Global Crackdown Intensifies: Chinese-made E-cigarettes Named By FDA, Southeast Asia Also Stepping Up Regulatory Efforts

Recently, regulatory trends regarding e-cigarettes have been continuously tightening worldwide. The United States, Singapore, and the state of Malacca in Malaysia have all issued strong signals: strengthening law enforcement and cracking down on illegal circulation, especially intensifying the crackdown on illegal e-cigarette products produced in China.
Here is a summary based on the news:

1
The FDA director publicly pointed out: Illegal e-cigarettes from China are impacting the US market.
ABC News reported on July 23:
"It's just a joke what we've done." - Dr. Marty Makary, the director of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in an interview with ABC News, rarely used such harsh language to criticize the US for its ineffective regulation of illegal e-cigarettes, and directly pointed out:
A large number of illegal e-cigarette products popular among teenagers are flowing into the US from China.
According to him, the FDA has designated cracking down on illegal e-cigarettes as its top priority in the future and has sent 800 warning letters to retailers and distributors. Currently, about 85% of e-cigarette products on the US market are considered illegal, and many of them are disguised as "lovely fruit flavors" or "video game designs" to evade regulation and cater to the use of teenagers.
At the same time, the US Customs seized over 60 million US dollars worth of drugs and related e-cigarette smuggled products in the first half of 2025, which means that the US will implement stronger seizure and blockade measures for illegal imported products.
2
Singapore Health Sciences Agency: Spends Millions on AI Monitoring System to Track Online E-cigarettes

Yahoo News reported on July 18th:
In mid-July, the Singapore Health Sciences Agency (HSA) announced its plan to purchase an AI-driven network monitoring tool to monitor illegal sales activities of e-cigarettes on social platforms (especially Telegram).
According to the public bidding information, the tool must support IP tracking, user profiling analysis, risk grading scoring, cross-platform deep search and location, in order to improve seizure efficiency.
Since April 2024, Singapore has deleted over 600 groups promoting e-cigarettes on Telegram and removed more than 6,800 online sales lists. This indicates that even with the ban, the black market for e-cigarettes still has strong demand, and the government's regulation must upgrade its technical capabilities.

3

Malaysia: Drafting a comprehensive proposal to ban the sale of e-cigarettes, entering the review stage. FMT News Network: Reported on July 23rd
In Malaysia, the health department of the state of Malacca has also announced that it has drafted a regulatory proposal to "fully ban the production and sale of electronic cigarettes". Although the state government has not yet expressed its stance, its attitude has clearly become more restrictive.
Malacca health officials pointed out that various types of carcinogens and toxic metal elements such as nickel, chromium, arsenic, cobalt, and cadmium are often detected in electronic cigarettes. These components not only harm the lungs and kidneys but are also suspected to be related to mental health problems such as depression.
This also indicates that the "legal window period" for electronic cigarettes in some states of Malaysia may be closed.