Announcement from Guangdong Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, Office of the Cyberspace Administration of Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC, Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, Guangdong Provincial Administration for Market Regulation, Guangdong Provincial Communications Administration, and Shenzhen Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau

To severely crack down on the illegal sale of tobacco products via the internet and other information networks, and to effectively safeguard national and consumer interests, in accordance with the provisions of the Cybersecurity Law of the People‘s Republic of China, the E-commerce Law of the People‘s Republic of China, the Tobacco Monopoly Law of the People‘s Republic of China, the Anti-Drug Law of the People‘s Republic of China, the Implementing Regulations of the Tobacco Monopoly Law of the People‘s Republic of China, the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Combating Illegal Tobacco-Related Activities Across the Entire Chain, the Measures for Supervision and Management of Online Transactions, and the Guangdong Provincial Regulations on Comprehensive Anti-Smuggling Governance, the following announcement is hereby issued regarding strengthening internet-based tobacco-related supervision:

I. The use of the internet for illegal tobacco-related business activities is prohibited. Without permission, no citizen, legal person, or other organization may sell cigarettes, cigars, tobacco shreds, tobacco leaves, re-dried tobacco leaves, cigarette paper, filter rods, tobacco tow, tobacco-specific machinery, or other tobacco-related products, as well as e-cigarettes (including cartridges, smoking devices, and products sold in combination with cartridges), oral cigarettes, nicotine pouches, nicotine paste cigarettes, and empty tube cigarettes, etc., through the internet or other information networks. Strict measures will be taken against the illegal manufacture and sale of "high-intensity e-cigarettes" and other drug-related crimes using the internet.

II. Prohibition of Providing Internet Information Services for Illegal Tobacco-Related Businesses. The "Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services" stipulate that internet information service providers shall not create, copy, publish, or disseminate content prohibited by laws and administrative regulations. Except for online trading platforms designated by the tobacco monopoly administrative department, other internet information service providers shall not publish or disseminate information related to tobacco business or advertising, nor shall they provide internet information services or act as trading intermediaries for tobacco monopoly products, e-cigarettes (including cartridges, smoking devices, and products sold in combination with cartridges), and various new types of tobacco products. Internet information service providers shall fulfill their information content management obligations in accordance with the law, establish and improve a normalized self-cleaning mechanism for illegal tobacco-related information by improving management systems and technical measures. Upon discovering any illegal tobacco monopoly business operations or suspected drug-related criminal activities using their platform, they shall immediately take measures to delete the illegal information, preserve relevant records, and report to the local tobacco monopoly, cyberspace administration, public security, communications management, and market supervision departments.

III. Investigating and Punishing Illegal Internet-Based Tobacco Business Activities. The tobacco monopoly administration department, in conjunction with public security, market supervision, and communications management departments, will crack down on illegal tobacco sales and drug-related crimes conducted via the internet and other information networks. Internet information service providers providing services to those involved in illegal tobacco or drug-related activities will be summoned for talks, ordered to rectify their practices, and urged to promptly shut down their sales websites, online stores, or mobile applications, remove tobacco products, and withdraw tobacco advertisements. In serious cases where rectification is refused, the website will be shut down and the operating license revoked or the approval (registration) cancelled. Those constituting crimes will be transferred to judicial organs for criminal prosecution.

IV. Encourage the public to report and monitor illegal tobacco-related activities online. Reports of illegal activities related to tobacco infringement, counterfeiting, illegal business operations, and false advertising on the internet should be promptly submitted to the tobacco monopoly, cyberspace administration, public security, communications administration, and market supervision departments. Those providing important leads or reporting cases leading to the cracking of major tobacco-related crimes will be rewarded by the relevant departments in accordance with regulations.

Report hotline: 12313, 12315, 12345, 110.

This is to announce.

Guangdong Provincial Tobacco Monopoly Bureau, Office of the Cyberspace Administration of Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China

Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, Guangdong Provincial Administration for Market Regulation, Guangdong Provincial Communications Administration, Shenzhen Municipal Tobacco Monopoly Bureau

October 12, 2026