[Intl-tobacco] China: National People's Congress approves FCTC

[Robert Weissman]

  BBC NEWS
August 29, 2005

China backs anti-tobacco treaty
*The world's largest tobacco consumer, China, has ratified an
international treaty aimed at curbing tobacco-related deaths, state
media has reported. *

The country's top legislature announced shortly afterwards it was
banning all tobacco vending machines, even in self-administered Hong
Kong and Macau.

China has around 350 million smokers, some 36% of the population,
according to the World Health Organization.

There are 1.2 million tobacco-related deaths annually, says a China
watchdog.

China sold 1,798bn cigarettes in 2003, making it the world's largest
consumer of cigarettes, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

The National People's Congress announced its decision to ratify the
WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on Sunday, Xinhua said.

Parliament leaders "supported the treaty by announcing that China will
ban tobacco vending machines of any kind," the news agency said.

The treaty requires all countries signed up to it to prohibit the sale
of tobacco to minors and ban tobacco-related advertising, promotion and
sponsorship.

A WHO spokeswoman told the BBC that 78 countries were now party to the
treaty, which came into force on 27 February this year.

Jean King, Director of Tobacco Control at Cancer Research UK, said:
"Tobacco kills over a million people a year in China, so it is greatly
encouraging that the Chinese government has ratified the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control.

"By banning cigarette vending machines, China is taking an important
step towards reducing the toll taken by tobacco on its citizens.

"If the FCTC is to be successful, member countries must take practical
action on all the measures it stipulates."