations to the Board. The members of the Nominating Committee as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year were Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen, each of whom satisfy the independence requirements of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, this committee met on one occasion.

Procedure to be Followed by Shareholders in Submitting Director Candidate Recommendations

Any shareholder who desires the Nominating Committee to consider one or more candidates for nomination as a director should, either by personal delivery or by United States mail, postage prepaid, deliver a written recommendation addressed to the Secretary of the Company at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting; provided, however, that, in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to or delayed (other than as a result of adjournment) by more than 30 days after the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the shareholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the date on which such notice of the date of such meeting was mailed a public announcement of the date of such meeting was first made by the Company. Each written recommendation should set forth: (a) the name and address of the shareholder making the recommendation and of the person or persons recommended; (b) the consent of such person(s) to serve as a director(s) of the Company if nominated and elected; and (c) a description of how the person(s) satisfy the general criteria specified in our Amended and Restated By-laws for consideration as a candidate.

Additional Criteria for Notice of Shareholder Nominees

In accordance with our Amended and Restated By-Laws, any shareholder entitled to vote in the election of directors generally may nominate one or more persons for election as directors at a meeting only if written notice of such shareholder’s intent to make such nomination or nominations has been given, either by personal delivery or by United States mail, postage prepaid, to the Secretary of the Company in accordance with the terms described in the preceding paragraph. Each shareholder’s notice shall set forth for each nominee all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated By-laws, including such person’s written consent to being named as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected, as well as whether and the extent to which any hedging or other transaction or series of transactions has been entered into by or on behalf of the nominee with respect to any securities of the Company and a description of all arrangements or understandings between the shareholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nominations are to be made by the shareholder. Further, the notice shall include as to the shareholder giving notice all information required to be disclosed by the shareholder under Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, including: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the class or series and number of shares of the Company which are, directly or indirectly, owned by such shareholder, as well as any derivative positions held by such shareholder; (iii) any proxy, arrangement, or relationship pursuant to which such shareholder has a right, directly or indirectly, to vote any shares of any security of the Company; (iv) any hedging or similar transactions in securities of the Company directly or indirectly owned by such shareholder; (v) a description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding with respect to the proposal; and (vi) a statement whether either such shareholder intends, or is part of a group which intends, to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Company’s voting shares required under applicable law to carry the proposal.

Shareholder Communications with the Board

Any shareholder may communicate with the Board of Directors in writing through the Company’s Corporate Secretary provided that the communication identifies the shareholder and the number and type of securities held by that shareholder. The Secretary reviews such communications, and forwards them to the Board of Directors unless the Secretary, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, determines that the communication is inappropriate for the Board’s consideration (for example, if it relates to a personal grievance or is unrelated to Company business). The Secretary maintains a permanent written record of all such shareholder communications received by the Secretary. This process was unanimously approved by the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors (which is comprised of independent directors).

Directors and Executive Officers

Our current directors and officers are listed below.

Jinlong Yang, age 48, has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors since April 2018 and General Manager of MingZhu since August 2012. Mr. Yang has over ten years of experience in the transportation industry. He joined MingZhu as a sales manager in May 2009 and was subsequently promoted to the General Manager, Executive Director and legal representative of MingZhu. Prior to joining MingZhu, Mr. Yang served as an officer at the Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection Stations in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. Mr. Yang holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. We believe Mr. Yang is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive operating and management experience and knowledge in the transportation industry.

Jingwei Zhang, age 35, has served as our Chief Financial Officer since April 2018 and our director since June 2024. He has been serving as Financial Director of MingZhu since December 2016 where he oversees all aspects of financial control, manages yearly financial and inter-audits and provides financial, commercial and strategic support to the company. Since October 30, 2020 Mr. Zhang has served as the Director of Nantai International Inc. (OTC: NTAI), an online advertising platform. From May 2015 to November 2016, Mr. Zhang served as a corporate accountant of ERI Management, a management advisory firm in Singapore, where he reviewed clients’ accounts to ensure regulatory and U.S. GAAP compliance, assisted clients on cost management and budgeting and provided tax-related consultancy to reduce clients’ potential risks. From January 2014 to May 2015, Mr. Zhang served as an accountant at St. Plum-Blossom Press Pty. Ltd., a publisher in Melbourne, Australia, where he was responsible for bookkeeping and preparation of financial statements. Mr. Zhang holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce in Accounting from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia and an Associates Degree in Business Administration from City University of Hong Kong.

