Smoking in China
In China, smoking and the sale of cigarettes is legal, and they can be purchased online, but buying from vending machines is not permitted. Importing cigarettes for trade is allowed with a license. However, there is a complete ban on all tobacco advertising, and health warnings on cigarette packaging are required. The minimum legal age for purchasing cigarettes is 18 years, and there are legal restrictions on smoking in public places as well. Cigarettes are subject to a total taxation rate of 52%. As of 2024, China had an estimated 288.3 million current adult smokers, with an adult smoking prevalence of 24.4%. Among males, the smoking prevalence was 46.4%, and among females, it was only 1.9%. The number of daily smokers was approximately 256.9 million, with an adult daily smoking prevalence of 20.3%—38.6% among males and 1.3% among females. According to 2021 data, tobacco smoking caused about 2.7 million deaths in China—2.2 million among males and 490,700 among females. This presents that smoking accounted for 22.78% of all deaths in the country, including 31.81% of male deaths and 10.11% of female deaths.
Read articles from China
October 17, 2022 by theguardian.com
China bans fruity vapes – but not their export to the UK
China has banned the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on the industry. The new rules mean vapes that have flavourings other than tobacco – such as those that taste fruity or sweet – cannot be sold on the domestic market.
But they can still be manufactured in China to be shipped around the world, including to the UK, where Chinese-made brands such as Elfbar, known for its range of flavoured disposable vapes, are popular.
October 06, 2022 by tobaccoreporter.com
China: Flavored E-cigarettes Still Available After Ban
Many businesses in China continued selling fruit-flavored e-cigarettes after a ban on such products took effect Oct. 1.
A journalist working for Beijing Youth Daily reportedly found several stores violating the new rules, while a small number appeared to have closed.
In stores that are still in operation, the reporter saw only an estimated six vaping product on display, with only two or three varieties of products. Some stores experienced increased sales of combustible tobacco products.
September 30, 2022 by shine.cn
National standards for e-cigarettes to take effect on October 1
Dubbed as an access threshold for the industry, mandatory national standards for e-cigarettes will go into effect on October 1.
The standards stipulate that the nicotine concentration in e-cigarettes should not be higher than 20mg/g, and the total amount of nicotine should not be higher than 200mg. [...]
Electronic cigarettes must also have protection functions to prevent the devices from being turned on by a child or by accident.
All fruit-flavored electronic cigarettes will be banned. The national unified e-cigarette trading management platform only provides tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes.
August 30, 2022 by macaubusiness.com
Government approves law against e-cigarettes, total ban possible
The Macau parliament yesterday (Monday) approved an amendment to the law on smoking prevention and control that prohibits the manufacture, distribution, import, export and transport in and out of the SAR of electronic cigarettes.
The law provides for penalties of MOP4,000 (US$500) for individuals, with a fine of between MOP20,000 and MOP200,000 for companies.
Although the proposal was unanimously approved, during the debate in the Legislative Assembly, several members said that the government should go further, and impose a total ban on electronic cigarettes.
August 24, 2022 by natlawreview.com
A Closer Look at China’s New E-Cigarette Regulations
With the implementation of the Management Rules of E-cigarettes and the forthcoming effective date for the GB Standard on E-cigarettes (October 1, 2022), China has been regularly updating its e-cigarette regulations. Following up on our recent articles on China’s GB Standard and manufacturer license requirements, below we summarize various e-cigarette regulations recently promulgated by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA).
July 19, 2022 by thedrum.com
Chinese vaping brand accused of flouting advertising rules designed to protect children
A Chinese-owned e-cigarette brand has been accused of circumventing British advertising rules designed to protect children by recruiting TikTok stars to ‘review’ its products.
An investigation conducted by The Observer found that the brand has muddied the waters between advertising and reviewing by paying for coverage of its colorful disposable e-cigarettes. The paper uncovered examples of social influencers being paid to promote the products, which come in a variety of sweet flavors that could appeal to children, including cola and cotton candy.
June 21, 2022 by tobaccoreporter.com
Flow Stops Sales of Flavored Vapes in China
E-cigarette manufacturer Flow will stop producing non-tobacco flavored e-liquid cartridges for the Chinese market to comply with new regulations, reports Pandaily.
In November 2021, the Chinese government granted the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration jurisdiction over the vapor business. Since then, authorities have published a series of new rules. Among other things, e-cigarette manufacturers must sell their products through authorized channels. Retailers, meanwhile, are required to buy all vapor products through a “unified platform” and restrict the liquids sold on the Chinese market to tobacco flavors.
June 21, 2022 by pandaily.com
China’s E-Cigarette Institution Expects Exports of E-Cigarettes Reach $27.82B
The Electronic Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce released its Blue Book of Electronic Cigarette Exports on Tuesday. The report estimates that the country’s electronic cigarette exports will reach 186.7 billion yuan ($27.82 billion) this year, with exports of the first quarter already totaling 45.3 billion yuan.
According to the Blue Book, the exports of e-cigarettes in China was 138.3 billion yuan in 2021, an increase of 180% year-on-year. Among the over 1,500 e-cigarette enterprises in China, more than 70% enterprises were export-oriented.
June 08, 2022 by natlawreview.com
Manufacturing E-Cigarettes in China: How to Obtain the Manufacturer License
Following China’s new GB standard on e-cigarettes that we summarized in early May 2022, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) has now published a rule outlining the process for Chinese e-cigarette manufacturers to obtain the required manufacturer license. This rule applies not only to manufacturers producing e-cigarettes for the domestic Chinese market, but also to the manufacturing of e-cigarettes solely for export. This article summarizes the major requirements for obtaining an e-cigarette manufacturer license in China. [...]
June 01, 2022 by globaltimes.cn
More Chinese students using e-cigarettes
Nearly 5 percent of Chinese students in middle schools have the habit of smoking and 3.6 percent of the group use e-cigarettes regularly, according to a survey conducted in 2021 by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China's CDC). The data was released on Tuesday, the World No Tobacco Day, along with other reports that demonstrate an increasing tendency of Chinese minors to use e-cigarettes.
The survey covered 270,000 students in middle schools and took back 124,119 questionnaires from college students in 31 province-level places in the Chinese mainland, according to the China's CDC.