Little hope of Chinese smoking ban success

China has banned smoking in enclosed public spaces but in a country where the habit is so ingrained in the culture there is little expectation that it will have much effect.

There has been no campaign to publicise the ban, nor is it clear who will enforce it.

A third of the world’s smokers live in China, that is 350-million people. The country produces nearly half of the cigarettes on the planet.

More than a million people die in China from tobacco related disease and public health experts believe that could triple by the year 2030.

Now owners of establishments that break the law theoretically face a fine of more than 3,000 euros, but no one really knows what exactly would trigger such a heavy penalty.

The World Health Organisation believes few Chinese smokers are aware of the dangers and so see no need to stop.

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