Mikael Charette, age 44, has served as our independent director since September 2020. He served as Vice Chairman and Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai between April 2019 and April 2021 where he represented the interest of the Canadian business community in Shanghai. Since April 2019, he has also been serving as the Vice President of Fung & Yu CPA Ltd., a Hong Kong based accounting firm serving clients in Greater China and overseas. Since May 2006, Mr. Charette has also been serving as the President of Well Asia Group, an asset holding and managing company that provides immigration and real estate services to high-net-worth individuals. For the periods from February 2005 to May 2006 and from January 2009 to December 2015, he served as a partner of Harvey Law Group where he built a successful immigration practice for high-net-worth individuals and also represented clients in cross-border transactions and advised on market entry issues in China and other Asian countries. Mr. Charette holds a Master of Law degree from City University of Hong Kong and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Victoria in Victoria, Canada. We believe Mr. Charette is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience with legal matters relating to cross-border transactions.

Yuzhou Wang, age 44, has served as our independent director since August 2022. Mr. Wang has over 19 years’ experience in finance and accounting. From September 2020 to current, Mr. Wang has served as the VP of the international financial department of Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store Co., Ltd., d/b/a Cenbest, or Nanjing Cenbest Co. Ltd. (600682). From January 2019 to August 2020, Mr. Wang served as the CEO of Shanghai Yisheng Financial Consulting Ltd. From July 2014 to December 2018, Mr. Wang served as the VP of financial department of Nanjing Sanpower Group. From November 2010 to August 2014, Mr. Wang served as the VP of financial department of Zhengxing Wheel Group Co., Ltd. (NYSE: ZX). From September 2005 to October 2010, Mr. Wang served as an audit manager of Shanghai Deloitte Huayong Certified Public Accountants Co., Ltd.

To Wai Suen, age 50, has served as our independent director since September 2020. Mr. Suen has over 18 years of experience in finance and accounting. Mr. Suen has been an independent director of China Zenix Auto International Limited (Prior NYSE: ZX and OTC: ZXAIY and later delisted in January 2022), one of the largest commercial vehicle wheel manufactures in China in both the aftermarket and OEM market by sales volume, since April 2018. From February 2018 to April 2019, he was an independent director of CT Environmental Group Limited (1363.HK), a company engaging in industrial wastewater treatment and hazardous waste disposal. He served as the corporate secretary of China Smarter Energy Group Holdings Limited (1004.HK) from January 2017 to April 2019, where he was responsible for the company’s mergers, acquisitions, investment, finance, internal control, audit, compliance and accounting. For the period from May 2015 to August 2016, Mr. Suen served as Chief Financial Officer and company secretary of China Saite Group Company Limited (153.HK), where he was responsible for the company’s mergers, acquisitions, investment, internal control, audit, compliance and accounting. From November 2013 to May 2015, Mr. Suen served as the Chief Financial Officer of China King Sun Power Group Limited, a company engaging in power plant operation, where he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, investment and finance, internal control and accounting of the company. During the same period, he also served as Chief Financial Officer at DaYe Trust Co. Ltd., which is a finance company engaging in lending and an affiliate of China King Sun Power Group Limited. Prior to that, he held various audit roles with his last position as senior audit Manager at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd. from January 2001 to January 2012 and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited from February 2012 to July 2013. Mr. Suen has served as a director of a number of investment holding companies, including Rising Group Limited, Rising Development Limited, Rising Manufacturing Limited, each an investment holding company formed under the laws of Hong Kong. Mr. Suen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in accounting from The University of Western Australia. He is a member of the Hong Kong Institution of Certified Public Accountant. We believe Mr. Suen is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive experience in accounting and finance.

Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

Pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association, the business of our company is managed by our board of directors. Commencing with the first annual meeting of the shareholders, directors are elected for a term of office to expire at the next succeeding annual meeting of the shareholders after their election. Each director will hold office until the expiration of his or her term of office and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal by the shareholders or a resolution passed by the majority of the remaining directors.

Shareholder Communications

Shareholders who wish to communicate directly with our board of directors, or any individual director, should direct questions in writing to our Corporate Secretary, MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited, 27F, Yantian Modern Industry Service Center, No. 3018 Shayan Road, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 518081. The mailing envelope must contain a clear notation indicating that the enclosed letter is a “Board Communication” or “Director Communication.” All such letters must identify the author and clearly state whether the intended recipients are all members of the board of directors or just certain specified individual directors. The Corporate Secretary will make copies of all such letters and circulate them to the appropriate director or directors.

