As Tobacco Control Tightens in China, Overseas Vaping Companies Rush In

According to China News Service in Beijing on September 20 (Wu Tao), since the implementation of Beijing's 'strictest smoking ban' in June last year, the 'smoking control map' of the city passed inspection and is now operational. Citizens can now view the complaint rectification status of various units in real-time, and if they encounter illegal smoking behavior, they can report it via WeChat.

As domestic smoking control tightens, many 'smokers' are turning their attention to electronic cigarettes, and this business opportunity is being seized by sharp overseas merchants rushing into China to 'mine gold.'

On the 20th, the foreign electronic cigarette brand Pod announced the official launch of its self-operated store on JD.com. Earlier, in June this year, Pod's flagship store on JD.com had already gone live. Bob, the president of Pod Greater China, revealed that since the launch of the Pod flagship store, electronic cigarette sales have been steadily increasing, making it the second-best-selling brand in this category on JD.com.

Pod is a company primarily engaged in the research, design, production, and sales of electronic cigarettes, founded in Pennsylvania, USA, in 2013, and now has over 7,000 retail stores. At the end of 2015, Pod decided to enter the Chinese market, conducting market tests in two cities in Guangdong from January to May 2016, and officially entering the Chinese market by the end of May.

Not only Pod, but many foreign electronic cigarette companies are also accelerating their layout in the Chinese market. For instance, on the 19th, South Korean electronic vapor giant Green Yunda Group officially invested in Hunan Shushi Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., which entered the domestic electronic vapor market in October 2015 and has now emerged.

In April this year, a report from the Royal College of Physicians in the UK pointed out that electronic cigarettes are at least 95% safer than traditional cigarettes. Moreover, last year's 'strictest smoking ban' in Beijing did not include electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes are increasingly favored by 'smokers.'

Regarding the development prospects of electronic cigarettes, a research report from the American think tank Reason Foundation this year indicated that electronic cigarettes will gradually replace traditional cigarettes in the next 20 to 30 years, potentially saving nearly 1 billion lives, more than half of the population in Asia. (End)