China Advertising Update: Cross-Border E-Commerce Product Videos Now Subject to Ad Review — Key Takeaways

Starting June 1, 2025, all cross-border e-commerce product videos uploaded to China-facing platforms must pass formal advertising review (广告审查, advertising review, guǎnggào shěnchá) before publication, expanding the scope of the 2023 Advertising Law amendments to cover short-form video, livestream clips, and pre-recorded demonstrations. This change directly impacts an estimated 85,000+ foreign-brand merchants operating through cross-border channels, who previously could publish product videos under self-regulation. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) now treats any promotional video—even inline product demos on listing pages—as an advertisement requiring pre-approval, with non-compliance penalties ranging from RMB 200,000 to RMB 1,000,000 per violation.

What the New Regulation Entails

Previously, cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Tmall Global (天猫国际, Tiān Māo Guójì) and JD Worldwide (京东国际, Jīng Dōng Guójì) allowed brands to upload product videos under a self-compliance model, with SAMR only intervening upon consumer complaints or competitor reports. The updated rules close this loophole by mandating that all promotional video content—whether displayed on a product page, in a brand storefront, or shared via short-video feeds—must file for ad review (广告审查, advertising review, guǎnggào shěnchá) through SAMR’s digital platform before going live.

The review covers claims related to product efficacy, ingredients, origin, and comparative statements. For example, a 30-second skincare video claiming “reduces wrinkles within 7 days” now requires clinical evidence submission alongside the video file. Foreign brands that fail to obtain a review certificate risk having their product listings removed and their seller accounts temporarily suspended. SAMR has also clarified that livestream clips exceeding 15 seconds in duration fall under the same requirement, affecting an estimated 12,000+ foreign brands that regularly run livestream promotions on Douyin (抖音, Dǒu Yīn) and Kuaishou (快手, Kuài Shǒu).

Platforms Affected and Compliance Timeline

The regulation applies to all eight major cross-border e-commerce platforms operating in China, each of which has been given a phased compliance deadline. The table below summarises the key dates and platform-specific requirements.

Brands that miss their platform’s compliance deadline will see their video content automatically hidden from search and recommendation feeds, effectively disappearing from organic discovery. SAMR has already issued 47 warning notices in the first two weeks of June to brands with high-risk claims, including skincare, health supplements, and baby formula categories.

Key Operational Changes for Foreign Brands

The most immediate operational impact is a 300% increase in review turnaround time—from an average of 2 days under self-compliance to 7–14 days under formal ad review. This means brands can no longer rely on last-minute video production cycles for seasonal promotions like Singles’ Day (双十一, Shuāng Shí Yī) or the 618 Shopping Festival. For the upcoming 618 event (June 18, 2025), brands that have not submitted their video assets for review by June 5 risk having zero promotional video content during the peak sales window.

A second critical change is evidence submission requirements. For functional claims—such as “boosts energy” for supplements or “kills 99.9% of bacteria” for cleaning products—brands must provide third-party lab reports recognised by CNAS (中国合格评定国家认可委员会, China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment). Foreign-issued test reports from labs not accredited by CNAS are no longer accepted, a shift that has already forced 35% of supplement brands to retest their products in China at an average cost of RMB 85,000 per SKU.

Finally, the regulation introduces a “review revision” process. If SAMR rejects a video, the brand receives a rejection notice detailing the specific claims and timestamps that failed review. However, each resubmission incurs an additional processing fee of RMB 2,500, and brands are limited to three resubmissions per video. After three rejections, the content must be fully recreated and submitted under a new application, effectively doubling production costs.

Pitfall: Underestimating Review Timelines

Pitfall: Using Unaccredited Lab Reports

Pitfall: Ignoring Livestream Clip Rules

NEXT STEPS

1. Audit your existing video library. Review all current product videos across Tmall Global, JD Worldwide, Douyin, and Kuaishou. Flag any content with unverified functional claims, and prioritise submissions for videos that have been live for more than 30 days. For a complete audit checklist, see our Cross-Border Video Ad Compliance Checklist.

2. Establish a CNAS-accredited testing pipeline. Partner with a SAMR-approved testing laboratory in China to run product efficacy tests for your top 10–20 SKUs. This ensures that future video claims are backed by locally recognised evidence. Learn how to set up testing partnerships in our guide China Product Testing Lab Setup Guide.

3. Build a 4-week content submission calendar. Map out all major promotional events for the next 12 months (Singles’ Day, 618, Chinese New Year, etc.) and back-schedule video submission deadlines by at least 28 days. Use our China E-Commerce Content Planning Template to operationalise this process.

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