Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/566084
40 tobaccoasia / Issue 4, 2015 (September/October) On June 1, 2015, a new smoking ban -- China's toughest to date – took effect in Beijing. The ban prohibits smoking in all the city's indoor public places, workplace, and public transportation and in some outdoor public places. Enforcement of the smoking was so comprehensive that authori- ties carried out inspections involving 31,804 pub- lic health inspection officers, and imposed fines of RMB251,800 (US$46,600) by July 31 – only two months after the smoking ban took effect. Besides Beijing, more than a dozen other ma- jor Chinese cities also enacted local smoking ban legislation. However, while efforts to implement the smoking ban are strengthening across continu- ally, the use of electronic cigarettes becomes more prevalent. On July 23-25, an international e-cigarettes expo was held in Beijing where many Chinese and foreign manufacturers presented their products in an effort to gain customers and develop agents and alliances in the distribution business. Earlier, two separate expos for electronic cigarettes were held in south China's Shenzhen City, the epicenter of e-cigarette manufacturing and supplies. Apart As major Chinese cities tighten up regulations on cigarette smoking in public places, Chinese electronic cigarette manufacturers – which supply the lion's share of the product to global markets – now look at their own home market for increased sales. Chinese E-cigarette Makers Shift to Domestic Markets Virtually all e-cigarettes are made in China, and virtually all are exported until now. Recently the domestic market for e-cigarettes in China has increased. By Allen Liao