China Intercepts 37,000 Uncertified Power Banks in E-Commerce Safety Push

Chinese market regulators announced that seven major e-commerce platforms have intercepted 37,000 power bank products lacking mandatory certification and taken action against 3,831 online storefronts since July. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, officials from the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) detailed a three-month enforcement drive targeting non-compliant portable chargers. The campaign combines automated online verification against national certification databases with physical inspections at manufacturing hubs and wholesale electronics markets across the country.

Portable power banks carry inherent fire and thermal runaway risks if lithium-ion cells or protective circuitry fail to meet quality thresholds, creating acute hazards in private spaces and public transit. By compelling e-commerce platforms to link merchant inventories directly to official certification databases, regulators are closing digital distribution loopholes for substandard electronics. This shift operationalizes platform accountability while defending the credibility of China's mandatory certification framework.

Chinese market regulators have intensified their crackdown on uncertified portable power banks, directing major domestic e-commerce platforms to systematically block products that fail to meet national safety standards. At a press briefing in Beijing, officials from the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) revealed that a three-month targeted enforcement campaign running from July to September has intercepted approximately 37,000 non-compliant power bank listings. Seven major domestic e-commerce platforms conducted over 3.76 million automated cross-checks against the national certification database, prompting platforms to either remove listings or reject merchant onboarding for 3,831 online storefronts, according to reports by Xinhua and the Daily Economic News. Portable power banks were formally integrated into China's mandatory product certification (CCC) catalog on August 1, 2024, establishing strict safety baselines for lithium-ion battery cells, fire retardancy, and circuit protection. Yang Dong, deputy director of SAMR's Certification Supervision Department, stated at the briefing that 4,258 valid CCC certificates have been issued to date across 428 qualified manufacturing entities. To prepare for updated national standards set to take effect next year, the agency also revised its product certification implementation rules in May. Despite regulatory tightening, authorities noted that unauthorized manufacturing and grey-market sales of uncertified power banks continue to pose persistent risks to consumer and transport safety. In response, local market supervision bureaus have initiated sweeping physical inspections across electronics manufacturing clusters and wholesale markets, implementing a closed-loop system to trace and eliminate illicit supply chains. Alongside product-level enforcement, SAMR publicized six typical regulatory cases penalizing third-party certification bodies. Sanctions targeted entities including Beijing HNA Times Certification Center for issuing fraudulent certification conclusions and Shanghai Tianwei Certification Technology for omitting mandatory procedural reviews and failing to execute post-certification product tracking.