CRI听力:Beijing Issue Tobacco Control Draft

Municipal authorities in Beijing are circulating new draft legislation to toughen-up the city's indoor smoking legislation.

CRI's Xie Zhao has more details.

Reporter: Under the new rules, indoor smoking will not be permitted in any enclosed public space.

The current rules only cover smoking in, what has been described, as densely populated areas.

The proposed new rules are drawing a lot of attention from both smokers and non-smokers.

"The old regulations should have been better. My husband has smoked for 50 years and I cannot control him. But I think he will be controlled if the government tightens up the rules."

"I am a heavy smoker, but I think the smoking rules should be changed. If no one else smokes, I will not do it any more."

"The draft is good. But the key point is monitoring and enforcement."

There are 12 cities here in China which have issued tougher tobacco-control regulations.

However, none of the regulations have ever been enforced effectively.

Weak enforcement of the rules is being cited as the main downfall of the laws.

As such, the new rules being proposed here in Beijing clarifies the punishments for violators.

Zeng Fanyu with the Chinese Association for Tobacco Control says Beijing can learn a lesson from Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong's health department lays out the rules and other municipal departments cooperate with them. This means only one department is accountable. In Shanghai, as an example, authorities enforce the law by many departments. Consequently, one department does not control smoking and cannot control it."

Under the current restrictions for smoking here in Beijing, you can only be fined 10 yuan if caught breaking the rules.

The new anti-smoking draft will increase the fine to 50-yuan.

Repeat offenders can be hit with fines of up to 200-yuan.

Despite the planned changes, Zeng Fanyu says the punishments are still weak.

"In Hong Kong, the smoker will be fined up to 1500 yuan in public areas no matter whether it is the first time or second time. In Shenzhen, the smoker will be fined up to 200 yuan. So here in Beijing, he or she doesn't really care if they're going to be fined 50 yuan."

With local governments stepping up their own fight against smoking, national leaders are also taking notice.

Mao Qun'an with the National Health and Family-planning commission says national authorities are also working on new anti-smoking legislation.

"Draft legislation on indoor smoking were first worked on last year. The draft has been listed in the State Council's legislation plan. Our commission is working on getting the new proposals out as quickly as we can."

It's estimated there are currently around 300-million smokers in China.

Around a million people die in this country every year from smoking-related illnesses.

For CRI, I'm Xie Zhao.