Many Shanghainese like to refer to their city as China's New York and the two metropolises have indeed become more alike with their huge number of skyscrapers and long subway systems. But new laws being mooted by the two cities set them clearly apart.

In New York, the City Council passed a bill last week banning smoking in all the city's parks and beaches. The law, expected to be signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will make New York a haven for non-smokers.

New York banned smoking in bars and restaurants as early as 1993, and at $5.85 a pack, the city now levies the highest taxes on smokers in the United States.

Shanghai's law on tobacco control, which took effect last March, bans smoking only in limited public places, such as schools, hospitals, stadiums and buses. The law does not even include offices, although the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which China has ratified, requires the country to ban smoking in all indoor public places, including offices, as of Jan 9 this year.

Like many Chinese cities, Shanghai has shown little willingness to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. Is it because the rumor that Shanghai's air pollution affects people more than cigarette smoke is actually true? Perhaps that's why the city has exhibited more enthusiasm for drafting draconian dog laws rather than enforcing its anti-smoking ones.

The Shanghai canine regulation, in the last stage of deliberation, would allow only one dog in each family. At the moment, the proposed one-dog bill does not say whether people who own two or more dogs should have the rest adopted.

Though the local government is expected to lower its annual levy on dog owners from as much as 2,000 yuan ($305) to 300 yuan, the bill is undeniably harsh. As I read the bill the message seemed to be: Keep your dog inside your apartment and never let it out. The authorities, of course, have explained differently.

That is why some of my Shanghai friends visiting New York were almost in tears when they saw dogs playing with each other or with their owners in the city's 40 dog parks. In Shanghai, there is not a single dog park and dogs are never allowed out unleashed. Some owners have to travel to the suburbs at the weekend and pay a handsome fee so their dogs can run around on private land.

In New York, the reasons for launching dog parks and off-leash recreation are quite telling: Tax-paying dog owners deserve and need outdoor space to exercise their dogs and off-leash recreation helps dogs socialize, resulting in better canine citizens, which in turn is better for the communities in which they live. Off-leash dog recreation also gets people into the parks, bringing New Yorkers together and making the city a more pleasant place.

In New York, a dramatic reduction in dog bites has been credited to the advent of off-leash recreation and dog parks.

Clearly those in Shanghai who believe locking dogs inside will reduce dog bites are moving in the wrong direction. People, if locked indoors for too long, would probably want to bark and bite as well.

As New York gets tougher on smokers and Shanghai gets tough on dogs, maybe it's time for a Shanghai hukou for New York smokers and New York green cards for Shanghai dog owners.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily US edition. E-mail: chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/09/2011 page8)