China E-Cigarette Exports to Exceed $27 Billion

The value of China’s electronic cigarette exports will reach CNY186.7 billion ($27.82 billion) this year, reports Pandaily, citing the Blue Book of Electronic Cigarette Exports, which was released by the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce  on June 14.

According to the Blue Book, China exported e-cigarettes with a value of CNY138.3 billion in 2021, 180 percent more than in the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2022, the value of Chinese e-cigarette exports stood at CNY45.3 billion. Most of those exports (58 percent) went to the United States, followed by the European Union and Britain (24 percent) and Russia (8 percent). Southeast Asia and the Middle East accounted for 5 percent and 4 percent of Chinese e-cigarette exports, respectively.

In 2021, there were more than 1,500 domestic e-cigarette manufacturing and brand enterprises, more than 190,000 e-cigarette retail outlets and nearly 100,000 e-cigarette supply chains and merchandise service enterprises. The domestic e-cigarette industry directly employs about 1.5 million people and indirectly employs 4 million people, totaling about 5.5 million people.

After allowing the vapor product sector to operate in a legal gray zone for years, the Chinese government has started crafting a regulatory framework, placing e-cigarettes under the jurisdiction of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration.

It has been issuing standards and requirements for production, wholesale and retail, as well as the protection of minors.