Companies selling products online to Chinese consumers would be wise to look at recently issued opinions from the State Council in China. Steve Dickinson, writing in the China Law Blog, notes that many U.S. companies have been avoiding strict Chinese consumer laws, such as the requirements for animal testing, by selling to consumers for “personal use” directly via e-commerce.
“These companies have worked a loophole in Chinese regulation that gets around these restrictions,” he says. But not for long. “It appears that the Guiding Opinion may be intended to presage shutting down this personal use loophole,” which would lead to the government monitoring shipping and delivery systems, he says.
