In the past month, the heads of three of the biggest United States direct selling companies have come to China to make their final pitch on the draft of the country's first direct sales law.
It is part of an intense lobbying effort, in the mainland and in the US, by the companies to position themselves in what they consider the largest single growth market for direct selling in the world. For Beijing, the issue is not only about marketing cosmetics, detergents and health supplements.
It is also about how to balance strong foreign pressure to liberalise commerce with its fears of social instability and nationwide organisations that are not under direct Communist Party control.
In 1998, direct selling was abruptly banned by the State Council, citing 'damage to social stability' and linking US companies like Avon and Amway with pyramid schemes, 'evil cults and secret societies'.
That is why the government has given overall responsibility for the legislation to Vice-Premier Wu Yi, a former trade minister who has played a key role in trade negotiations with the US over the past decade. More recently, he was put in charge of the fight against Sars last April after the dismissal of the Health Minister.
Last year, Amway's China sales reached 10 billion yuan, 20 per cent of its global revenue and making the mainland its single largest market. Avon sold 2.4 billion yuan worth of goods and is aiming for 4.2 billion by 2007. Mary Kay, meanwhile, sold products worth one billion yuan, posting annual sales growth rates of 40 per cent over the past two years.