Government and Policy

China's new indoor smoking ban comes into effect

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-05-01 15:37

A "No Smoking" sign is displayed in a restaurant in central Beijing May 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

Related readings:  China's indoor smoking ban to start May 1  Chinese smokers not ready for hasty smoking ban  Countdown to indoor smoking ban

BEIJING - China's latest push to ban smoking in indoor public venues has come into effect.

The Health Ministry's amended guidelines on the management of public places that now ban smoking in more venues like hotels and restaurants were implemented Sunday.

The guidelines are the latest effort to curb tobacco use in the country with the world's largest number of smokers.

China has more than 300 million smokers on the mainland, statistics from the World Health Organization show, and nearly 1.2 million Chinese people die from smoking-related diseases each year - making up one-fifth of the world total.