New Regulation for the e-Commerce in China

In 2026 China’s e-commerce rules are stricter, more detailed, and more actively enforced than anything international brands faced before 2020. If you are selling or planning to sell products to Chinese consumers, through any channel, you need to understand the current regulatory environment before you commit budget or inventory. The cost of getting it wrong has gone up significantly. Brands that tried to shortcut the system in 2023 and 2024 ended up with blocked shipments, platform bans, and damaged reputations. The good news: the rules are actually workable if you approach them properly. This article walks you through the key regulations, the 2024-2026 changes, and what you need to do to operate legally and profitably in China.

The Daigou Rules: What Changed and Why It Matters

Daigou (代购) refers to the practice of buying products overseas on behalf of Chinese consumers, typically through informal personal shoppers. For years, this was a major channel for international brands entering China without formal registration. In 2019, China passed the E-Commerce Law that formalized requirements for daigou sellers, but enforcement was inconsistent.

Since 2023, enforcement has tightened considerably. Daigou sellers are now legally required to register as individual business operators, collect and remit VAT on cross-border transactions, and comply with product safety and labeling standards. Customs authorities have increased inspections on international parcels. Platforms like WeChat, Taobao, and Douyin have been required to report daigou activity to tax authorities.

For international brands, this means daigou is no longer a reliable informal entry point. It is a compliance risk. Brands that knowingly supply daigou networks face potential liability under Chinese law. More importantly, products sold through unregistered daigou channels cannot be returned, exchanged, or serviced under Chinese consumer protection rules, which creates brand reputation problems when things go wrong.

Cross-Border E-Commerce Zones (CBEC): The Legitimate Fast Track

China’s Cross-Border E-Commerce (CBEC) zones are the government-approved alternative to daigou for brands that are not yet ready for full domestic market entry. CBEC allows international brands to sell directly to Chinese consumers through approved platforms (Tmall Global, JD Worldwide, Kaola, and others) with a simplified customs and tax structure.

Under the current CBEC framework, products sold into China via these channels benefit from reduced import duties and a simplified registration process. For many categories, including food, supplements, and skincare, you do not need the same full CFDA (now NMPA) registration required for standard domestic importation. This makes CBEC a genuinely attractive option for brands testing the Chinese market before committing to the full import registration process.

The 2024 updates to CBEC rules introduced stricter requirements for product labeling in Mandarin even for cross-border sales. They also tightened the “positive list” of products eligible for CBEC, particularly for food and health products. If your product category was previously eligible and you have not checked its current status, do so now. The list changes regularly and removing a product category from eligibility without advance notice has caught several brands off guard.

NMPA Registration for Cosmetics, Food, and Health Products

For brands that want to sell on the mainstream Chinese domestic market (not CBEC), full registration with China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA, formerly CFDA) is required for cosmetics, health foods, medical devices, and certain food categories.

The registration process has become more streamlined since 2022 but it is still significant. For cosmetics, general products now follow a filing (备案) process that takes 3-6 months. Special-function cosmetics (whitening, anti-hair loss, sunscreen) still require full registration, which can take 12-24 months. Products must have Chinese-language labels, comply with China’s ingredient restrictions (the IECIC list), and be manufactured under conditions that meet Chinese GMP standards.

The 2024-2026 regulatory changes have added new requirements around product claims. Brands cannot make medical or therapeutic claims that go beyond what the NMPA registration covers. This catches many Western brands that are accustomed to different advertising standards. Claims that work in Europe or the US may need to be completely rewritten for the Chinese market.

For food products, China’s GB standards (国家标准) define what is allowed in terms of ingredients, additives, and labeling. International brands frequently run into issues with additives that are permitted in their home country but banned in China, or with health claims that are simply not legally allowed without specific certification.

Selling on Tmall, JD, and Douyin Shop: Platform Obligations

Each major Chinese e-commerce platform has its own seller requirements, layered on top of government regulations.

Tmall Global (Tmall’s cross-border platform) requires: proof of brand ownership or authorization, NMPA/relevant registration for regulated categories, Mandarin product listings, and participation in Tmall’s consumer protection fund. Setup costs vary but typically include a store deposit (15,000-150,000 RMB depending on category), an annual fee, and platform commissions of 2-8%.

JD Worldwide has similar requirements but tends to be more accessible for smaller brands and offers stronger performance in electronics and home goods categories. Douyin Shop (抖音小店) has emerged as a major sales channel since 2023, with live-streaming commerce driving enormous volumes in beauty, food, and lifestyle categories. Douyin Shop requires: business registration proof, product compliance documentation, and adherence to Douyin’s own content and product standards. The platform’s algorithm favors live-stream sellers, so building a Douyin presence is now essentially a requirement for any brand serious about Chinese e-commerce.

You can read more about how to build a presence across these channels in our China advertising guide and our piece on Chinese market strategy.

