China: Market and regulatory data analysis of the vaping sector

5th December 2024: China: The State Council Customs Tariff Commission recently issued the Methods for Levying Customs Duties, Value-Added Tax, and Consumption Tax on Imported Goods, effective 1st December 2024. The accompanying Tax-Free Limit Table for Items in Inbound Luggage specifies the tax-free limits for vaping products: regular travellers are allowed two e-cigarette devices and up to six cartridges or related products (e.g. disposable e-cigarettes) with a total liquid capacity not exceeding 12 ml. Hong Kong or Macau travellers are limited to one e-cigarette device and three cartridges or related products with a maximum liquid capacity of 6 ml. Frequent cross-border travellers (those who enter the country more than once within 15 days) may bring one e-cigarette device and one cartridge or product with up to 2 ml of liquid, limited to once daily.
12th November 2024: China: At the 20th National Academic Seminar on Tobacco Control and Health, Zhi Xiuyi, vice-president of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, said e-cigarettes contain various carcinogens and harmful substances. Xiao Lin, director of the Tobacco Control Office of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, reported that, in 2023, the e-cigarette usage rate among Chinese middle school students was 2.4% – a decrease of 1.2 percentage points compared with 2021, representing a reduction of over 30%. She believed this decline was due to important regulations introduced in 2022, including the Electronic Cigarette Administration Measures, the National Standard on E-cigarettes (GB 41700-2022), and the Consumption Tax on E-cigarettes, press reports.
7th November 2024: China: Today, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration has released information on three cases of companies selling non-compliant e-cigarettes. These cases involve companies selling illegal e-cigarette products, illegally produced e-cigarette products, and engaging in the production and operation of vaping products beyond their licensed scope. The authority emphasised that e-cigarette products that have not passed the technical review must not be put on the market for sale.
29th October 2024: China: Today, the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, the country’s first and largest and tobacco control organisation, reposted an article highlighting a rise in “herbal vaporisers” that claim to be nicotine-free alternatives to traditional, fruit-flavoured e-cigarettes – which have been banned since 2022. The article said that despite being marketed as harmless and healthy, these products are very similar to e-cigarettes in both design and use, misleading consumers – especially young people – about their safety and ingredients. It called for stronger regulations for these products, urging the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to define and standardise vaporiser products, and recommended that online platforms step up checks on questionable items.
29th October 2024: China: As required by the Detailed Rules for the Administration of E-cigarette Import and Export Trade and Foreign Economic and Technical Cooperation, which obliges manufacturers to report e-cig import and export data to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and Chinese customs, the government has released September 2024 data for “E-cigarettes and Similar Personal Electronic Vaporizing Devices”. Data showed imports at $7,200 and exports at $225,029,381.
21st October 2024: China: On 15th October, FirstUnion Technology in Shenzhen issued a statement on its official website addressing a recent court verdict, in which the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court determined that its IVG2400 e-vapour product does not infringe on a patent held by Dongguan Kangrun Tech Industrial for a detachable multi-cartridge e-cigarette. The verdict is final, and FirstUnion is pursuing legal action against Kangrun Tech for unfair competition, seeking compensation.
15th October 2024: China: The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration has released the “2024 Version of Tobacco Monopoly Licence Application Document Formats” to enhance the management of tobacco licences. The new formats take effect on 28th February 2025, replacing the 2017 notice “Further Standardising the Use and Management of Tobacco Monopoly Licence Administrative Documents”. It will apply to products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and oral tobacco, requiring approval for licensing.
2nd September 2024: China: On 27th August, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued a Notice on Revising and Issuing the Detailed Rules for the Management of Electronic Cigarette Transactions, press reports. The updated regulations aim to further strengthen the management of e-cigarette transactions, standardise the production and circulation order of e-cigarettes, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of e-cigarette market entities. Key revisions include standardising the names and explanatory content of transaction entities, reorganising transaction type descriptions, adding and simplifying management requirements, and removing purely technical platform-related content that is not relevant to transaction management.
22nd August 2024: China: On 20th August, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued the revised Technical Review Implementation Rules for E-Cigarette Products, press reports. The updated rules are designed to enhance the oversight and regulation of e-cigarette products by clarifying the scope of technical reviews, the requirements for applicants and products, and the review process. The revisions include detailed conditions for application, necessary documentation, and procedural guidelines to ensure products meet legal and safety standards before entering the market.
14th August 2024: China: On 11th August 2024, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued the revised Detailed Rules on E-Cigarette Logistics Management, press reports. The updated regulations aim to streamline and enhance the management of e-cigarette logistics by specifying requirements for storage, transportation, and delivery at all stages, including production, wholesale, import and export. The revisions also clarify the qualifications needed by logistics service providers and outline procedures for supervision and inspection.
2nd August 2024: China: On 30th July, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration issued a notice revising the Detailed Rules for the Management of E-cigarette Fixed Asset Investment, press reports. The updated regulations align with the Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalogue and aim to enhance oversight and regulation of e-cigarette companies’ fixed asset investments (such as production machines and facilities). These revisions refine the investment approval process, focusing on preventing unregulated expansion and ensuring that investments comply with legal and policy standards. The guidelines outline the scope of investments requiring approval – including new setups, expansions and technical upgrades – and specify the necessary documentation and procedures for obtaining approval. They also detail reporting requirements and the administrative processes for managing and overseeing these investments.
26th July 2024: China: The National Tobacco Half-Year Work Conference was held in Beijing on 23rd and 24th July, press reports. In the meeting, authorities emphasised comprehensively reinforcing the supervision of e-cigarettes and new, tobacco-related activities while continuing to crack down on counterfeiting and smuggling in the industry.

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