China will report its progress on tobacco control to the member conference of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) next year, but many experts say that there is still a lot to be done.

"China is unlikely to meet the FCTC targets by 2011," Cui Xiaobo, professor of social medicine at the Capital Medicine University, a tobacco control expert, said ahead of this year's World No Tobacco Day on Monday.

Among its protocols the FCTC requires all member countries to implement a comprehensive ban on smoking in public places by January 2011.

"We know the targets are challenging to all member countries, particularly China, which is concerned about the negative impact of tobacco control on its economy," said WHO China Representative Michael O'Leary. "But we believe China can achieve the targets when the message gets across to the government that the benefits of tobacco control outweigh the economic concerns."

Currently, among the central government agencies only the Ministry of Health has met the requirements of the Convention, banning indoor smoking at all medical institutions and administrations across the country by the end of 2011.

To facilitate an effective nationwide action, an entity above ministerial-level is needed to take the lead in tobacco control, one that can cover all sectors, including health, industry, finance, and agriculture, said Sarah England, a technical officer for the WHO Tobacco Free Initiative.

The successful model for AIDS control, with a State Council level committee and a secretariat at the Ministry of Health, is worth considering for tobacco control in China, she said.

"It was once considered impossible to ban smoking in bars in New York City, in pubs in Dublin and in cafes in Paris, but it all happened," she said. "China can also achieve it, if the right evidence can be provided to the Chinese leadership so that they can clearly see the devastating effects of tobacco on the economy."

According to the WHO, 17 FCTC member countries, including France and Canada, have applied a 100 percent indoor smoking ban in public places.

"All of them have laws prohibiting indoor smoking in public and act accordingly and strictly," said Jiang Yuan, deputy director of the tobacco control office at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Her office brought together 59 law experts in Beijing on Saturday, forming an alliance committed to pushing forward national legislation on smoking control.

Despite current regional smoking bans in public places, "smokers are seldom punished for breaking the ban," said Professor Cui.

"Even during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games when supervision over smoking in public venues was strict, smokers only got a verbal warning or a fine of 10 yuan (US$1.46)," he explained.

"Tobacco control laws in China need more teeth," he said.

Given the large territory and population in China, stakeholders, including the government, industry and society, should fight the smoking epidemic together, he urged.

(China Daily May 31, 2010)