Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – The General Office of the State Council recently issued the "Opinions on Combating Tobacco-Related Illegal Activities Across the Entire Chain" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), proposing a series of targeted policy measures to address prominent issues such as tobacco counterfeiting, sales of counterfeit goods, and smuggling, continuously purifying the tobacco market environment, and effectively safeguarding national interests and consumer rights.
The "Opinions" require a concentrated effort to combat the smuggling and production of counterfeit tobacco from abroad. It calls for strengthened law enforcement cooperation with relevant countries to severely crack down on the counterfeiting of Chinese tobacco brands from abroad and resolutely investigate and punish illegal tobacco flowing into or through my country. It also emphasizes strengthening joint law enforcement cooperation between land and sea to precisely target maritime tobacco smuggling activities. Furthermore, it stresses the comprehensive management of tobacco-related issues at land borders and ports, severely cracking down on all forms of tobacco smuggling. The "Opinions" also call for strengthened governance of tobacco-related issues in various special areas, strictly prohibiting the infringement of intellectual property rights and the smuggling or disguised smuggling of tobacco through transit transport, entrepot trade, and customs clearance trade. Finally, it calls for strengthened risk control of tobacco-related activities on inbound and outbound transport vehicles and international postal parcels, and the legal investigation and punishment of tobacco smuggling activities carried by personnel on inbound and outbound transport vehicles and through cross-border e-commerce logistics and international postal parcels.
The "Opinions" require a high-pressure crackdown on domestic tobacco-related illegal activities. It calls for cutting off the supply chain of raw materials and machinery used in tobacco counterfeiting, strengthening the governance of the source of tobacco counterfeiting, and strictly preventing and controlling the transfer and spread of tobacco counterfeiting. It mandates strict investigation of the illegal storage, transportation, and delivery of tobacco products, rectification of those holding tobacco retail licenses who illegally operate tobacco products, and severe punishment for the sale of all kinds of illegal tobacco products. It also calls for cleaning up and rectifying the illegal online sale of tobacco products. Furthermore, it emphasizes comprehensive strengthening of e-cigarette supervision, severely punishing illegal production, wholesale, transportation, and sale of e-cigarettes, as well as the export and repatriation of e-cigarettes. It strictly prohibits the unlicensed production and sale of tobacco products containing tobacco and nicotine, such as oral cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and tobacco paste, and severely punishes the illegal production and sale of empty tube cigarettes, tea cigarettes, and other products with similar appearance, usage, and main functions to tobacco, as well as simple cigarette-making machinery.
The "Opinions" also propose strengthening support and guarantees for combating tobacco-related illegal activities. It calls for improving the vertical management system of the tobacco industry, establishing a sound inter-departmental entrusted law enforcement mechanism, and strengthening the effective connection between tobacco monopoly administrative law enforcement and criminal justice. Strengthen professional law enforcement capabilities and accelerate the standardization and professionalization of law enforcement teams. Enhance law enforcement supervision and comprehensively promote strict, standardized, fair, and civilized law enforcement.
The "Opinions" emphasize that all regions and relevant departments must attach great importance to combating tobacco-related illegal activities, fully fulfill their local responsibilities and regulatory duties in this regard, and ensure that all aspects of the work to combat tobacco-related illegal activities are organically linked and that all tasks and measures are effectively implemented.
