National tobacco control law described as priority

It is estimated that about 10 percent of the entire population of China - the world's biggest tobacco consuming country, with more than 300 million smokers - now have legal protection against secondhand smoke due to tobacco control regulations, according to a new report.

The report, "A Civil Society Perspective on Tobacco Control in China 2016", was published on Tuesday by ThinkTank Research Center for Health Development, one of the country's most outspoken NGOs committed to tobacco control.

To date, only three Chinese cities - Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen - have introduced thorough smoking bans in public places, while some smaller cities have local laws on tobacco control.