China’s tobacco regulator on Friday issued a notice asking e-commerce platforms and businesses to shut online stores that sell electronic cigarette products, in a move aimed at stopping minors from purchasing e-cigarettes through the internet. The notice comes not long after online platforms and retailers in the U.S. launched similar takedowns amid government scrutiny toward vaping’s effect on public health. It also arrives as a bevvy of Chinese startups race to capture a piece of China’s massive potential market for e-cigarettes.
