Smoking in indoor public spaces including public working place, public transportation vehicles and some other special outdoor working spaces will all be banned from January 2011, chinanews.com.cn reported Monday.

Chinanews.com.cn cited Yang Qing, director of the department of women and children's healthcare and community hygiene under the Ministry of Health (MOH), as saying the ban is in accordance with the requirement by the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Yang said a non-smoking campaign has been launched in the MOH, with the Health Minister Chen Zhu being the leader, to ban smoking in the MOH building.

China began participating in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2006, promising full implementation by 2011.

Half of China’s public health institutions will be non-smoking spaces in 2010.

(chinadaily.com.cn May 11, 2010)