The publicity head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Mao Qun’an, made the announcement at press conference at the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai. “The nationwide regulation to control smoking in public is undergoing the legislative process and is hoped to be announced and carried out this year,” said Mao.

Under the terms of the nationwide ban, smoking will be prohibited at all indoor public venues, workplaces and public transportation facilities. Smoking will also not be permitted outdoors in places like primary schools, kindergartens, children’s training institutes, historic sites, children’s hospitals and stadiums. Personal violators may be fined up to 500 yuan (US$73), while companies caught allowing smoking on their premises may be fined up to 30,000 yuan and may even be stripped of their business license.

Just last week, Shanghai announced it will implement a city-wide indoor smoking ban next year, following the lead of Beijing’s 2015 indoor smoking ban.

A draft for the national smoking ban had first been proposed to Chinese lawmakers in 2014. Mao said the biggest obstacle to the proposed regulation had been the public’s lack of awareness about smoking health dangers, which has since improved.

When the nationwide smoking ban was proposed this past summer, the ban was criticized for allowing establishments the option of setting up segregated smoking areas. “That’s like setting aside a peeing area in a swimming pool,” said Cui Xiaobo, deputy director of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association.

Other measures aimed at reducing smoking in China included a 2015 cigarette tax, credited for lowering consumption by three percent.

Enforcing smoking bans already in place has been a difficult, yet lucrative task.

Beijing has punished 575 companies and 2,300 individuals for violating the ban over the past 16 months, taking in 1.12 million yuan ($170,800) in fines as of April.

With over half of all men in China estimated to be smokers, cigarette use in China has been blamed for a growing epidemic of smoking-related health problems. A medical study published in the Lancet medical journal suggests that up to a third of all Chinese men will die from smoking unless they immediately quit.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says a million people in China die of tobacco-related illnesses annually, with second-hand smoke contributing to some 100,000 deaths each year.

The post China to Ban Smoking Nationwide appeared first on The Nanfang.

Starting in March of next year, smoking will not be permitted in the any of the city’s indoor public venues, workplaces and public transport sites. The indoor smoking ban includes all Shanghai hotels, restaurants, offices, airports and railway stations, and entertainment venues.

The amendment to Shanghai’s 2009 smoking control regulation will shut down all designated smoking areas and rooms permitted under the current law in Shanghai hotels and restaurants.

Smoking rooms have already been removed from Shanghai’s airports and railway stations, which became smoke-free last month.

Additionally, the new law will extend the smoking ban to outdoor areas where children are likely to be present. Smoking will be banned in outdoor areas belonging to primary schools, kindergartens, children’s hospitals, historic venues, sports arenas, and public transport waiting areas.

However, for smokers who simply cannot quit, designated outdoor smoking areas will be arranged near public venues, workplaces and transportation facilities.

Fines for violators remain unchanged from before. Individuals caught breaking the ban will be given a fine of 50-200 yuan ($7.34-$29.4) while companies may be hit with a 30,000 yuan penalty.

The arrival of Shanghai’s indoor smoking ban has been long-rumored, with Beijing and Guangzhou having already implemented full smoking bans of their own.

Last year, a survey of over 25,500 people conducted by the Shanghai Health Enhancement Commission found that 93 percent of Shanghai residents favored a smoking ban in indoor public areas. However, a poll from last year suggested that 47 percent of Shanghai workers still smoke on the job.

China has 316 million smokers, exposing some 740 million people to second-hand smoke. In 2015, about 733,000 Chinese were diagnosed with smoking-related illnesses including lung cancer.

The post Shanghai To Finally Ban All Smoking Indoors appeared first on The Nanfang.

All indoor smoking rooms at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai Pudong Airport will be closed and passengers at both airports will be directed to use designated outdoor smoking areas.

Pudong Airport Terminal 1 will have two outdoor smoking areas, while Terminal 2 will have three. Hongqiao Airport will be equipped with two outdoor smoking areas at both of its terminal buildings.

Indoor smoking facilities were also removed from Shanghai’s three railway passenger terminals earlier this week, including Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station and Shanghai South Railway Station.

A revision to Shanghai’s March 2010 anti-smoking regulation proposed this past summer will ban smoking in all public locations, workplaces and public transportation areas. The ban is expected to come into force by the end of the year.

Under the current regulation, smoking is banned in 13 public areas, including primary schools, kindergartens, and children’s hospitals. Restaurants with 75 seats or more, and businesses over 150 square meters in size, are currently allowed to designate smoking and non-smoking sections. Under the revised regulation, restaurants and businesses will no longer be allowed to have designated smoking and non-smoking rooms.