Key Trends for 2026

• NMPA registration for cosmetics has become faster for general products but stricter on claims and ingredient documentation since 2024
• Douyin Shop is now the fastest-growing e-commerce channel in China, with live-streaming sales exceeding traditional platform sales in several product categories
• CBEC positive list revisions in 2025 affected health food and supplement brands most significantly, requiring re-evaluation of entry strategies
• Daigou enforcement, is now consistent and active, making informal channel strategies significantly higher risk than in previous years
• Chinese consumers increasingly check product registration status before purchasing, particularly for skincare, supplements, and food products
• Platform seller obligations on Tmall and JD have expanded to include more detailed supply chain transparency documentation
• Brands that invest in proper NMPA registration and Mandarin-language content consistently outperform those relying on gray-market channels in the long run

What Philip Chen Says

“The brands that come to us after a failed China entry usually have one thing in common: they underestimated the regulatory layer. They assumed that what works in Europe or the US can be copy-pasted into China with a translated label. It cannot. China has specific ingredient restrictions, specific claim standards, and specific platform rules that have no equivalent anywhere else. The brands that succeed treat the regulatory process as a competitive advantage. Once you are properly registered and listed on Tmall or Douyin Shop, you have access to 1.4 billion consumers and competitors who tried to cut corners are stuck outside the door.”

Philip Chen, GMA Senior Consultant

From Blocked at Customs to 4 Million RMB a Month: A French Cosmetics Brand’s China Journey

Isabelle Renard was checking her phone in a Lyon café in March 2023 when she got the email she had been dreading. Her company’s third shipment to their network of daigou partners in China had been intercepted at Shanghai customs. The products, a line of plant-based serums and facial oils that had won two beauty awards in France, were held for inspection. The reason: unregistered cosmetics products without Mandarin labeling.

Isabelle had built Botaniq Naturals over eight years. The products were excellent. She had 12,000 loyal French customers and growing distribution in Belgium and Switzerland. China had always felt like the obvious next step. The daigou approach had seemed smart at the time: low upfront cost, no complex registration, just supply the personal shoppers in Paris and let them handle the demand from Chinese consumers. For 14 months, it had worked, mostly. Then it did not.

The blocked shipment cost her EUR 28,000 in lost inventory and customs penalties. More damaging was the news that came three weeks later: two of her main daigou partners had been fined by Chinese tax authorities and one had their business shut down. Botaniq Naturals products were suddenly associated with a compliance scandal on WeChat groups where Chinese consumers followed beauty news. The brand was not banned, but the association was ugly.

Isabelle made the decision to do things properly. She hired a China regulatory consultant and a GMA team to run her market strategy in parallel. The regulatory work was real: NMPA filing for her general cosmetics products, Mandarin-language label redesign for all 11 products, independent lab testing to verify compliance with China’s IECIC ingredient list (two products needed minor formula adjustments), and a documented audit of her manufacturing facility.

The process took 18 months. It was not cheap: total investment in regulatory compliance and Tmall Global setup was around EUR 120,000. But in September 2024, Botaniq Naturals launched officially on Tmall Global with a full Douyin live-streaming campaign anchored by a beauty KOL with 2.1 million followers. The first live stream sold out three months of inventory in six hours.

By March 2025, Botaniq Naturals was generating 4 million RMB per month in Tmall Global revenue. They added JD Worldwide in June 2025. Isabelle now talks about China as 45% of her total global revenue. She says the 18 months of regulatory work was, in hindsight, the best investment she ever made.

How GMA Can Help

GMA helps international brands navigate China’s e-commerce regulatory environment and build profitable sales channels. Here is what we offer:

• Regulatory pathway assessment: We evaluate your product category, identify the right entry route (CBEC vs. full domestic import), and map out the registration requirements specific to your products
• NMPA filing support: We work with certified Chinese regulatory consultants to prepare and submit NMPA filings for cosmetics, health products, and food items
• Tmall Global and JD Worldwide setup: We manage the full store setup process, including documentation, product listing in Mandarin, and store design
• Douyin Shop launch strategy: We build your Douyin Shop presence and connect you with live-streaming partners to drive initial sales volume
• Mandarin product content: We create compliant Chinese-language product descriptions, claims, and packaging content that meet NMPA and platform standards
• Ongoing compliance monitoring: We track regulatory changes that affect your category and keep your listings and documentation current

Learn more at GMA’s China advertising page.

About GMA

Since 2012, GMA has worked with 500+ brands, destinations, and tourism businesses to build their presence in the Chinese market. Our e-commerce team has helped international brands in cosmetics, food, fashion, and health products complete NMPA registration, launch on Tmall Global, JD Worldwide, and Douyin Shop, and build sustainable revenue in China. We understand Chinese regulations from the inside, because we have been dealing with them for over a decade. We know which shortcuts hurt brands and which investments pay off. Our clients range from emerging European brands entering China for the first time to established international businesses restructuring their China approach after a compliance setback.

About the author: Claire is a Digital Tourism Specialist at GMA. She has spent 6 years working with hotels, brands and destinations to attract Chinese travelers. She writes about what actually works in the Chinese market in 2026. Visit our services page to learn more.

Chinese Sources

中国旅游网 (www.cnta.gov.cn): The China National Tourism Administration’s reporting on cross-border commerce trends highlights the growing integration between e-commerce platforms and Chinese outbound tourism spending, with duty-free and cross-border purchases now representing a significant portion of total tourist expenditure.

马蜂窝 (www.mafengwo.cn): Mafengwo’s shopping guides for international destinations regularly feature CBEC-registered brands and products, showing that regulatory compliance is increasingly a prerequisite for visibility in travel-oriented shopping content consumed by Chinese tourists.