2 days ago
Shop at your own risk: China e-commerce apps offer to ship contraband goods to Hong Kong
In July 2025, Hong Kong police arrested a 13-year-old boy who had set off a smoke grenade that was allegedly bought on the Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo. Under Hong Kong customs law, such items require a license to be legally imported into the city. Licences and/or health certificates are also required to bring in goods such as live animals, fresh eggs and frozen meat. But the items can easily be found for sale by vendors on Chinese e-commerce apps such as Taobao and Pinduoduo. Taobao is operated by Alibaba, which also owns the South China Morning Post.
