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 In a document dated Oct. 29 and published online on Thursday,
China's National Health Bureau, the State Administration for Market
Regulation, the domestic tobacco monopoly China Tobacco, and five
other bureaus urged local governments to curb both tobacco
consumption among young people, as well as e-cigarette consumption.
The regulators state that e-cigarette use in China "has shown a
clear upward trend among the youth population", and add that the
composition of e-cigarette liquid and its second-hand smoke are
"unsafe".
"There is no conclusive evidence that e-cigarettes can help to
effectively quit smoking," the regulators state.
The agencies add that China "must actively promote the prohibition
of electronic smoking in public places".
China produces an overwhelming majority of the e-cigarettes sold on
the global market, though only a tiny fraction are purchased by
domestic buyers.
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That is changing quickly as dozens of Chinese start-ups, inspired by
the potent e-cigarette made by Juul Labs Inc that grew popular in
the United States, have flooded the market with products of their
own targeting local consumers.
At present there are no national-level regulations providing
standards for the manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes in China.
Industry insiders expect that such regulations will be released in
the near future.
China's tobacco industry is controlled by China Tobacco, a state
monopoly that doubles as the tobacco market's regulator. In 2018,
China Tobacco generated 5.45% of China's tax revenue, amounting to
10.8 trillion yuan (about $1.5 trillion).
(Reporting by Josh Horwitz; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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