Smokers who violate the smoking ban will be fined between RMB 50 and 200. Facilities that continue to provide smoking rooms to clients will face a fine of RMB 50,000.

Some Shanghai residents are less than impressed with the new regulations. A poll suggests that 47 percent of Shanghai workers still smoke on the job, and slim menthol cigarettes have become fashionable among smokers as a “healthy alternative” instead of quitting.

China has 316 million smokers, exposing some 740 million people to second-hand smoke. In 2015, about 733,000 Chinese were diagnosed with smoking-related illnesses including lung cancer.

16 Chinese cities have passed anti-smoking regulations. Beijing’s smoking ban from 2015 has been considered such a success that plans are being drawn up to implement a nation-wide smoking ban.

The post Smoking Banned (Finally) At Shanghai Airports appeared first on The Nanfang.

Stuck with three roommates who smoke, the student clipped a fan to a window above the entrance of his dorm room. He then fixed a long plastic bag over the window helping the fan to draw air from outside into the bag. He then connected the other end of the plastic bag to a box the student wears over his head, protecting him from the second-hand smoke.

The DIY setup certainly wasn’t expensive. Even the box appears to be re-purposed, originally serving as the box for the fan.

Even if our inventor prefers the confines of his cardboard haven over confronting his roommates, the municipal governments of Beijing and Guangzhou have gone ahead and implemented city-wide indoor smoking bans. Hopefully a proposed nation-wide smoking ban will soon take effect, and this poor soul won’t have to hang-out in his dorm with a box over his head.

The post Student DIYs Contraption To Avoid Second-Hand Smoke appeared first on The Nanfang.

Twenty-three percent of Shanghai people between 15 and 69 years-old are smokers, the majority of which are men. Some admit to have started smoking as early as 10 years-old.

Even though the smoking rate is declining, it’s coming down too slowly for some. “The smoking rate remained stable in the city for years and we are pushing for non-smoking workplaces to encourage more people to quit smoking and protect non-smokers,” said Chen De of the Shanghai Association on Tobacco Control.

Sixty percent of poll respondents said they were exposed to second-hand smoke at their workplace at least once a week, while 27 percent claim they were exposed daily.

Shanghai’s current anti-smoking regulations only forbid smoking in 13 public spaces such as primary schools, kindergartens and children’s hospitals. Exceptions are allowed for restaurants and businesses, depending on their size.

With cities like Beijing and Guangzhou having already introduced smoking bans, Shanghai residents are overwhelmingly in favor of implementing an indoor smoking ban. A survey of over 25,500 respondents conducted by the Shanghai Health Enhancement Commission found that 93 percent of Shanghai residents want an indoor smoking ban in the city.

The post Smoking Still Rampant in Shanghai… Even in the Office appeared first on The Nanfang.

The National Health and Family Planning Commission has submitted a draft for a national ban that would prohibit smokers from lighting up in restaurants, bars, schools and hospitals, similar to anti-smoking regulations in Beijing.

Backing this proposal is widespread public support. A survey of 600 Beijing residents conducted by the Chinese Association of Tobacco Control found that an overwhelming 93 percent of respondents said they were in favor of the smoking ban.

As well, the Beijing smoking ban has been found to be effective in improving conditions. Smoking was only found at 14 percent of Beijing bars, compared to 90 percent before the ban was implemented.

However, critics say it doesn’t go far enough, noting it still gives establishments the option of setting up segregated smoking areas. “That’s like setting aside a peeing area in a swimming pool.”“That’s like setting aside a peeing area in a swimming pool,” said Cui Xiaobo, deputy director of the Beijing Tobacco Control Association.

“It would be a major setback for national smoking control if the law came out that way, because it would set a negative example for stricter regional anti-smoking legislation,” he said.

Other anti-smoking measures taken by China include last year’s cigarette tax hike, credited for lowering cigarette sales by three percent.

With over half of all men in China estimated to be smokers, cigarette use in China has been blamed for a growing epidemic of smoking-related health problems. A medical study published in the Lancet medical journal suggests that up to a third of all Chinese men will die from smoking unless they immediately quit.

More than 1 million people in China die every year from tobacco-related illnesses.

The post China Considering Banning Smoking In All Public Places Nationwide appeared first on The Nanfang.

