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People's Daily Online>>China Society

1.2 million Chinese die of smoking annually

By Tian Yating (Guangming Daily)

14:01, February 24, 2012

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) launched a three-year "Create a Smoke-Free Environment Project" in cooperation with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on Feb. 22.

"Smoking is one of the most pressing public health problems in the world, especially in China," said Gu Xiulian, director of the Working Committee for Better Care for the Next Generation of China.

Gu said, the country has 300 million smokers, accounting for one-third of the world's total smoking population. In addition, about 1.2 million people in the country die from smoking-related diseases each year. Tobacco has caused great harm to the health of young people across the country.

Zhao Baige, executive vice president of the RCSC, said that in order to promote tobacco control in China, 9 million U.S. dollars will be injected into the project over the next three years.

The project aims to create a smoke-free environment and protect people's health by changing public attitudes and behavior on the basis of government policies and establishing a mechanism for supervising the implementation of tobacco control policies.

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（Editor：厉振羽）

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Aoi at 2012-04-1124.215.200.*: THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT MUST TAKE ACTION AND SHUT DOWN ALL TOBACCO FACTORIES AS PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE.
Huoqiao at 2012-02-2575.72.239.*: At one point I was traveling from Kunming to Wenshan by Bus, and the guy sit next to me was handicap, yet smoke heavily. At one point, he just finished his cigarette and I thought I would have some fresh air. But as soon as I look out the window and turn around, he already started to light his next one. I looked at him with surprise and my girl friend signal to me that don"t act that way or he would notice. But I whispered to her ear that the guy look very poor plus handicap. Why would he smoke that much - one after another? To my guess, 99 percent of Chinese men smoke. China must do something about smoking, or unless smoking became a culture that can"t get rid of it. or unless it is the intention to allow smoking death to thin down the population, otherwise, China must do something about it. 35 years ago, when I first arrived in America, advertising billboards on cigarette were everywhere, on TV, movies, magazines, etc. But now, it is no where to be found. And this country allow smoker to sue the tobacco companies and increase cigarette taxes so high that some people simply give up. I think it is the time for China to follow suit.
See at 2012-02-2460.50.0.*: How to change the habit of smokers where the government is still greedy of cigarette tax