Director Independence

The NASDAQ listing standards require that a majority of our Board of Directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). We currently have two

“independent directors” as defined in the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of our initial public offering. Our board has determined that each of Messrs. Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen are independent directors under applicable SEC and NASDAQ rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

The board of directors’ oversight of risk is administered directly through the board of directors, as a whole, or through its audit committee. Various reports and presentations regarding risk management are presented to the board of directors including the procedures that the Company has adopted to identify and manage risks. The audit committee addresses risks that fall within the committee’s area of responsibility. For example, the audit committee is responsible for overseeing the quality and objectivity of the Company’s financial statements and the independent audit thereof. The audit committee reserves time at each of its meetings to meet with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm outside of the presence of the Company’s management.

Director Nominations

As stated above in this Proxy Statement, we have established a standing nominating committee. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who shall participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Messrs. Mikael Charette, Yuzhou Wang and To Wai Suen. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(1)(A) of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent.

The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of shareholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of shareholders). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for election to the Board should follow the procedures set forth in our memorandum and articles of association.

We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees in accordance with the rules of Nasdaq and the SEC. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business. We filed a copy of our Code of Ethics as Exhibit 14 to our Registration Statement declared effective on September 30, 2021 (File Number 333-233992). You can review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of any publicly traded class of our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership of equity securities of the Company with the SEC. Officers, directors, and greater-than-ten-percent shareholders are required by the SEC’s regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms that they file.

Based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and Forms 4 furnished since the effective date of our IPO, we believe that all such forms required to be filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act were timely filed, as necessary, by the officers, directors, and security holders required to file the same.

Director and Officer Compensation

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, we paid an aggregate approximately of $96,240 in cash and benefits in-kind granted to or accrued on behalf of all of our directors and members of senior management for their services, in all capacities, and we did not pay any additional compensation to our directors and members of senior management. We have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. Our PRC subsidiaries are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employee’s salary for his or her pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and other statutory benefits and a housing provident fund.

Employment Agreements

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for an initial term of one year and is subject to successive, automatic one-year extensions unless either party gives notice of non-extension to the other party at least 30 days prior to the end of the applicable term.

The executive officers are entitled to a fixed salary and to participate in our equity incentive plans, if any and other company benefits, each as determined by our board of directors from time to time.

We may terminate the executive officer’s employment for cause, at any time, without notice or remuneration, for certain acts, such as conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or grossly negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. In such case, the executive officer will not be entitled to receive payment of any severance benefits or other amounts by reason of the termination, and his right to all other benefits will terminate, except as required by any applicable law. We may also terminate his employment without cause upon 30 days’ advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we are required to provide the following severance payments and benefits to the executive officer: a cash payment of one month of base salary as of the date of such termination for each year (which is any period longer than six months but no more than one year) and a cash payment of half month of base salary as of the date of such termination for any period of employment no more than six months, provided that the total severance payments shall not exceed twelve months of base salary.

The executive officer may terminate his employment at any time with 30 days’ advance written notice if there is any significant change in his duties and responsibilities or a material reduction in his annual salary. In such case, the executive officer will be entitled to receive compensation equivalent to three months of his base salary. In addition, if we or our successor terminates the employment agreements upon a merger, consolidation, or transfer or sale of all or substantially all of our assets with or to any other individual(s) or entity, the executive officer shall be entitled to the following severance payments and benefits upon such termination: (1) a lump sum cash payment equal to three months of base salary at a rate equal to the greater of his annual salary in effect immediately prior to the termination, or his then-current annua1 salary as of the date of such termination; (2) a lump sum cash payment equal to a pro-rated amount of target annual bonus for the year immediately preceding the termination; (3) payment of premiums for continued health benefits under our health plans for three months fo1lowing the termination; and (4) immediate vesting of 100% of the then-unvested portion of any outstanding equity held by the executive officer. The employment agreements also contain customary restrictive covenants relating to confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation, as well as indemnification of the executive officer against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by him in connection with claims made by reason of him being an officer of our company.

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership based on 4,779,065 shares of our ordinary shares outstanding as of the Record Date, based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares by:

•        each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares;

•        each of our officers and directors; and

•        all our officers and directors as a group.

