Lawmakers consider complete ban on tobacco advertising
Print Edition
CHINESE lawmakers yesterday called for a total ban on the advertising of tobacco products.
At their ongoing bi-monthly legislative session, members of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress discussed a draft amendment to the 20-year-old Advertisement Law, with a number of them calling for the legislation to ban tobacco adverts in all forms and venues.
According to committee member He Yicheng, without a complete ban, tobacco companies will continue to exploit loopholes in the law.
“We don’t need to got to the trouble of listing media and venues that are closed to tobacco ads. It will be clearer just to adopt a complete ban,” he said during a panel discussion.
The bill, which was tabled for its first reading on Monday, proposes banning tobacco adverts directly or indirectly transmitted via radio, film, TV, newspapers, magazines, books, audio-visual products, electronic publications, telecom networks and the Internet.
Venues where tobacco ads would be prohibited include libraries, cultural and sports centers, museums, parks and other outdoor sites, waiting rooms, theaters, meeting halls and the vicinities of hospitals and schools.
Wu Yiqun, vice director of the nongovernmental anti-smoking group Think Tank Research Center for Health Development, however, said the bill had a major oversight.
“What about children’s palaces (government-funded play centers)? They are not listed by the bill. Are tobacco ads okay in these venues?” Wu said.
Also, the bill does not regulate on tobacco firms sponsoring sporting or other public events, or on smoking scenes in TV shows and movies, she said.
China is the world’s largest tobacco producer and consumer, with more than 300 million smokers. According to a report published in May by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 percent of junior school students in the country smoke, while 49 percent of children aged 13 to 15 had seen a tobacco advert in the previous month.
In a separate poll, 85 percent of children aged 5 and 6 could identify at least one cigarette brand.
Global pressure
In 2003, China signed the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires signatories to “ban all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.”
According to Dr Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO’s representative in China, the organization welcomes the strengthening of restrictions on tobacco advertising in China and commends the efforts of the government.
“But the proposed amendments to the advertising law fall short of what is required by the framework,” he said.
“We recommend additional amendments to ensure the final law includes a complete, enforceable ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in China.”
During the session, lawmakers also raised questions about unsolicited text messages and e-mail.
The bill adds a provision forbidding any organization or individual from posting advertisements on another person’s residence or vehicle, or transmitting them without consent via e-mail or telephone.
NPC Standing Committee member Han Xiaowu said, however, that the provision is too general and abstract.
“Junk mail and text messages are a headache for many people. We need not only a ban but also rules on how to impose that ban,” he said.
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