Shanghai customs reported that four suspects from Japan arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport last Saturday. With the help of a Chinese ground crew from an unnamed Chinese airline, the suspects avoided customs agents before being arrested in the airport parking garage with 800 cartons of cigarettes. Police made a number of arrests relating to the remainder of the smuggling ring later that night.

Authorities did not comment on the value of the smuggled cigarettes; but, the Shanghai Daily estimated their total worth, which included such international brands as Seven Star, Marlboro and Peace, to be about 800,000 yuan (US$122,000).

Authorities became aware of the smuggling activity after nine of the alleged smugglers flight history showed they had traveled between Osaka and Shanghai three or four times in a single week, often making the return trip the same day.

Furthermore, four of the smugglers had already received administrative penalties between January and March 2016 for exceeding the limit placed on foreign cigarettes allowed into China. Many of the smugglers were described as being under the age of 26, with some under the age of 21.

The smuggling ring operated in two ways: 1) the suspects’ luggage was redirected to the domestic baggage claim instead of international, thereby lowering scrutiny; or 2) suspects were transferred to the hall for passengers transferring between international and domestic flights when customs officers were not on duty. Both methods depended on “inside” help from airport employees.

The smuggled cigarettes were thought to be destined for the black market in Liaoning Province.

Taxes on cigarettes sold in China doubled to 11 percent last May, and is credited for the country’s slight decrease in cigarette sales. However, as Chinese cigarettes are still considered to be among the cheapest in the world, anti-smoking advocates are pushing to further increase tobacco taxes.

The post Cigarette Smuggling Ring Busted At Shanghai Airport appeared first on The Nanfang.

Shanghai is set to follow cities like Guangzhou and Beijing, which have enacted smoking bans that prohibit smoking in all public venues and workplaces including bars and restaurants.

Vice director of the Shanghai Health Enhancement Commission Li Zhongyang told a press conference recently that the public is fully in support of an inclusive smoking ban. “Surveys conducted last year found that 94 percent of residents support a complete ban, and the smoking rate in public areas dropped to 13 percent last year from 38 percent before the execution of the current law,” he said.

Plans for a Shanghai smoking ban have long been in the pipeline. Last year, a survey conducted by the Shanghai Health Enhancement Commission that attracted over 25,500 responses found 93 percent of Shanghai residents are in favor of a ban in indoor public areas.

Shanghai’s current anti-smoking regulations only forbid smoking in 13 public spaces such as primary schools, kindergartens and children’s hospitals. Clauses under the current smoking law allow restaurants with 75 seats or more and businesses over 150 square meters in size to designate smoking and non-smoking sections.

With fewer smokers lighting up in Internet cafes, entertainment venues and restaurants, Li says anti-smoking laws are working. And with smoking fines lessening over time, Li said this proves there is a positive result from the law.

Last year, 201 facilities and 148 individuals were fined about 380,000 yuan in total. However, Li pointed out this is but a mere shadow of the total number of transgressions over six years since the law was first implemented. “In the past, local authorities have issued fines totaling 1.9 million yuan (US$290,000) to 971 venues and 482 individuals for violating the laws on smoking,” he said.

Beijingers were initially resistant to the smoking ban. RMB 100,000 in fines were doled out within the first month of the ban, accounting for 40 establishments and 90 individuals.

Despite the bans and taxes levied against smoking in China, cigarette companies in China provide huge incentives to the government by earning between seven and ten percent in tax revenue and employing a vast number of workers. Due to the influence they wield, they are not yet required to issue warning labels on their products.

Furthermore, it’s not clear if these smoking bans are actually stopping Chinese from lighting up. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said last year that in both 2010 and 2015, 27 percent of the population were smokers. Furthermore, Chinese smokers have mistakenly adopted the idea that smoking menthol cigarettes is a “healthier” alternative.

However, medical evidence attesting to the dangers of cigarette smoke continue to mount. A study published in The Lancet medical journal says that a third of all Chinese men under the age of 20 will die prematurely if they do not stop smoking.

More than 1 million people in China die every year in tobacco related illnesses. About 740 million are routinely exposed to secondhand smoke, contributing to another 100,000 deaths annually.

The post Time to Butt-Out: Shanghai May Implement City-Wide Smoking Ban This Year appeared first on The Nanfang.

That’s the consensus of a recent study on adult tobacco use conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the study, China has 316 million smokers accounting for 27 percent of the country’s total population. More significant however is that in 2010, the same percentage of the country were smokers. When you account for annual population increases, there are actually 15 million more smokers in 2015 than there were in 2010.

