Regulation Spurs Growth in China's E-Cigarette Industry

Jul.31.2022
China's e-cigarette industry has undergone reform in recent years, causing some firms to seek overseas markets, but others have obtained production licenses domestically.

Over the past few years, the domestic electronic cigarette industry has been developing in a disorderly manner, with frequent industry problems. However, in the past two years, with the successive release of new policies to regulate electronic cigarettes, this chaos has been effectively addressed. Now, as regulations on electronic cigarettes become stricter in China, many companies are choosing to expand overseas and explore the untapped market for electronic cigarette consumption abroad.


As the effective date of the new e-cigarette regulations approaches, some domestic e-cigarette companies are gradually becoming legitimate players.


In recent days, several leading e-cigarette companies have obtained production permits. For example, on July 22, well-known e-cigarette brand RELX's parent company, Huoxin Technology (RLX.US), received a production enterprise license from China's State Tobacco Monopoly Administration. On July 20, e-cigarette vaporization equipment manufacturer, Smoore International (06969.HK), also received a tobacco monopoly production enterprise license.


In addition, several A-share listed companies, including Jingjia Corporation, Jinlong Electrical and Mechanical, Shunhao Corporation, Jincheng Pharmaceutical, Boteng Corporation, and Huabao Corporation have obtained licenses to produce electronic cigarettes. According to incomplete data from Red Weekly, more than 100 companies have obtained regulatory certificates so far.


For a long time, the electronic cigarette industry has been subject to strict regulation, especially this year with the introduction of the "Electronic Cigarette Management Measures," the national standard for electronic cigarettes, and supporting policies. The importance of licensed operation for electronic cigarette companies is self-evident. Several electronic cigarette listed companies have told "Hongzhou Weekly" that the issuance of production licenses is a standard event in the legal and standardized development of the electronic cigarette industry, and they believe that the industry will continue to be regulated and develop further in the future.


In the eyes of the industry, as relevant regulatory policies continue to be implemented, some electronic cigarette companies with outdated production capacity and lower technological content will be shut out by regulatory authorities. The pattern of the strong getting stronger will be further highlighted.


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