Factors ranging from local protectionism to lack of legal
support are barriers to anti-smoking campaigns despite the
government's stepped-up efforts, a top legislator has
acknowledged.
Han Qide, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the
National People's Congress - the country's top legislature - said
the country faces a dire situation with more women, especially
professionals, and youngsters taking to smoking - which directly or
indirectly kills 1 million Chinese a year.
The government is concerned and has taken a slew of
countermeasures, Han told a forum on smoking control over the
weekend.
"However, due to ground realities prevalent in our society and
economy, tobacco control in China is more complicated that in any
other country," he said, citing several problems.
From a legal perspective, there is no law which specifically
bans smoking in public, although some public venues do so.
For example, only the Law on the Protection of Minors stipulates
nobody is allowed to smoke indoors in primary and junior middle
schools, kindergartens and nurseries.
Local regulations on smoking bans in public areas are common,
but are rarely implemented, Han said.
From an economic standpoint, the tobacco industry has long been
a key source of tax, which accounted for about 240 billion yuan
(US$31.4 billion) in 2005, 10 per cent of total State revenues,
official statistics show.
Additionally, the industry sustains the livelihood of millions
of tobacco farmers and also provides a great number of jobs in the
production and distribution of cigarettes.
At the local level, the situation is even bleaker as some
provinces rely mainly on the tobacco industry as the main cash cow,
Han said.
That's probably the reason why China has so many tobacco
enterprises, Han said.
To redress that, Han urged governments at all levels to drop
short-term monetary incentives; and control tobacco and smoking for
the sake of public health.
China - with 350 million smokers - is the world's largest
producer and consumer of tobacco, accounting for more than a third
of the global total on both counts.
(China Daily December 17, 2007)