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 In an interview with the Study Times, controlled by the ruling
Communist Party, Ling Chengxing, director of the State Tobacco
Monopoly Administration, said controls on tobacco should not take an
"absolutist" or "expansionist" direction.
"We must note that smoking has hundreds of years of history and
objectively a market demand for cigarettes still exists," Ling said.
"Tobacco control is long term, complex and arduous work, and
one-sided, absolutist and expansionist tendencies should be
carefully avoided," Ling said.
With more than 300 million smokers, China is the world's largest
producer and consumer of tobacco. The government has pledged to curb
smoking but its efforts have had little success.
China faces a smoking-related health crisis but cigarettes are part
of the social fabric, and more than half of Chinese smokers buy them
at less than 5 yuan, or about 80 U.S. cents, a pack.
China is considering a draft regulation to ban indoor smoking, limit
outdoor smoking and end tobacco advertising, the official Xinhua
news agency reported last week.
However, intense lobbying by the tobacco monopoly has resulted in
the weakening of legislation meant to introduce a complete
advertising ban.
The government's heavy dependence on tobacco taxes has impeded
anti-smoking efforts. Last year, the industry contributed more than
816 billion yuan ($132.64 billion) in taxes, or an estimated 7-10
percent of government revenues.
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Ling said the monopoly was supportive of government efforts to limit
indoor smoking, and expressed support for new rules restricting
smoking by Party cadres in workplaces and elsewhere.
Smoking in public places is already restricted in several cities,
but anti-smoking advocates say the rules are not consistently
enforced.
(Reporting By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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