China to ban all tobacco advertising by 2011

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 08-30-2007 11:26

A Chinese man smoking a cigarette is silhouetted in Xiamen, in southeastern China's Fujian province, in this Wednesday May 30, 2007 file photo. China will ban all types of tobacco advertising and promotions by 2011. (AP Photo/File)

Authorities say they will ban all tobacco advertising, promotions and sponsorship by the end of 2010. It's part of China's commitments under a WHO treaty on tobacco control.

The national Tobacco Control Association also said a national law was needed to ban smoking in all public places. Cigarette advertising was banned in 1996, but tobacco companies have still been able to promote their brands.

China is the world's biggest producer and consumer of tobacco. It has one fifth of the world's population, but a third of all smokers live here. Almost one million of them die from smoking-related diseases each year.

Editor:Du Xiaodan