ST's friend group: Independent director Zhao Xuqiang resigns, elected Xu Lixin as independent director.

*ST Friendship Announcement mentioned that independent director Zhao Xuqiang has served for nearly six years consecutively and has applied to resign from the position of independent director of the third board of directors and relevant positions in the committees under the board of directors. The resignation application will take effect after the election of new independent directors by the shareholders' meeting, and he will continue to fulfill his duties until then. The company held a board meeting on April 10 and agreed to elect Xu Lixin as a candidate for independent director of the third board of directors, with a term that aligns with the third board of directors. Xu Lixin is currently an associate professor at the School of Management of the University of Science and Technology of China and serves as an independent director in multiple companies. He does not hold any shares of the company and meets the qualifications for the position.