As the world's foremost tobacco production and consumption country, about 64 per cent of Chinese men, along with 4 per cent of women, are smokers, according to the State Ministry of Health.

Every day, about 2,000 people die from smoking-related diseases in China.

Medical specialists are also worried about the rapid increase in the number of younger smokers over recent years.

Among the age group of 13-18-year-old Chinese school students, over 15 per cent smoke, mainly influenced by peer or parental smoking.

Smoking has been proven to be the main cause of several diseases, especially cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory disease.

More than a three-fold increased risk of cancer mortality has been found in smokers and about 85 per cent of lung cancers are related to smoking.

Smokers have 10 or 20 times the chance of contracting lung cancer than non-smokers, said Liao Meilin, head of the chest department at the Shanghai Chest Hospital.

Lung cancer has become the most deadly form of cancer in Shanghai, with more than 6,000 people dying from the ailment annually.

The city has earned the title of China's "lung-cancer capital," as it has the highest incidence of lung cancer in the country.

(HK Edition 08/01/2003 page1)