Govt smoking ban applauded

Experts on tobacco control expressed their support for an announcement on Sunday from the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council, urging the Party and government officials to stop smoking in public places.

In 2011, the then ministry of health banned smoking in indoor public places. However, “smoking is still common in public places. Some officials smoke in public places. This not only threatens the public environment and the public’s health, but also impairs the image of departments of the Party and the government and the image of the officials, leaving a bad influence,” said the announcement made public by Xinhua News Agency on Sunday.

The announcement said the Party and government officials must not smoke in public places, including schools, hospitals, sporting venues and public transport vehicles, and that they should play a leading role in obeying no- smoking signs in other places.

The announcement said people must not smoke during official activities, and they are prohibited from offering cigarettes to others. It also strictly prohibits the use of public funds on tobacco.

Wu Yiqun, executive director of ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, an organization advocating tobacco control, said the announcement shows a commitment by the Party and the State government.

Jiang Yuan, deputy director of the Tobacco Control Office of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said having officials obey the smoking ban can set an example for the public.

“Officials doing so can help change the overall atmosphere in the society,” she said. “We have seen changes after the eight- point rules came out. This announcement will be as effective,” she said.

The eight-point rules were issued by the CPC Central Committee in 2012 to curb extravagance and bureaucracy among government officials, and have helped reduce the inappropriate use of public funds.

Also, the statement said government officials should accept supervision by the public and media, and the departments they work in should warn those who violate smoking bans and smoke in public places, and punish those who have been a bad influence.

However, both Wu and Jiang believe it’s important to pass a national-level law banning smoking in public places.