NANCHANG, Jan. 10 -- Fresh air made a welcome return to ongoing annual meetings oflocal legislatures and political advisory bodies across China thanks to a governmentsmoking ban.
Officials attending meetings are banned from smoking in pubic places.
Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Lanzhou, capital of northwest China'sGansu Province and Shinan District, Qingdao City of east China's Shandong Province haveall banned smoking at their plenums.
According to a circular on Dec. 29, from the Communist Party of China (CPC) CentralCommittee and the State Council, officials are not allowed to smoke in public areas,including schools, hospitals, sports venues, on public transport vehicles, among othervenues.
The circular told government officials to "take the lead" in adhering to the ban and kickingthe habit. Chinese people are accustomed to images of their government officials holding acigarette -- usually an expensive one -- between their fingers.
Not a single ashtray has been seen in the meeting rooms and hotels where representativesare staying in Nanchang during the plenums, which are taking place from Jan. 8 to 12.
A smoking ban notice was put into their file packets. It reads "the central government'srelevant provisions on tobacco control will be strictly implemented."
In Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, there have been fewer cigarette buttsscattered on the floor this year, said Xia Lihua, a cleaner at a hotel where delegates arestaying.
About 20 smoking-ban posters are being displayed in the meeting rooms, lobbies, corridorsand rest areas to remind delegates, many of them local officials, not to light up, said WuXincai, an official with the Standing Committee of the Nanchang Municipal People'sCongress, the city's legislature.
He Xiaoming, a smoker and a member of the Nanchang Municipal People's PoliticalConsultative Conference, the city's political advisory body, did not take any cigarettes tothe meeting to support the ban.
Officials taking the lead will significantly improve the effectiveness of the smoking ban, hesaid.
Fu Wenjing, a female member of city's political advisory body, is delighted with the change.
"Everyone is more refreshed as the air in the meeting rooms is fresher," she said.
As smoking cessation takes time, it is inevitable there will be some who want to smoke,said Wu.
"Our staff will first advise them not to. If persuasion is not effective, they will lead them toan outdoor area," he said.
China is the world's largest cigarette producer and consumer. The number of smokersexceeds 300 million, with at least 740 million nonsmokers regularly exposed tosecondhand smoke.
In 2003, China signed the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on TobaccoControl (FCTC) and it became effective in January 2006. The framework requires areduction in tobacco supply as well as consumption. The 12th Five-Year plan (2011-2015)promised to ban smoking in public places.
China's health authorities and local governments have introduced guidelines banningsmoking in hotels, restaurants and public transport since 2011, but smokers frequentlychoose to ignore the ban and punishment is seldom heard of.
Some are critical of the government's efforts, which lags far behind the FCTC standard.Also, there is no national law banning smoking in indoor public places.