The survey, which consisted of 15,000 respondents over the age of 15, revealed that 52 percent of all Chinese men smoke, compared with just 3 percent of women. On average, Chinese smoked 15.2 cigarettes per day, compared with 14 in 2010.

The study however wasn’t all doom and gloom. Anti-smoking laws have proven effective at reducing secondhand smoke in China. Since 2010, the number of non-smokers reporting exposure to secondhand smoke in their workplaces has dropped seven points to 54 percent. Meanwhile, exposure to secondhand smoke has been halved in primary and middle schools, and even fell 17 points in government buildings to 38 percent.

The survey also claims exposure rates have fallen in restaurants, hospitals, and on public transit.

16 Chinese cities have instituted smoking bans, including Beijing, although local residents frequently light up in defiance.

More than 1 million people in China die every year in tobacco related illnesses. About 740 million are routinely exposed to secondhand smoke, contributing to another 100,000 deaths annually. A recent study went so far as to suggest that a third of all Chinese men under the age of 20 will die prematurely if they do not stop smoking.

The post Percentage of Chinese That Smoke Unchanged Since 2010 appeared first on The Nanfang.

The production and sale of slim cigarettes have grown at an annual rate of 40 percent since 2007, resulting in the consumption of 15 billion slim cigarettes last year. By comparison, just 500 million slim cigarettes were sold in 2007.

Slim cigarettes have become so popular that by the end of December 2014, 16 out of 18 China Tobacco provincial-level corporations feature their own slim cigarette brands.

Originally designed for female smokers, the concept of the slim cigarette has been radically redefined. According to Tobacco Asia, slim cigarette users are “fashionable, novel, graceful, pioneering, and individualized” and are gradually gaining universal acceptance by all smokers.

Coupled with this re-conceptualizing is the idea that slim cigarettes are a “healthier” alternative to regular cigarettes.

As Zhang Qingyu explained to Xinhua, “It’s the lesser of two evils.” A middle-aged chain smoker who switched to slim cigarettes three years ago, Zhang said he made the switch for health reasons. “My family support me on the switch because, you know, smoking kills and with such a ‘healthier’ alternative, I may live longer,” he said.

However, China’s anti-smoking lobby say the idea that slim cigarettes are “less harmful” is a “beautiful trap” set by cigarette companies.

Executive vice director of ThinkTank Wu Yiqun said the idea that slim cigarettes are “healthier” is a myth. “There has been no evidence that a smoker is exposed to less chemicals and poisons after switching to slim cigarettes,” said Wu. “Smokers feel slim cigarettes are less ‘fulfilling’ so they use other tobacco products, smoke more of them or simply take more drags.”

Deputy head of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control Xu Guihua said slim cigarettes are a marketing hoax used by the industry to dupe consumers and extract more profits from the world’s largest tobacco market. “There is no such thing as ‘safe’ cigarettes no matter how slim they are,” said Xu.

Despite these criticisms, head of the China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and China National Tobacco Corporation Ling Chengxing asserted that slim cigarettes are of “lower costs and cause less harm” compared with regular cigarettes when addressing a meeting earlier this year.

At half the size of a regular cigarette, the production of 5 millimeter-diameter slim cigarettes provide numerous boons to the Chinese cigarette industry, the largest in the world. The smaller size lowers production costs, uses less raw material, and reduces tar levels.

If the production of slim cigarettes continues to increase at 50 percent a year, we could see the potential production of 100 billion slim cigarettes within five years.

Meanwhile, e-cigarettes have largely been ignored by Chinese smokers, despite their country’s status as the world’s leading manufacturer of e-cigarettes.

China has implemented smoking bans in cities like Beijing, while others like Shanghai consider their own. Meanwhile, other smoking bans forbid smoking by CCP officials, medical professionals, and actors in TV shows and films. But despite the prevalence of anti-smoking campaigns, most Chinese smokers remain reluctant to give up the habit themselves.

Last month, a medical study warned that a third of all Chinese men under the age of 20 will die prematurely if they do not stop smoking, with smoking-related fatalities to increase to two million annually in the country by 2030.

However, illnesses caused by cigarette use only appear to be on the rise on account of an ill-informed Chinese public. Only 25 percent of Chinese adults have a comprehensive understanding of the health risks of smoking, and less than a third are aware of the dangers of second-hand smoking, according to World Health Organization.

The post Chinese Smokers Turning to Slim Cigarettes as a “Healthier” Alternative appeared first on The Nanfang.