AT LAST year’s ten-day annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the prime minister, Li Keqiang, declared “war” on pollution. On March 15th, at the end of this year’s meeting, he admitted that government efforts were falling far short of public expectations. He failed to mention that on controlling one source of foul air—smoking—the government’s record has been worse.
About 300m Chinese, or one in four, smoke every day. This proportion has remained steady in recent years; efforts to publicise the dangers have been half-hearted. This year, however, may see improvements. On June 1st stricter rules will be enforced on smoking in public places in Beijing, including bars, offices, stadiums and some outdoor areas such as those of hospitals and schools. Fines for failing to keep such places smoke-free could be as high as 10,000 yuan ($1,600); for smokers who break the rules, they could be up to 200 yuan. Cigarette advertising and tobacco-company sponsorships of events will also be banned. Similar measures are included in a draft, published in November, of new national regulations on smoking.
The new rules in Beijing are more wide-ranging than those already in place in many big cities (almost all of which lack a complete ban on smoking in offices). They are also tougher than the capital’s existing...Continue reading
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