Online sales ban hits China’s vaping industry – but don’t expect it to disappear with a puff of smoke
- An estimated 10 million Chinese are now e-cigarette users, and after years of unregulated growth the industry is now facing a crackdown and ban on online sales
- Further regulations are expected, but authorities may wait to see how the US reacts to a string of vape-related deaths before further tightening the rules
This story is part of an ongoing series on US-China relations, jointly produced by the South China Morning Post and POLITICO, with reporting from Asia and the United States.
The vaping industry has suffered a series of setbacks around the world following a spate of deaths in the United States.
A number of governments are now considering or implementing bans even if Donald Trump has wavered over whether to introduce similar measures in the United States.
Now China, where a lack of regulation and the ease of buying online have helped create millions of e-cigarette users, has dealt what may the heaviest blow yet to the global industry by banning all sales of e-cigarettes online as of November 1.
Tobacco has long been identified as a major public health challenge in China: the country is the world’s largest tobacco producer and has more than 300 million smokers, according to the World Health Organisation.
While vaping is far less widespread than tobacco use, it generally appeals to younger people – attracted as much by the chance to experiment with different flavours as they are by the allure of sampling nicotine without some of the risks associated with tobacco.