January 2018 E-Cigarette Industry News Summary

  On January 1, the new smoking control law in Macau took effect, banning the sale of e-cigarettes.

The new smoking control law expands the scope of smoking restrictions. In addition to designated smoking areas in airports and entertainment venues, all indoor places will be completely smoke-free. The sale of e-cigarettes is also prohibited, and the smoking ban includes the use of e-cigarettes.

On January 1, Portugal's new smoking ban came into effect, including e-cigarettes in the prohibited scope.

The new smoking ban prohibits smoking in outdoor areas such as hospitals, resorts, and children's playgrounds, including traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or any inhalable tobacco products that produce aerosols, vapors, or inhalable gases or particles.

On January 8, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand issued a consular reminder, urging Chinese citizens traveling to Thailand to strictly comply with local laws regarding e-cigarettes to avoid unnecessary trouble and ensure smooth travel.

The embassy reminded that recently, Thai law enforcement agencies have cracked down on several e-cigarette distributors, and those involved have faced criminal charges. Additionally, some foreign tourists have been fined heavily for using e-cigarettes.

On January 9, a seminar on the UL8139 standard was held in Shenzhen, co-hosted by the International E-Cigarette Safety Association and New Yikang Technology.

The two main leaders responsible for formulating the UL8139 e-cigarette standard emphasized the importance and urgency of implementing UL 8139. Although UL 8139 is not a mandatory standard, it is clear that e-cigarette products and manufacturers that obtain UL 8139 will have a significant advantage in the North American and global markets.

On January 16 at 8:30 AM, the 2018 National Tobacco Work Conference was held in Beijing. Ling Chengxing, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, and General Manager of China National Tobacco Corporation, attended the meeting and delivered a work report titled "Fully Implementing the Spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party and Striving to Create a New Situation of Stability and Progress in the Tobacco Industry."

In the report, Director Ling mentioned e-cigarettes three times, making clear statements about the e-cigarette industry, including promoting the research and innovation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, the national standard for e-cigarettes being approved by the National Standardization Administration, and actively developing new products such as e-cigarettes, oral tobacco, and heated tobacco products.

On January 16, the Chinese edition of the world's largest English e-cigarette magazine, VAPE Magazine, officially announced the launch of its 2018 physical store certification program.

The magazine will conduct a unified review of participating stores in collaboration with its headquarters in the United States, providing resources and marketing services to physical stores.

On January 19, a seminar on efficiently expanding the Japanese e-cigarette market was held at the Qilin Mountain View Hotel in Bao'an, Shenzhen, hosted by the organizing committee of the March Japan E-Cigarette Expo.

1. Yoshiyuki Hanada, President of Japan's third-largest distributor Vape Village, shared insights on the Japanese e-cigarette market, consumer preferences, trade considerations, and relevant laws.

2. He Longsheng, CEO of KAMRY, shared experiences of Chinese e-cigarette companies entering the Japanese market.

3. Min Yu, Deputy General Manager of CECMOL E-Cigarettes Online, shared suggestions on brand marketing and exhibition strategies through Japanese e-cigarette expos.

On January 23, a press conference was held regarding the "8.28 National First Case of Major Illegal Operation of Heated Tobacco Products".

The Ningbo Public Security Bureau in Zhejiang Province, in conjunction with the Ningbo Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, cracked down on China's first major illegal operation of new tobacco products, arresting 13 suspects and involving over 100 million RMB. It is reported that the special task force will continue to dig deeper and implement a "fission-style" crackdown on the illegal sale of new tobacco products.

On January 23, the "2018 Flavor and Fragrance Industry Symposium and the Signing Ceremony of the Borton (Dianbai) Flavor and Fragrance Industrial Park Project" was grandly held in the Dianbai District of Maoming City, aiming to create a world-class flavor and fragrance R&D and production center, a world-class e-cigarette production industrial park, and the first e-cigarette production base in China.

The Borton (Dianbai) Flavor and Fragrance Industrial Park project is invested and constructed by Shenzhen Borton Group, covering an area of nearly 1,000 acres, with a total construction area of about 1.264 million square meters and a planned total investment of 3.3 billion RMB. The project will build two bases, aiming to create a world-class flavor and fragrance R&D and production center, a world-class e-cigarette production industrial park, and the first e-cigarette production base in China. The project will be constructed in two phases, each taking three years, and will be completed in six years. Once completed, it is expected to generate an annual output value of nearly 20 billion, providing over 5,000 jobs.

On January 26, the "2018 Third China Electronic Information Industry Development Conference" co-hosted by the China Electronic Information Industry Association and the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce was held in Beijing. Shenzhen Green Yunda Technology Co., Ltd., the executive vice president unit of the E-Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce, was invited to participate and won the "Pegasus Award" for the 2017 China Electronic Information Market.

As an internationally renowned e-cigarette brand manufacturer, Shenzhen Green Yunda Technology Co., Ltd. was awarded the "Top Ten Brands in the Chinese E-Cigarette Industry" by the E-Cigarette Industry Committee of the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce on December 20, 2017. This time, it won the national-level "Pegasus Award" for the 2017 China Electronic Information Market again, which is a high recognition of the development achievements of Green Yunda Technology in the past year by the China Electronic Information Industry Association and the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce!

On January 28 at 3:00 PM, a press conference for the Wuqing APP was held at the Mag Theater in the basement of the He Sheng Qilin Community in Wangjing, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Representatives from Beijing Shuiwutang Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Weipu Square Technology Co., Ltd. introduced the positioning and main functions of the Wuqing APP to over a hundred attendees, including representatives from physical stores and industry media.

The Wuqing APP is an application software designed to serve e-cigarette physical stores, allowing customers to place orders online, initiate activities with precise push notifications to nearby users, check product authenticity within the app, and live stream to attract customers, among many other functions. The developers of the Wuqing APP hope to help physical stores acquire a wide customer base and lead them into the delivery era.