As of the Record Date, there were a total of 4,779,065 of our ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Unless otherwise indicated, all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares of the Company beneficially owned by them.

____________

(1)      Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is 27F, Yantian Modern Industry Service Center, No. 3018 Shayan Road, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 518081.

(2)      Applicable percentage of ownership is based on 22,960,277 ordinary shares outstanding as of the date of this annual report.

(3)      Jinlong Yang, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors, is the sole shareholder and director of Alpha Global (BVI) Limited, a limited company formed under the laws of the British Virgin Islands and holds the voting and dispositive power over the ordinary shares held by Alpha Global (BVI) Limited. The address of Alpha Global (BVI) Limited is Ritter House, Wickhams Cay II, PO Box 3170, Road Town, Tortola VG1110, British Virgin Islands.

(4)      Consists of 5,400,000 ordinary shares directly held by Alpha Global (BVI) Limited, of which Jinlong Yang, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors, is the sole shareholder and director. Mr. Yang holds the voting and dispositive power over the ordinary shares held by Alpha Global (BVI) Limited.

We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

We have adopted an audit committee charter, which requires the committee to review all related-party transactions on an ongoing basis and all such transactions be approved by the committee.

Set forth below are the related party transactions of our company, which are identified in accordance with the rules prescribed under Form F-1 and Form 20-F and may not be considered as related party transactions under PRC law.

The amount due from related parties consists of the following:

The amount due to related parties consists of the following:

Collateral and Guarantee

The collateral and guarantee made by related parties to the Company as of December 31, 2023 consists of the following:

The collateral and guarantee made by related parties to the Company as of December 31, 2022 consists of the following:

SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS

If you are a shareholder and you want to include a proposal in the proxy statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting, your proposals are required to be submitted to MingZhu by no later than June 30, 2024.

The Board will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual meeting of shareholders (or, if applicable, a special meeting of shareholders). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for election to the Board should follow the procedures set forth in our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.

DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS TO SHAREHOLDERS

Pursuant to the rules of the SEC, MingZhu and its agents that deliver communications to its shareholders are permitted to deliver to two or more shareholders sharing the same address a single copy of MingZhu’s proxy statement. Upon written or oral request, MingZhu will deliver a separate copy of the proxy statement to any shareholder at a shared address who wishes to receive separate copies of such documents in the future. Shareholders receiving multiple copies of such documents may likewise request that MingZhu deliver single copies of such documents in the future. Shareholders may notify MingZhu of their requests by calling or writing MingZhu at MingZhu’s principal executive offices at 27F, Yantian Modern Industry Service Center, No. 3018 Shayan Road, Yantian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 518081.

MINGZHU LOGISTICS HOLDINGS LIMITED

27F, Yantian Modern Industry Service Center
No. 3018 Shayan Road, Yantian District
Shenzhen, Guangdong, China 518081

PROXY CARD FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time on October 16, 2024
(Record Date — August 19, 2024)

THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The undersigned hereby appoints Jinlong Yang, as the proxy of the undersigned, with full power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorizes him to represent and to vote all the ordinary shares of MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited, which the undersigned is entitled to vote, as specified below on this card, at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of MingZhu Logistics Holdings Limited (the “Annual Meeting”), which will be held on October 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the offices of the Company’s counsel, Becker & Poliakoff P.A., at 45 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10006.

THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN BY THE UNDERSIGNED SHAREHOLDER. IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR EACH OF THE PROPOSALS. This proxy authorizes the above designated proxy to vote in his discretion on such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof to the extent authorized by Rule 14a-4(c) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR ALL”
FOR PROPOSAL 1 AND “FOR” FOR PROPOSALS 2 AND 3 SET FORTH BELOW.
PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK

Proxies submitted by beneficial owners must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time on October 15, 2024. Record holders may vote at any time until the polls are closed during the meeting. Voting may be conducted electronically.

PROPOSAL 1:    To elect the nominees listed in the Proxy Statement to the Company’s Board of Directors.

NOMINEES:

PROPOSAL 2:    To ratify the appointment of Audit Alliance LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024:

PROPOSAL 3:    To direct the chairman of the Meeting to adjourn the Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies if, based upon the tabulated vote at the time of the Meeting, there are not sufficient votes to approve any of the foregoing proposals;

Please indicate if you intend to attend this meeting    ☐ YES    ☐ NO