Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/article/1651932/beijing-legislature-bans-smoking-indoor-public-places
China

Beijing bans smoking indoors in public venues

WHO applauds new law passed by the city's legislature, which takes effect in June

The mainland has more than 300 million smokers. Photo: AFP

Beijing's legislature has passed a ban on smoking in all indoor public places and offices, a move that comes as the mainland weighs similar restrictions at the national level, state media reported.

The WHO welcomed the new law, which comes into effect in June, calling it a "quantum leap" forward.

It builds on an earlier ordinance enacted by the city government that banned smoking in open-air spaces at kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, women's and children's hospitals and sports venues.

The law also banned tobacco advertising outdoors and from magazines, radio, television, films, newspapers and books, Xinhua reported. Violators face fines of between 50 yuan (HK$63) and 200 yuan.

The mainland has more than 300 million smokers and another 740 million people are exposed to second-hand smoke every year. In Beijing alone, there are more than 4 million smokers, according to Xinhua.

The World Health Organisation said the rules paved the way for strict anti-smoking laws at the national level.

"We are thrilled to see the Beijing 100 per cent smoke-free law pass, with no loopholes and no exemptions," said Dr Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO's representative in China. "China is poised to take a quantum leap forward on tobacco control."

But that optimism may be premature. The Ministry of Health published guidelines in 2011 that banned smoking in "indoor public spaces", but these were criticised as too vague and lacking in enforcement.

Most bars and clubs and many restaurants have continued to allow patrons to light up freely. Part of the problem is that offering a cigarette is a common greeting among many men.

On Monday, the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office released a draft regulation that proposes banning smoking in all indoor public areas - and certain outdoor ones, near hospitals and kindergartens, for example.

But the national proposal could be watered down in the face of opposition from the mainland's powerful tobacco lobby. The industry is also a significant source of tax revenue, accounting for between 7 per cent and 10 per cent over the past decade.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse