CHINA-SMOKING/BAN China capital rolls out tough anti-smoking laws

Record ID: 149648

  • Title: CHINA-SMOKING/BAN China capital rolls out tough anti-smoking laws
  • Date: 1st June 2015
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) WHO REPRESENTATIVE IN CHINA, BERNHARD SCHWARTLANDER, SAYING: "That the first time, the lawmakers have thought very, very carefully how to reinforce the regulations. In previous laws, it was very unclear what to do if a person still smokes in a place where it is actually forbidden, and nobody could act on it." BEIJING, CHINA (MAY 31, 2015) (REUTERS) SE
  • Embargoed: 16th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4NUNN0362TFBNQ7WAF9PI74IS
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Beijing started a ban on smoking in restaurants, offices and on public transport on Monday (June 1), part of unprecedented new curbs welcomed by anti-tobacco advocates, though how they will be enforced remains to be seen.
    Smoking is a major health crisis in China, where more than 300 million smokers have made cigarettes part of the social fabric, and millions more are exposed to second-hand smoke. More than half of Chinese smokers buy cigarettes at less than five yuan (80 U.S. cents) a pack.
    Parliament passed legislation last month banning tobacco ads in mass media, in public places, on public transport, and outdoors. Many Chinese cities have banned smoking in outdoor public places, but enforcement has been lax.
    Under the new rules, anyone in China's capital who violates the ban, which includes smoking near schools and hospitals, must pay 200 yuan ($32.25). The current fine, seldom enforced, is just 10 yuan ($1.60).
    Anyone who breaks the law three times will be named and shamed on a government website. Businesses can be fined up to 10,000 yuan ($1,600) for failing to stamp out smoking on their premises.
    "The solution we have come up with is to eliminate (smoking) in public places, for instance, in restaurants. If anyone smokes, firstly, the people around this person can advise them not to. Restaurant staff have a duty to dissuade these people from smoking. If they don't listen to their advice, then they (the restaurant staff) will have to complain to authorities," said Mao Qunan, spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
    The government will also no longer allow cigarettes to be sold to shops within 100 metres of primary schools and kindergartens, according to state media.
    A World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in China, Bernhard Schwartlander, said this enforcement is unprecedented.
    "That the first time, the lawmakers have thought very, very carefully on how to reinforce the regulations. In previous laws, it was very unclear if a person still smokes in a place where it is actually forbidden, and nobody could act on it," he said.
    Xu Jingyuan, a smoker of five years, said she walked into a restaurant while smoking a cigarette and was told not to.
    "I think this time it's a really big (crackdown), and it will definitely be very serious. At least, that waiter just told me, 'finish smoking outside then you can come back in.' That means they've started to be quite strict with the policy this time," said Xu.
    Bright red banners, typically used to display government slogans, have been posted around Beijing with anti-smoking messages. The city has also set up a hotline on which violators can be reported, the China Daily reported.
    The names of people and companies who break the rules more than three times will be posted on a government website for a month, state radio said.
    Other than campaign posters and banners, the government also organised an event where hundreds of dancers performed an "anti-smoking" dance in front of Beijing's National Olympic Stadium.
    Chu Tieling, a mother from Henan province, said she hoped the ban would be successful but that she thought it would be difficult for many smokers to get used to it.
    "I think it will be a little difficult. Because, well, it's for the sake of preventing children from smoking. For some, they have smoked for many years, and it will be difficult to enforce this policy," she said.
    Health activists have for years pushed for stronger restrictions on smoking in China, the world's largest tobacco consumer, which is considering further anti-smoking curbs nationwide.
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